Linda Thompson (born 23 August 1947 in London, England) is a British singer. Born Linda Pettifer (Linda is the sister of the actor Brian Pettifer) in the London Borough of Hackney, Thompson became one of the most recognised names—and voices—in the British folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk rock legend, guitarist Richard Thompson, and later, as a solo artist.
Biography
Early years
When Linda Pettifer was six, her family moved to a district of Glasgow.
In about 1966 she started singing in folk clubs, and in 1967 began studying modern languages at the University of London, but quit the latter after four months. She changed her name to Linda Peters. By day she sang advertising jingles, including one with Manfred Mann. By night she sang folk songs in coffee houses, meeting up with key members of the folk scene including Sandy Denny. She recorded the Bob Dylan song "You Ain't Going Nowhere", released as an MGM single in 1968 by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters. Paul McNeill being another friend of Sandy Denny's and Alex Campbell. They released a second single as Paul and Linda in 1969 on Page One, the John. D. Loudermilk song "You're Taking My Bag". During 1970 she had an affair with Martin Carthy, and was Joe Boyd's girlfriend in the early 1970s. Linda met Richard Thompson in 1969 but they did not record together until 1972.
Her reputation led to her being invited to join The Bunch, a loose supergroup of folk rock luminaries including former Fairport Convention members Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, and Ashley Hutchings that recorded an album called Rock On. This was a set of 1950s rock and roll classics. A single was released from the album: The Everly Brothers' hit "When Will I Be Loved", which was a duet by Linda and Sandy. A second single was released soon afterwards "The Loco-motion", sung by Linda alone. Two versions exist, one with "Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller" as the b-side and in a picture sleeve, another with "Don't Be Cruel" on the flip. Later in 1972 Linda and Richard were backing singers on Sandy Denny's solo album Sandy.
After Fairport
Linda teamed up with Simon Nicol and Richard (after he had left Fairport Convention). Calling themselves "Hokey Pokey," they toured as a trio. Linda and Richard married in 1972. Richard's first solo album, also recorded in 1972, sold extremely poorly. Linda sang on Fairport's album Rosie (1973), credited as Linda Peters.
The next album, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) was credited to "Richard and Linda Thompson". Two albums followed in 1975: Hokey Pokey and Pour Down Like Silver. Richard had started to take an interest in Sufism, a mystical form of Islam, in 1973. The album cover of Pour Down Like Silver showed him wearing a white turban. After the tour, the couple went to a Sufi commune in East Anglia for six months, then to another in Maida Vale. Richard announced that he would never play again, but returned after three years. In those years Linda found herself in a community where all the food was prepared by the women. In Linda's words, the members were "white middle-class people trying to punish themselves, and everybody else. It taught me a lot. To stay away from sects, mostly." [1]
Lights on and off again
Their come-back album was called First Light (1978). Richard's writing has a strong thread of disdain for fame, wealth and worldly values and attacks political hypocrisy, often in wildly abstract metaphors. On tours and on the albums, however, Linda was given the slowest, and most melancholy songs to sing. Sunnyvista followed in 1979, and Shoot Out The Lights in 1982.
Shoot Out The Lights was surprisingly successful in America, and the Thompsons, despite the fractured state of their relationship, were offered a long and lucrative tour of the USA. Simon Nicol described the final tour, in the summer of 1982, as "like walking on a tightrope", and that as a result the first thing he did on stage was "look for the exit". The couple were barely speaking to each other, and Linda would occasionally try and trip Richard up as he walked on stage.
Despite the emotional problems, however, the music they shared was reputedly astonishing, and hearing this their record company arranged a mobile recording studio to record dates for a live album. The recording could not be arranged before the last date of the tour. The penultimate date of the tour was in Los Angeles (where Richard's new lover lived). Linda reportedly performed the greatest show of her life, then went to stay with her friend Linda Ronstadt. The tapes have never been released, although a version of "Walking On A Wire" from earlier in the tour is on the Free Reed "RT" boxed set.
When Richard left Linda, she had just given birth to their third child, Kamila.
Linda alone
Linda lost her voice for the next two years as a result of hysterical dysphonia brought on by her breakup with her former husband. She made a new start in 1984, singing with "The Home Service" at the National Theatre's production of medieval mystery plays and in 1985 she released her solo album One Clear Moment, then fell silent for eleven years. One song from the album, called "Telling Me Lies", written with Betsy Cook, was also recorded by Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt for their Trio album in 1987. The recording was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Country Song category. Linda retired from music to run an antique jewellery shop in Bond Street London. She married an American, Steve Kenis, who was an agent for recording artists. In the same year Richard married an American folk club organiser, Nancy Covey.
A compilation of Linda's earlier work, Dreams Fly Away (1996), included both previously released songs and alternate versions of some of her better-known songs. It was received politely but did not sell well. In 1999 Linda's mother died. This provoked an outpouring of sorrow and regenerated her determination to sing. Linda was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, preventing her from singing. An obscure cure was found. By having botox injected into her throat, she could regain her normal singing voice for a few months. Give Me a Sad Song (2001) was positively reviewed. In 2002, she released a new CD, Fashionably Late, which featured several family members, including her son Teddy Thompson and daughter Kamila Thompson, as well as a brief appearance by Richard Thompson. For the first time since the sixties, she sang some traditional folk songs.
Linda appeared along with her son, Teddy Thompson, her friends, The McGarrigles and their chldren Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwright (amongst others) in Hal Wilner's "Came So Far For Beauty" tribute concerts to the music of Leonard Cohen from 2003-06. Linda sang the Cohen songs "A Thousand Kisses Deep" and "Alexander Leaving".
Linda also appeared again with Teddy Thompson with the McGarrigles and Wainwrights for some of their family concerts, including the McGarrigle Christmas shows.
In 2007, Linda released yet another set of original songs and covers, Versatile Heart. Like Fashionably Late, this too was primarily a collaboration with son Teddy Thompson, and the CD also features a supporting cast of family and friends, including Kamila Thompson (Linda's daughter), who wrote one track, Martha Wainwright, Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, as well as Martin Carthy and Eliza Carthy. The CD was warmly received in the press, particularly for Linda's sensitive live recording of the Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan anti-war song "Day After Tomorrow," as well as for a new song written for Linda, "Beauty," by Rufus Wainwright. Linda and Teddy show a wide range of versatility in the arrangements of the songs, which cover traditional folk, honky-tonk, country as well as cabaret/art-song styles. The CD opens and closes with two arrangements of a Teddy Thompson instrumental piece "Stay Bright," the first an acoustic version, and the second a version for string quartet arranged by famed Nick Drake collaborator Robert Kirby.
Linda also contributes vocals to the Primal Scream album Beautiful Future (2008), on the track "Over & Over".
Discography
Richard and Linda Thompson
Richard and Linda Thompson (live)
- In Concert 1975 (not released until 2007)
Solo albums
- One Clear Moment (1985)
- Give Me A Sad Song (2001)
- Fashionably Late (2002)
- Versatile Heart (2007)
Solo Compliation
Singles - Richard and Linda Thompson
- "I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight" / "When I Get to the Border" (1974)
- "Hokey Pokey" / "I'll Regret it in the Morning" (1975)
- "Don't Let a Thief Steal Into Your Heart" / "First Light" (1978)
- "Georgie on a Spree" / "Civilisation" (1979)
- "Don't Renege On Our Love" / "Living In Luxury" (1982)
External links
