For someone that has been recording albums for roughly 45 years and has contributed to over forty albums, Richard Thompson doesn’t get the same instant name recognition as many of his contemporaries. The British singer-songwriter and guitarist got his start as a founding member of the highly underrated folk-rock act Fairport Convention in the late-1960s, playing on the band’s first five records – including their seminal 1969 release Liege & Lief. After leaving the group in ’71, Thompson went on to release a string of records with his wife Linda over the next decade  that mixed the traditional British folk sounds of his earlier work with his emotionally evocative lyrics.

Thompson has remained a bit of a cult figure, never achieving widespread commercial success, despite consistently receiving critical acclaim for his studio output, most notably for his 1991 release Rumor & Sigh, which features arguably his most recognizable song – 1952 Black Vincent Lightning. Earlier this month Thompson released his 14th solo album, Electric, via New West Records and recently stopped at New York City radio station WFUV’s studio on the campus of Fordham University to perform a handful of songs from the album. Let’s check out this take on The Snow Goose…

Richard Thompson will kick off the North American leg of his world tour with a gig at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis on April 17, but prior to all that will make an appearance at SXSW.

Jeffrey Greenblatt

Jeff joined the Hidden Track team full-time in 2008 and helps guide the site in his role as Managing Editor and Social Media Coordinator. Each week Jeff pens Pullin' 'Tubes, Tour Dates and Bloggy Goodness in addition to features, video posts and more. Jeff is a graduate of The George Washington University ('98), with a B.A. in Journalism, and has worked in the media and technology industry for the likes of Scripps Networks Interactive, MTV, VH1, A&E and Joost.

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