Richard & Linda Thompson

The Profile

English folk-rock duo of Richard Thompson (guitarist, songwriter) and Linda Thompson (singer, born Linda Peters), acclaimed for literate, darkly compassionate songs recorded chiefly in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Richard Thompson was a member of Fairport Convention. Richard and Linda married (Linda's birth name is Linda Peters). In the mid-1970s the couple adopted Sufi practices, which influenced some recordings (for example Pour Down Like Silver). Richard is widely regarded as a leading guitarist in British folk-rock. They collaborated with and are connected to figures of the British folk revival.

The review praises I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight as a masterpiece of British folk-rock. It highlights dark, compassionate lyrics, Richard's transcendent guitar work and Linda's fragile, intense vocals. The piece connects the duo's work to their spiritual (Sufi) search and to the British folk revival.