Virtuoso guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson
The Richard Thompson Trio is performing live in concert for a seated performance at The Wilma in Missoula at 8 p.m. Nov. 16. This show kicks off with a rare solo set by Thompson.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept, 25 at the Top Hat (tophatlounge.com), Rockin’ Rudy’s and online. All tickets are general admission seating; all ages are welcome.
Named by Rolling Stone as one of the Top 20 Guitarists of All Time, Thompson is also one of the world’s most critically acclaimed and prolific songwriters. He has received lifetime achievement awards for songwriting on both sides of the Atlantic – from the Americana Music Association in Nashville to Britain’s BBC Awards, as well as the prestigious Ivor Novello.
The Los Angeles Times calls him “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix.”
In 2011, Thompson received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) personally bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. HIs recently released CD, Still, was produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy which reached no. 6 in the UK charts (just ahead of Taylor Swift).
Having co-founded the groundbreaking group Fairport Convention as a teenager in the 60s, Thompson and his mates virtually invented British folk rock. By the age of 21 he left Fairport to pursue his own career, followed by a decade long musical partnership with his then-wife Linda, to over 30 years as a highly successful solo artist who tours both solo acoustic and with his electric trio.
A wide range of musicians have recorded Thompson’s songs including Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, REM, Del McCoury, Bonnie Raitt, Patty Lovelace, Los Lobos, Tom Jones, David Byrne, Don Henley, Robert Earl Keen and many others.
Thompson’s massive body of work includes over 40 albums, many Grammy nominations, as well as numerous soundtracks, including Werner Hertzog’s “Grizzy Man.”
As an in-demand live performer, the past two years saw Thompson headlining dates around the world as well as co-headlining shows with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell performing in the Americanarama Tour with Bob Dylan, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket – which culminated with Dylan performing Thompson classic song “’1952 Vincent Black Lightening”.
Thompson’s genre-defying mastery of both acoustic and electric guitar along with dizzying energy and onstage wit continue to earn new fans and a place as one of the most distinctive virtuosos in folk-rock history.
Call 406-728-2521 or visit thewilma.com.