Event

Richard Thompson in Concert

British guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson, hailed today as "one of the most distinctive and iconoclastic virtuosos of rock history," will give a rare solo acoustic performance on the Mendocino Coast Friday, September 28.

Thompson's career began in the '60s as a founding member of the folk-rock band "Fairport Convention." His genre-defying mastery of both acoustic and electric guitars has earned him many honors and distinctions throughout the years. Rolling Stone Magazine has listed him as one of "the top 20 guitarists of all-time," BBC has awarded him the "British Lifetime Achievement Award," he was nominated for a Grammy in 2010, and Queen Elizabeth has bestowed upon him the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

On September 14, Thompson will receive the American "Liffetime Achievement Award" for his brilliant songwriting. Thompson's finely-crafted songs can make you laugh and make you cry. They have been recorded by artists as divergent as Bonnie Raitt ("Dimming of the Day") and Del Mc Coury ("1952 Vincent Black Lightning"), but no one can deliver these songs more vibrantly and beautifully than Thompson himself.

Onstage Richard Thompson's dizzying guitar playing and strong vocals, interspersed with his playful sense of wit and irony, guarantees a satisfying evening.

This concert will benefit both Mendocino County Public Radio Station KZYX and the Otsuchi-Fort Bragg Student Exchange Fund, which has been challenged since the Japanese tsunami.