The legendary Richard Thompson has announced North American tour dates in support of his new album Ship To Shore. Launching October 11 in Northampton, Massachusetts, the tour will feature Thompson and his full band. The announcement comes on the heels of his acclaimed performance at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London over the weekend which featured guest appearances by his ex-wife & collaborator Linda Thompson, Fairport Convention’s Dave Mattacks, Neil Finn and Crowded House, Glenn Tilbrook & Chris Difford of Squeeze, Soft Machine’s John Etheridge, Thompson’s children, and more. Tickets for the North American tour go on sale this Friday, June 14 at 10:00am local time. Prior to the fall band appearances, he will perform a two night stand billed as “Richard Thompson & Friends” at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY, as well as a handful of solo performances this Summer.
Thompson’s recently released album Ship To Shore was met with universal acclaim. The Associated Press called Ship To Shore “a gem,” while Uncut Magazine said “While consistency is Thompson’s forte, his last few albums have been some of his strongest: 2013’s Electric and 2015’s Still were excellent, but 2018’s 13 Rivers and his upcoming album, Ship To Shore, are even better.” The Financial Times called the album “probably Thompson’s strongest album of this century,” Folk Alley said “Ship To Shore showcases Thompson at his best,” while Bandcamp called it “another great album from someone who’s already made more than his share.”
The influential singer-songwriter and virtuosic guitarist has been on a singular musical journey for over a half century, from his days in the ‘60s as a pioneer of British folk rock with Fairport Convention, to his seminal ‘70s duo work with Linda Thompson, to the exploratory, deeply emotional music of the solo career that has been his primary concern ever since. The time taken between 13 Rivers and Ship To Shore is something like an eternity for the prolific artist, but once Thompson began writing, new songs came in a burst of inspiration. To craft the album, he retreated to Woodstock, New York, where he was joined by his longtime band — guitarist Bobby Eichorn, bassist Taras Prodaniuk, and drummer Michael Jerome — along with harmony vocalist Zara Phillips, fiddle player David Mansfield, and engineer Chris Bittner. The team worked quickly — roughly a week to track, vocals included.
Ship To Shore pulls from various styles, genres and eras, but remains unmistakably Richard Thompson. “I liked the idea of having a strong base to work from and reaching out from there,” he says. “And I think of my base as being British traditional music, but there’s also Scottish music, there’s Irish music. There’s jazz and country and classical. As far as I’m concerned, once you establish your base, you can reach out anywhere. It’ll still be you ringing through, wherever you decide to go musically.”
Richard Thompson’s musical influence cannot be overstated. Having co-founded the groundbreaking group Fairport Convention as a teenager in the ‘60s, he and his bandmates invented the distinctive strain of British Folk Rock. He left the group by the age of 21 which was followed by a decade long musical partnership with his then-wife Linda, to over 30 years as a highly successful solo artist. In 2011, Thompson received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) personally bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. 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. He has received lifetime achievement awards for songwriting from the BBC Radio 2 Awards, the Americana Music Association, and was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award. His song “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Greatest Songs Since 1923.” A wide range of musicians have recorded Thompson’s songs including Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Sleater-Kinney, Del McCoury, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Jones, David Byrne, Don Henley, Los Lobos, and many more. His massive body of work includes many Grammy nominated albums as well as numerous soundtracks, including Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man and 2019’s The Cold Blue.
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 most distinctive virtuosos and writers in Folk Rock history.
Richard Thompson’s Ship To Shore is available NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS.
Richard Thompson On Tour:
07/12/24 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios +
07/13/24 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios +
07/16/24 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House *
07/17/24 – Earlville, NY – Earlville Opera House *
07/18/24 – Rochester, NY – The Theater at Innovation Square*
07/20/24 - 07/21/24 – Guelph, ONT – Hillside Festival *
07/23/24 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart Opera House *
07/24/24 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage *
07/26/24 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest Café *
7/27/24 – Harrisburg, PA – Whitaker Center *
07/28/24 - Cape May, NJ - Cape May Convention Hall *
10/11/24 - Northampton, MA - Academy of Music #
10/12/24 - Albany, NY - Hart Theatre @ The Egg #
10/13/24 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur #
10/15/24 - Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse at FTC #
10/16/24 - Tarrytown, NY - Tarrytown Music Hall #
10/18/24 - New York, NY - The Town Hall #
10/19/24 - Lansdowne, PA - Lansdowne Theater #
10/20/24 - North Bethesda, MD - Music Center at Strathmore #
10/22/24 - Toronto, ON - The Concert Hall #
10/24/24 - Evanston, IL - Cahn Auditorium #
10/25/24 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom #
10/26/24 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitzgerald Theater #
10/29/24 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater #
10/31/24 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Rose #
11/2/24 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre #
11/3/24 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox #
11/4/24 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall #
11/6/24 - Grass Valley, CA - The Center for the Arts #
11/7/24 - Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre Napa #
11/8/24 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore #
11/9/24 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether #
08/23/25 - 08/30/25 - Venice, Italy - Harmony Voyages- Gems of the Adriatic Cruise *
02/28/26 - 03/07/26 - Bridgetown, Barbados- Harmony Voyages Caribbean Sunsets Royal Clipper Cruise *
* Solo Show
# Full Band
+ RT & Friends
