Danny Thompson


Daniel Henry Edward Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Martyn.
For four years, between 1964 and 1967, he was a member of Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, led a trio that included guitarist John McLaughlin, and was a founding member of the British folk-jazz band Pentangle. Since 1987, he has also recorded four solo albums. He converted to Islam in 1990.

Biography and career

Thompson was born in Teignmouth, Devon. His father, a miner, joined the Royal Navy at the start of World War II and was lost in action whilst crewing submarines. When Thompson was aged 6, the family moved to London and he was brought up in the working-class area of Battersea. At school he played competitive football and was a junior for Chelsea, the team he has supported ever since. Whilst at school he learnt guitar, mandolin, trumpet and trombone before settling on the upright bass as his instrument of choice.
Thompson was a member of the folk-jazz group Pentangle, throughout its first incarnation and in some of its subsequent versions and reunions. In 1987, Thompson released his debut solo album Whatever to critical acclaim.
While he has had his own album releases, Thompson has been predominantly a session musician contributing to other artists' recordings and tours, such as with John Martyn and with Richard Thompson.
Danny Thompson lived in Clopton, Suffolk during the late 1970s and early 1980s with his wife Daphne and son Dan Early in the 1980s he moved back to London. He received a Lifetime achievement award in the 2007 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
In the early 1980s he worked closely with documentary film-maker, Roy Deverell and composed music for two of his award-winning films, Echo of the Wild and A Passion to Protect. The films are about John Aspinall's pioneering work with endangered mammals.

Partial discography

Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated

Danny Thompson has played on dozens of albums and singles during his career. The following is only a small selection.