top of page
Search

Celebrate - Danny Thompson (4 April 1939 – 23 Sept. 2025)

  • peterjhyland
  • Oct 7
  • 3 min read

Updated: Oct 7

Click album covers above to open individually in Spotify



Danny Thompson (4 April 1939 – 23 September 2025) may not be a household name, but it would be hard to find an adult in the western world who is not familiar with at least some of his work, as Thompson was the bass player on some of the greatest songs by the greatest artists in the UK and beyond over the past six decades.


From the very beginning, as a young player in Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, Thompson stood at the crossroads of British music, helping to forge the sounds that would shape a generation. His instinctive musicianship bridged jazz, folk, blues and beyond, and his upright bass became not merely an instrument, but an extension of his spirit — expressive, lyrical, and endlessly inventive.


With Pentangle, Thompson helped redefine what British folk music could be: a fusion of ancient melodies and modern virtuosity. His interplay with Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, and his rhythmic empathy with drummer Terry Cox, gave the group’s music its heartbeat — supple, subtle, and profoundly human.


Yet Thompson never stood still. His collaborations read like a map of modern British music: Donovan, Marianne Faithfull, Kate Bush, Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, John and Beverley Martyn, Loudon Wainwright III - each found in him a partner of rare sensitivity, capable of transforming songs into living, breathing art.


As a session player he appeared on some of the greatest albums by the biggest stars:

Rod Stewart's "Every Picture Tells A Story" (1971),

Peter Gabriel's "Up" (2002),

Cliff Richards "Congratulations" (1968),

Everything But The Girl's "Amplified Heart" (1994),

T. Rex "Light of Love" and "Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Raiders of Tomorrow" (1974).


As a solo artist, and through countless live performances, Danny Thompson carried forward the jazz-inflected openness that defined his career. His tone - warm, woody, and deeply personal - could convey both strength and tenderness in a single phrase. Beyond technique, it was his generosity of spirit that made him indispensable; he listened as much as he played, elevating every musician he accompanied.


Danny Thompson’s legacy is not just in the recordings, but in the feel of the music - in authenticity, adventure and expression. His artistry reminds us that musical greatness often resides in the spaces between notes, and arises in the quiet dialogue between musicians.


In a career that spanned almost the entire history of post-WWII British music - his musicianship bridging jazz, folk, blues and beyond - Danny Thompson's legacy is peerless.



Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated

  • Red Hot from Alex (1964)

  • Sky High (1966)

  • Blues Incorporated (1967 – reissue of Sky High)


Alexis Korner (solo albums)

  • I Wonder Who (1967)

  • A New Generation of Blues (1968)


Pentangle

  • The Pentangle (1968)

  • Sweet Child (1968)

  • Basket of Light (1969)

  • Cruel Sister (1970)

  • Reflection (1971)

  • Solomon’s Seal (1972)

  • Open the Door (1985)


Danny Thompson (solo / leader projects)

  • Whatever (1987)

  • Whatever Next (1989)

  • Elemental (1990)

  • Whatever’s Best (1995)

  • Danny Thompson & Peter Knight (1995)

  • Connected (2012)


Allan Holdsworth & John Stevens

  • Propensity (recorded 1978, released 2009)


Dizrhythmia

  • Dizrhythmia (1988)

  • Too (2016)


Jon Thorne

  • Watching the Well (2010)


Richard Thompson

  • Amnesia (1988)

  • Mirror Blue (1994)

  • Live at Crawley (1995)

  • You? Me? Us? (1996)

  • Two Letter Words (1996)

  • Celtschmerz (1998)

  • Mock Tudor (1999)

  • Semi-Detached Mock Tudor (2002)

  • The Old Kit Bag (2003)

  • Ducknapped! (2003)

  • Live from Austin, TX (2005)

  • Sweet Warrior (2007)


Richard Thompson & Danny Thompson (duo projects)

  • Live at Crawley (1995)

  • Industry (1997)


John & Beverley Martyn

  • The Road to Ruin (1970)


John Martyn (solo)

  • Bless the Weather (1972)

  • Solid Air (1973)

  • Inside Out (1973)

  • Sunday’s Child (1975)

  • Live at Leeds (1975)

  • One World (1977)

  • Germany 1986 (2001)

  • On the Cobbles (2004)


Nick Drake

  • Five Leaves Left (1969)


Kate Bush

  • The Dreaming (1982)

  • Hounds of Love (1985)

  • 50 Words for Snow (2011)

  • Director’s Cut (2011)


    The Incredible String Band

  • The 5000 Spirits (1967)

  • Hard Rope & Silken Twine (1973)


Talk Talk

  • Spirit of Eden (1973)


Donovan

  • Barabajagal (1968)

  • HMS Donovan (1971)

  • Essence to Essence (1973)

  • Love Is Only Feeling (1981)

  • Sutras (1996)

  • Beat Café (2004)


Marianne Faithfull

  • North Country Maid (1966)

  • The World of Marianne Faithfull (1970)


Rod Stewart

  • Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)


Bert Jansch

  • Birthday Blues (1969)

  • Moonshine (1972)

  • L.A. Turnaround (1974)

  • Avocet (1979)

  • Sketches (1990)


Loudon Wainwright III

  • I’m Alright (1985)

  • More Love Songs (1986)

  • Therapy (1989)


David Sylvian

  • Secrets of the Beehive (1985)

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page