BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A singer-songwriter-guitarist who played with a legendary folk group in the 1960s, had hit records of his own in the 1970s and ’80s and has had a career of more than 50 years will perform at Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem, it was announced.
Richard Thompson, who as a teenager played and sang with Fairport Convention — a band seminal to the folk-rock genre — will perform at 8 p.m. May 17.
- Singer-songwriter Richard Thompson will perform at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem at 8 p.m. May 17.
- Tickets, at $40-$65, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the ArtsQuest Center, at www.steelstacks.org and at 610-332-3378.
- The Los Angeles Times called Thompson “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix.”
Tickets, at $40-$65, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the ArtsQuest Center at 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, at www.steelstacks.org at 610-332-3378.
The Los Angeles Times called Thompson “the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix.” Thompson, who is British, was ranked No. 69 on Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the both the BBC Awards and the Americana Music Association in Nashville, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards.
Artists including R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Jefferson Starship, The Pointer Sisters, David Byrne, Robert Plant and The Blind Boys of Alabama have recorded his songs.
With Fairport Convention, Thompson released five studio discs and eight live albums.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he and then-wife Linda Thompson released a half-dozen critically and commercially acclaimed albums, including the 1982 classic “Shoot Out The Lights.”
He’s known for his 1984 single “Tear Stained Letter,” and his 1988 hit “Turning of the Tide” and 1991’s “I Feel So Good,” both of which hit the Top 30 on the Alternative Rock chart.
Since 1972, Thompson has released 26 studio albums, nine live discs and 10 compilations. His latest releases were "Live From Honolulu" and the compilation "Hard Luck Stories (1972-1982)" with Lind Thompson, both released last year.
Artists including R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Jefferson Starship, The Pointer Sisters, David Byrne, Robert Plant and The Blind Boys of Alabama have recorded his songs.
Thompson, 73, played a nearly sold-out show at Musikfest Cafe in 2018.
