Danny Thompson, acclaimed double-bass player for the influential British folk-rock group Pentangle, died on Tuesday, September 23, at age 86. According to a post on his social media pages, Thompson passed away “peacefully … at his home in Rickmansworth, UK.”
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Beyond Pentangle, Thompson collaborated with an impressive list of artists during his 60-plus year career. His tasteful and fluid acoustic-bass playing was informed by the blues and jazz, and elevated the many recordings and live performances to which he contributed.
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From 1964 to 1967, Danny was a member of influential British blues artist Alexis Korner’s group, Blues Incorporated.
In ’67, Thompson joined British folk supergroup Pentangle as a founding member. The quintet also featured guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, lead vocalist Jacqui McShee, and drummer/percussionist Terry Cox. Jansch and Renbourn were considered two of the finest folk guitarists in the U.K. at the time. Along with Fairport Convention, Pentangle helped revolutionize British folk music, bringing elements, of jazz, rock and psychedelia to the genre.
Among the many artists Thompson recorded and/or performed with were Donovan, Cliff Richard, Marianne Faithfull, The Incredible String Band, Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, Rod Stewart, T. Rex, John Martyn, Richard Thompson, Kate Bush, ABC, Peter Gabriel, Everything but the Girl, and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
From 1995 to 2013, Thompson was part of the house band for the BBC performance series Transatlantic Sessions.
Danny also released several solo albums. In 2015, he was honored at the Progressive Music Awards with the Chris Squire Virtuoso Award, which recognizes virtuoso and influential musical talent.
Thompson is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and a son, Dan Jr.
Tribute Posted on Thompson’s Social Media Pages
The message posted on Thompson’s socials announcing his death noted that he was a “musician who was both beloved and admired by everybody he worked with.” It added, “[H]is body of work is unparalleled in its quality and also in the incredibly varied number of musicians he worked with.”
The post continued, “From Kate Bush and John Martyn, to his role as a founding member of the legendary band Pentangle; from featuring on [U.K. TV series] the Thunderbirds theme tune, and playing bass for Roy Orbison when The Beatles were still the opening act; to collaborations with jazz greats like Tubby Hayes and Stan Tracey, as well as work with Donovan, June Tabor, Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, and The Blind Boys of Alabama.”
The note concluded, “Danny was a force of nature. A player who served the song and who enriched the lives of every single person he met. He will be sorely missed.”
(Photo by Richard Ecclestone/Redferns)
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