Richard Thompson
Discussion List FAQMore Information
Does a complete discography of RT's music exist on the Internet?
Is information about RT available on the World Wide Web?
Has a biography of RT ever been written?
Has RT ever recorded any instructional tapes?
Are there any mail order sources for obscure RT recordings?
What was Hokey Pokey and will it be replaced?
What is Dirty Linen, and how do I get a subscription to it started?
What is Flypaper, and who do I contact for information?
What is Gypsy Love Songs & Sad Refrains?
Where can I look for additional information on RT and his music?
Who is Richard's management company?
Does a complete discography of RT's music exist on the Internet?
Yes! A discography has been created and is updated by Shane Youl Shane.Youl@pobox.com.au
Many thanks to Shane Youl for keeping this important discography updated!
Is information about RT available on the World Wide Web?
Yes. Shane Youl Shane.Youl@pobox.com.au has created an impressive WWW home page for RT information. The URL is http://www.alphalink.com.au/~sfy/ Shane’s pages also contain many links to other sites containing information about RT and associated musicians.
Dee Genarelli deeg1225@amug.org has a great site with advance RT tour and gig details, information about the list t-shirts, official tour shirts, Amnesty International, plus other valuable information and links. This is at : http://www.amug.org/~deeg1225/index.html
RT's current record company, Capitol Records, has in the past included information about him on their WWW page. The URL is http://www.hollywoodandvine.com. The information on this site frequently changes.
Another place well worth accessing is "Folkbook" a fine WWW site for acoustic music maintained by Steve Spencer spencer@cgrg.ohio-state.edu. The URL is http://www.cgrg.ohio-state.edu/folkbook/.
Has a biography of RT ever been written?
Yes. Written by Patrick Humphries, the title is Richard Thompson, Strange Affair. It was first published in England in 1996 by Virgin Books. The ISBN is 0-86369-993-0.
Schirmer Books have published the book in the United States in February, 1997, under the title Richard Thompson: the Biography. The telephone number, for more information, is (800) 223-2336.
Has RT ever recorded any instructional tapes?
Yes. A three-audiocassette set with printed tablature and music, titled The Guitar Of Richard Thompson, has been produced by Happy Traum for Homespun Tapes. A shortened version of the package has been released on CD in Homespun’s Listen and Learn series. Homespun's telephone number, as of the writing of this FAQ, is 1 (800) 33-TAPES, and for those calling from overseas, (914) 246-2550. Their mailing address is Box 694, Woodstock, New York 12498.
Another project that RT was involved in was a videotape titled, Rock Guitar: A Guide From The Greats. This instructional videotape included RT, Ron Wood, and Michael Schenker. It is no longer available for purchase.
RT also collaborated with Niles Hokkanen on a two-audiocassette set with book, titled The Electric Mandolin. This set focused on mandolin theory, techniques, and improvisation. For more information, write to
Niles Hokkanen P.O. Box 3585 Winchester, VA 22604 USAIn addition to these, an Amnesia songbook was published in 1989 by Cherry Lane Music Company, Inc., Port Chester, NY 10573-430. The ISBN is 0-89524-427-6. The songbook was written for piano and guitar chords only, no solo transcriptions or open tuning information is included. This book is probably out of print now.
Are there any mail order sources for obscure RT recordings?
Numerous members of the RT Discussion List have mentioned, and recommended, Mod Lang Records for RT's harder to find CD's and other promotional materials. Their address is:
Mod Lang Records, 2136 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA, USA. Their telephone number is (510) 486-1880.On the other side of the pond, one might try this shop, which is mentioned in Patrick Humphries' biography of RT:
HTD Records, 159 Blendon Road, Bexley, Kent, DA5 1BT, UK. Their telephone number is 0181 298 7806, fax: 0181 298 7810. Fledg’ling, with a www site at http://thebeeskness.co.uk, and Voiceprint at http://www.rockrelics.co.uk may be able to help. Note: Some listmembers have found the companies above to be helpful but the authors have no connection with any of them and cannot be responsible in any way for their conduct.
What was Hokey Pokey and will it be replaced?
Hokey Pokey was the "official" UK based newsletter for fans of Richard Thompson and related music, but sadly it has recently ceased publication.
There is an index to past editions of Hokey Pokey on Shane Youl's shane.youl@pobox.com.au RT Web page. The URL is http://www.alphalink.com.au/~sfy/
To replace Hokey Pokey RT’s UK office have recently started a newsletter to supply information about RT, future gigs, album releases etc. They can be contacted at PO Box 23402, London, SE26 4ZP, UK
What is Dirty Linen, and how do I get a subscription to it started?
Dirty Linen (taking it’s name from the title of a Fairport Convention instrumental) is a journal of folk, electric folk, traditional, and world music published in the USA. The address is
Dirty Linen
P.O. Box 66600
Baltimore, MD 21239-6600 USADirty Linen also maintains a WWW home page. The URL is http://www.dirtynelson.com/linen/.
What is Flypaper, and who do I contact for information?
Flypaper is the RT fan newsletter published in the USA. For information, write to
Flypaper J.A.F.
Box 7095
New York, NY 10116 USAAs of the date of this FAQ, regular issues of Flypaper are not being produced, but the publishers maintain a free mailing list. Flypaper's primary purpose, these days, is to send out RT tour mailings and distribute RT's approved live recordings, such as the Live at Crawley, Two Letter Words, and Celtschmertz CDs.
What is Gypsy Love Songs & Sad Refrains?
This is a book written by Clinton Heylin. The full title of the book is Gypsy Love Songs & Sad Refrains: The Recordings Of Richard Thompson + Sandy Denny. It had previously been published in two separate volumes: Twenty One Years Of Doom And Gloom and Sad Refrains. The one-volume edition (c1989) has the following address on the title page:
Labour of Love Productions P.O. Box 34 Sale, Cheshire M33 2HL EnglandOf interest to fans of RT, the book includes two interviews with him (1982 and 1988) and a list of his concerts, studio sessions, and radio broadcasts from 1967 to September of 1989. The second part of the book includes information on the studio recordings, radio broadcasts, soundboard and audience recordings of Sandy Denny.
At the time of the writing of this FAQ, copies of this book have proven to be very difficult to find. To anyone seriously interested in the career and live performances of RT, however, it is an indispensable reference and worth seeking out.
Where can I look for additional information on RT and his music?
The following books and periodicals have been useful while doing the research for this FAQ and are recommended to anyone interested in learning more about RT.
The _Rolling Stone Index: Twenty-Five Years of Popular Culture1967-1991_. Ann Arbor, MI: Popular Culture, Ink, 1993.
Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. London: Viking, Penguin, 1989.
Strange Affair (previously cited in this FAQ)
Gypsy Love Songs And Sad Refrains_ (previously cited in this FAQ)
Meet On The Ledge (previously cited in this FAQ)
Taper's Quarterly: The Magazine of Live Music And Concert Taping_.
(For information on this publication, send email to Jeff Soldau lava@well.com )
Hokey Pokey, Flypaper, Dirty Linen, Folk Roots, GuitarPlayer, Acoustic Guitar, and The Performing Songwriter.
Who is Richard's management company?
The last we heard, it was
Amanda Martinez
Fitzgerald-Hartley Co.
34 North Palm Street, Suite 100
Ventura, CA 93001
ph: 805-641-6441
fx: 805-641-6444