Richard Thompson will headline benefit for NJArts.net at Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, Jan. 14

TOM BEJGROWICZ

RICHARD THOMPSON

NJArts.net is proud to announce that the masterful singer-songwriter and electrifying guitarist Richard Thompson will perform at a benefit concert for us, Jan. 14 at the Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair. Tickets go on sale Aug. 10 at 10 a.m.; visit outpost.ticketleap.com/richard-thompson-2023.

Your support of this concert will enable our site to continue playing its vital role in the state’s cultural ecosystem, with quality, independent coverage of music, theater, film, visual arts, dance and more. Founded in 2014, NJArts.net became a nonprofit organization in 2020.

“I’m in the studio in October working on a new electric album; otherwise, the show will be acoustic, and Zara will sing some harmony with me,” Thompson said, referring to his wife, singer-songwriter and author Zara Phillips.

Phillips’ one-woman show “Somebody’s Daughter” (based on her book of the same name) will be presented by Outpost in the Burbs on Dec. 10. For information, visit OutpostIntTheBurbs.org.

Along with his Fairport Convention bandmates, Thompson invented British folk-rock, merging traditional tunes with ‘60s folk and rock. Thompson has been described as “the best guitarist since Hendrix and the finest rock songwriter after Dylan” by the Los Angeles Times and designated one of the Top 20 guitarists off all time by Rolling Stone, and was heralded by Time magazine as having written one of the 100 greatest songs since 1923 (“1952 Vincent Black Lightning”).

DAVID KAPTEIN

ZARA PHILLIPS AND RICHARD THOMPSON.

Here is a link to an in-depth 2019 NJArts.net interview with Thompson about his life, his career, and his 2018 move to Montclair.

A cerebral man with eclectic interests, he has played more than 10,000 gigs and his creative energy is unstoppable. Before the pandemic caused some of his concerts to be cancelled or postponed, his last extended break from touring was in 1976. But now he is back connecting with his loyal fans.

After leaving Fairport Convention in 1971, he worked solo, then in 1973 recorded a series of stunning albums with former spouse Linda Thompson for a decade until their breakup around 1982. Since then, he has enjoyed a successful solo career.

Thompson has an intimate rapport with his fans that I’m sure will be on display at the benefit concert.

“In the guise of entertainment,” he said in a 2021 interview with NJArts.net, “you can pull something out of yourself and you hold it up to the audience and say, ‘Look at this. Do you recognize this?’ And the audience will say, ‘Yeah, I’ve had the same experience.’ As a performer you almost disappear into the audience. Everyone in the room is a component in the shared experience. The stage is an illusion and the fact that you are four feet higher than everyone else is an illusion.”

NJArts.net is grateful that Richard Thompson will join us in support of our site and we look forward to seeing you there.

For sponsorship opportunities, email me at cstagoff@gmail.com.