Richard Thompson is one of the true legends of folk rock music whose musical influence cannot be overstated.  Having co-founded the groundbreaking group Fairport Convention as a teenager in the 60s, he and his bandmates pretty much invented British folk rock.

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He is now one of our most distinctive performers, recognised as an outstanding song-writer and guitarist.

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The Los Angeles Times called him the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix, and Rolling Stone has named him one of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time.  As a highly successful solo artist he's released over 30 studio albums, including ‘Henry The Human Fly’ back in 1972 and his three Grammy nominated releases ‘Rumour & Sigh’ (1991), ‘You? Me? Us?’ ( 1996) and ‘Dream Attic’ (2010).  And so many of his songs have become folk classics, almost standards, such as ‘’1952 Vincent Black Lightning’, ‘Dad’s Gonna Kill Me’, ‘Dimming Of The Day’, ‘Persuasion’ and the much-covered ‘Beeswing’. He's received lifetime achievement awards for songwriting from BBC Folk Awards, the Americana Music Association, and was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award.  1952 Vincent Black Lightning was named one of TIME Magazine’s '100 Greatest Songs Since 1923'.

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Thompson’s genre defying mastery of both acoustic and electric guitar along with engaging energy and onstage wit continue to earn him new fans and a place as one of the stand-out virtuosos and writers in folk rock history

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​​​He's playing on Friday Evening.

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Festival Director Mike Kirrage says "It’s fantastic that we’ve finally managed to land him.  Fondly remembered for his days with Fairport, he’s still regarded as one of the top artists of his generation, a consummate musician and charismatic performer whose solo shows are legendary.  Southwell is in for a real treat.”

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"The finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix." 
Los Angeles Times

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