Richard Thompson in Gateshead

Richard Thompson is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter, born in 1949, who co-founded the folk-rock group Fairport Convention. After leaving the band, he recorded a series of albums with Linda Thompson, including I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight and Shoot Out the Lights, before establishing a solo catalogue that includes “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” “Beeswing” and “Dimming of the Day.” The 1982 Shoot Out the Lights tour took Richard and Linda Thompson across North America and became their final tour as a duo. In the 2000s, he toured the historical-song programme 1000 Years of Popular Music, performing material drawn from several centuries. His 70th-birthday concert in 2019 brought guests including David Gilmour to the Royal Albert Hall.