Colin Randall writes: We’ve spent the past few weeks working on moving our folk music site over to WordPress after the closure of Typepad. But the last way we wanted to relaunch was to have to report on the death of a much-loved, widely respected musician. It would be utterly wrong, however, not to add our thoughts on the passing of Danny Thompson. This is the first of three related pieces that we shall publish ….
The tributes have been warm and effusive. Danny Thompson, a master of the double bass whose dynamic, idiosyncratic playing helped to revolutionise British folk., has died aged 86.
Danny Thompson, pictured by David Laws backing Martin Simpson at the 2008 Folk by the Oak Festival at Hatfield House, England
Folk-rock had begun across the Atlantic with the Byrds but it was British bands that gave its early development electrified and electrifying virtuosity. Hearing Steeleye Span’s album Please to See the King was the trigger for my own attachment which would quickly grow into a passion.
Thompson co-founded Pentangle with Jacqui McShee, drummer Terry Cox and the ridiculously gifted guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn.. With Thompson’’s death, only ´McShee and Cox survive.
Pentangle’s elegant fusion of folk, rock and jazz worked supremely well. Decades later, much of the band’s output, including the irresistible Night Flight, theme sing for the TV sitcom Take Three Girls, still sounds fresh and vibrant
But Thompson’s contribution to music went far beyond the innovations that enthused younger folk fans. simultaneously widening the audience for folk of any kind, as much as they irritated purists.
He played in the profoundly influential Aleixis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, which enthralled me at the Soho folk dive, Les Cousins, în the 1960s. There would be important collaborations with John Martyn, Kate Bush and Richard Thompson, stints in Hawkwind and the Ronnie Scott Jazz Club resident band and much more.. He even played bass for Cliff Richard on his Eurovision Song Contest runner-up .Congratulations.
He toured with Roy Orbison and popped up on the theme tune for the TV series Thunderbirds.
True to his eclectic approach to music, he named Frank Sinatra as the one artist he wished he’d worked with
Thompson talked about his turbulent friendship with Martyn in an interview with Loaded magazine on releasing his solo +collaboration album Connected in 2012. Both were hard-drinking, volatile characters; Danny Thompson, as well as playing football for Chelsea juniors, was a proficient boxer, though I am unaware of whether those skills were ever applied in his rucks with Martyn.
“We were all completely and utterly out of it,” Thompson told Loaded. “Brandy and crème de menthe I remember very well – Pernod and Irish whiskey was another one. People used to say, ‘How on earth did you put up with him?’ I said, ‘How did he put up with me?’ It wasn’t one-sided.”
Thompson eventually confronted his alcoholism and gave up drink. He also followed Richard Thompson, another great friend, in converting to Islam.
The messages of sympathy and remembrance are easy to find on the internet. I shall quote a few.
Sandy Denny’s daughter Georgia Rose Lucas wrote at Facebook: “I’m heartbroken to share that Danny Thompson – bass player, storyteller, and one of my mum Sandy Denny’s closest friends – has passed away.
“To the world, he was a folk-rock legend. To me, he felt like family. A warm, funny soul who always made time to cheer me on, even when his health was fading. Earlier this year, he wrote:
‘I’m just an old plonker… but want you to know how happy I am for you. Your mum would be so proud.’
“Danny’s stories about mum – her music, her laughter – meant everything. When I last saw him in 2019, we laughed about her fiery studio moments. Later, he quietly supported my work to preserve her legacy, like saving her handwritten lyrics and her beloved 12-string Martin guitar.
“It’s so hard when the people you love are so far away.
“I’ll miss his emails, his dad jokes, and the way he kept mum’s memory alive for me. Rest easy, Danny. I hope you and mum are sharing a laugh (and maybe a bassline) somewhere bright up there above the clouds, playing alongside Dave Swarbrick and my dad on the ledge for one of her new songs we’ve never heard.”
“Sending love to his family and friends. Hold tight to the stories he gave us. 🌹
Richard Thompson – no relation – promised more when he had more detail but added: “God bless him and give him peace.” Simon Nicol, Fairport Convention stalwart put it nicely: “There were times when I thought I might grow up to be a bit like Danny. RIP mate.”
And from the singer-songwriter Barb Jungr, quoted at the UK jazz news website, came this:
“Danny’s playing raised all our bars. I had admired him for years; his capacity to effortlessly saunter musically across every genre without ever sacrificing his integrity and commitment was rare. He was one of a kind.”
But some lovely tributes came from fans.
- “A monumental talent and bona fide legend. Heartbroken to learn of this” – Peter Obermark
- “An exceptional musician who was as compelling to watch as to listen to.” – Tom Dooley
- “Great bass player and a huge character – Pete Sixsmith
Pete Sixsmith’s words influenced the headline and serve as a fitting conclusion. Rest easy, Danny.
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