Richard Thompson - Beeswing Exclusive Virtual Event
A Cappella Books proudly presents an exclusive virtual event with one of the world’s most significant and influential guitarists and songwriters, Richard Thompson.
Thompson will join AJC columnist and music journalist Bob Townsend for a Zoom discussion of his new book, “Beeswing.” In this intimate and immersive memoir, Thompson recreates the spirit of the 1960s, where he found, and then lost, and then found his way again.
The program will also include a special live musical performance, and will be followed by an online Q&A session with our guests.
Pre-order a signed edition of “Beeswing” via the purchase button below to obtain your private invitation link. Please be sure to include your current email address at checkout. Access codes will arrive via email from A Cappella Books a day ahead of the program.
Your book will be available after the event. At checkout, choose between the local delivery, curbside pick-up, or shipping options. For zip codes not listed in the above banner, select curbside pick-up or USPS shipping.
About the Book
Known for his brilliant songwriting, his extraordinary guitar playing and his haunting voice, Richard Thompson is considered one of the top twenty guitarists of all time, in the songwriting pantheon alongside Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Randy Newman. Now, in his long-awaited memoir, the British folk musician takes us back to the late 1960s, a period of great change and creativity—both for him and for the world at large.
Thompson packed more than a lifetime of experiences into his late teens and twenties. During the pivotal years of 1967 to 1975, just as he was discovering his passion for music, he formed the band Fairport Convention with some schoolmates and helped establish the genre of British folk rock. That led to a heady period of songwriting and massive tours, where Thompson was on the road both in the UK and the US, and where he crossed paths with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix. But those eight years were also marked by change, upheaval, and tragedy. Then, at the height of the band’s popularity, Thompson left to form a duo act with his wife Linda. And as he writes revealingly here, his discovery and ultimate embrace of Sufism dramatically reshaped his approach to music—and of course everything else.
An honest, moving, and compelling memoir, ”Beeswing” vividly captures the life of a remarkable artist during a period of creative intensity in a world on the cusp of change.
About the Author
Richard Thompson's widely beloved early work within the band Fairport Convention revived British folk traditions, and his duet albums and performances with Linda Thompson are legendary. His songs have been covered by Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and REM, among others. He continues to write and perform, and to tour widely. He lives in New Jersey.
