Richard Thompson to bring 50 years of folk rock to The State Theatre

The State Theatre will present an evening with a guitar legend on Jan. 31 when British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson takes the stage.

Thompson was named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the top 20 guitarists of all time and 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 Award.

Produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Thompson’s recently released CD, “Still,” has reached the top ten in the UK charts.

“We brought in Jeff Tweedy as producer, who was terrific as a catalyst, as someone to bounce ideas off, and as someone who had a grasp of the big picture,” Thompson said. “ ‘Still’ is a fairly autobiographical album, more so than most of the work I’ve done.”

Thompson said he doesn’t remember ever not loving music.

“My family was fairly musical — my dad had jazz records, my sister was into rock and roll, and my mother sang like Vera Lynn. I was in bands from about age 11, and that is a great place to learn music,” Thompson said.

As a teenager in the 1960s, Thompson co-founded the groundbreaking group Fairport Convention with his mates. By the age of 21, Thompson left Fairport to pursue his own career, followed by a decade long musical partnership with his then-wife Linda, to more than 30 years as a highly successful solo artist who tours both solo acoustic and with his electric trio.

Thompson’s genre defying mastery of both acoustic and electric guitar, along with dizzying energy and onstage wit, continue to earn him new fans and a place as one of the most distinctive virtuosos in folk rock history.

“I play a kind of hybrid between Celtic music and rock/pop,” Thompson said. “Those are the main influences, but a lot of other things creep in from almost anywhere.”

Honing his creations ever closer to their initial spark of inception has required a diligent, tireless dedication to his craft of songwriting — and has resulted in an unparalleled career now spanning five decades, from his formative years in seminal folk-rock alchemists Fairport Convention to his acclaimed solo work.

“I don’t think the writing process gets easier, but maybe I can find the bottom rung of the ladder quicker these days,” Thompson said. “I mostly work on new ideas, but there are always unused bits and pieces left over from other products that can be plundered — bridges, titles, rhyme schemes, etc. Occasionally a song gets completed many years after its inception.”

A wide range of musicians have recorded Thompson’s songs including Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Del McCoury, Bonnie Raitt, Patty Loveless, Los Lobos, Tom Jones, David Byrne and Don Henley.

Referred to as “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix” by the Los Angeles Times, Thompson has created a massive body of work which includes more than 40 albums, many Grammy nominations, as well as numerous soundtracks, including Werner Hertzog’s “Grizzly Man.”

As an in-demand live performer, the past two years have seen Thompson headlining dates around the world as well as co-headlining shows with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell as well as the Americanarama Tour with Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket, which culminated with Dylan himself performing Thompson’s classic song “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”

Thompson said he particularly enjoys performing for American audiences, which he believes are some of the best in the world.

“They really like to let you know that they are there for you, and help you to feel relaxed,” he said. “In some parts of the world, audiences are more reserved, which doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoying themselves, they just have different social habits.”

After five decades in the business, Thompson continues to write and record new material regularly and frequently performs live throughout the world.

“It’s all very fulfilling — live performance especially,” Thompson said. “It’s the joy of creativity and expression, with the feeling that you’ve managed to convey something emotionally to the listeners.”

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Richard Thompson to bring 50 years of folk rock to The State Theatre."