From http://www.richieunterberger.com/wordpress/top-25-or-so-music-history-books-of-2021/:

1. Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice: 1967-1975, by Richard Thompson with Scott Timberg (Algonquin). As the subtitle makes clear, this memoir by the esteemed guitarist only covers the first decade of his career. Which is fine: that’s the decade in which I’m primarily interested, when he was original lead guitarist of Fairport Convention through the early ‘70s before starting his solo career, as well as playing on numerous interesting records as a session man. This hits all the bases, covering the records, tours, and musicians with whom he collaborated with detail, wit, and clarity. If you’re on the lookout for bits of info you might not have read before, they’re here, like the memory of Fairport learning Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It With Mine” from Judy Collins’s non-LP B-side; Buck Owens and his band harassing Fairport for their long hair and hippie dress, only for Thompson to humble them by asking for their autographs by names, making it clear he admired their music; or Thompson sneaking a look at Joni Mitchell’s notebook when they shared a bill in the late 1960s.

He’s embarrassed about that incident now, and expresses regret about some other youthful behavior, especially fathering a child (at the woman’s request, with no demands he be involved in the upbringing) but failing to participate in his son’s life for the first dozen years. But the book’s much more about the music and the sparks behind his stylistic blends and shifts, some form of mixes of folk and rock usually serving as the foundation. He neither romanticizes nor complains about the ups and downs of the life of a musician who can maintain a career without stardom, the downs including the crash where Fairport drummer Martin Lamble lost his life (as did Thompson’s new girlfriend) and a truck crashing into the pub where Fairport were living in the early ‘70s (though Richard was not there at the time).

There are also insightful memories of Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Linda Thompson, and other Fairporters, and it’s a quick-paced narrative that doesn’t linger overly long on any part of the story. The Thompsons’ embrace of Islam in the ‘70s is explained, though the book doesn’t quite get to the point where they left that faith, or the disintegration of their marriage. An afterword and epilogue quickly offers a condensed summary of his post-mid-‘70s experiences, and while it might disappoint some fans that this period is barely covered, that leaves room for a sequel if Thompson’s up to it.

Beeswing is a wonderful memoir and Richard Thompson's original, witty voice shines through, even though he had a co-writer. I was fascinated by his memories of his first band, the mighty British folk-rock juggernaut Fairport Convention, as well as those of meeting and working with his first wife and former musical partner, Linda Peters Thompson. Many of the anecdotes he recounts are well-known to Fairport or Thompson fans, but his unique spin on the London music scene and the stories of the ins and outs of the band members made this a winner. I've loved many musicians' memoirs, but I especially enjoy books that talk about the music as well as the celebrity life (think Linda Ronstadt's excellent Simple Dreams, or my all-time favorite, WIll Friedwald's Sinatra! The Song Is You:
A Singer's Art). Beeswing ranks with those stellar stories of the musical life.

What a beautiful book! Thompson is gifted with words! I found this autobiography a straightforward telling of his life with great stories. There were several times I was honestly at the edge of tears . I would recommend this book to anyone interested in musicians, music of the 70s or of an artistic life lived fully.

An interesting look at a dynamic figure, this memoir kept my attention the whole way through. I knew next to nothing about the life of the author prior to reading, and was excited to dive in and learn more about his world and his work.

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I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan of Richard Thompson's later solo work and less familiar with his music as a part of Fairport Convention but now definitely want to listen to all of it. The title comes from one of his songs about remembering a love at 19. The book covers 8 years of his life at the beginning of his musical career (his origin story really) and I am definitely wanting more. His dry humor shows through in this book (which I appreciate immensely).. He also reflects back on relationships with band members, girlfriends, his wife and looks at each of these anew from the perspective of an older man. For example, he had a child with a woman who said she was ready to be a single mother so he did not need to play the father role yet over time, as he got older, he realized emotionally it is never that easy. Another song came to mind as I read this book - Fairport Convention's song Who Knows Where Does the Time Go - sung by Sandy Denny - someone from his past he thinks about often.

I highly recommend this book.

Thompson writes a memoir that's more about the music he made than about his life. He knew and worked with so many talented people and shares how he approached his craft, but if you're looking for spilt tea, you'll have to find it elsewhere. You will learn a lot about the experiences of a genius immersed in the music industry from the late 60's onward. There's a juicy official playlist on Spotify which features 5 hours of music that Thompson was inspired by or worked on.

BEESWING: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975
Richard Thompson and Scott Timberg
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
ISBN 978-61620-895-0
Hardcover
Autobiography

My life was forever changed on a summer day in 1969. I walked into a record store --- Disc Records in Summit Mall in Fairlawn, Ohio --- and heard a song which I learned was titled “Genesis Hall” by a group named Fairport Convention. Everything came together on that recording, but it was the guitar playing that opened up synapses in my brain that I didn’t know I had. The guitar player was Richard Thompson, and in the intervening half-century I have made it a point to acquire and listen to every note he has recorded. Given that the presentation of any artistic work is ultimately the sharpened point of a long spear, Thompson’s new autobiography, BEESWING: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, is a welcome revelation for both casual fans of Thompson and the fanatics who seek out every note he has played, past and present.

Thompson exists in that musical never-neverland between obscurity and superstardom. His music is unusual, informed by such seemingly disparate elements as jazz, early English music, and American cajun waltzes, among other genres, and thus is not necessarily accessible to fans of mainstream pop. What BEESWING does is aims at the audience which is already familiar with Thompson and that arguably knows a great deal of what is presented between the covers. The draw here is that Thompson’s unique voice comes shining through as he discusses his childhood influences that took seed and bloomed in the mid-1960s, when the British music scene exploded. Thompson is not shy but is not generally given to self-promotion. His concerts more often than not have the same feel as one would get if they happened to be at a party and an unbelievably talented musician started playing guitar in the middle of things, bringing the proceedings to a startled standstill. It is accordingly a unique experience to read his version of how Fairport Convention came together while he was still in his teens, what its vision was, and how the project almost died aborning when a motor vehicle accident seriously injured several members of the band and killed Martin Lamble, the drummer, as well as Thompson’s girlfriend. They carried on because they didn’t know what else to do. Thompson reviews his eventual departure from the band, his solo work, his albums with (now ex-) wife Linda Thompson, and his session appearances. His distinctive sound has graced projects from Nick Drake and Beausoleil to The Golden Palominos (where Thompson appears with Michael Stipe from REM) to his own work. The subtitle of BEESWING is a bit erroneous, as Thompson does stray past the self-imposed 1975 limitation to discuss a bit about what occurred during the subsequent four decades, focusing more on the music than his personal history during that time.

Thompson continues to record and perform well into his seventh decade. Some of his best music is on his most recent release, a heady accomplishment for anyone in the arts. BEESWING the book is not music, but it sings, telling the story of one of our greatest contemporary guitarists in a voice as unique as his playing and composing. It is worth reading, even if you have never heard a note he has played (though you probably have, at some point). Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2021, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

A plainly but well stated memoir that portrays the frustrations, grittiness, and cobbled-together lives of young musicians building their band and making a success. Even more, insight into Thompson's life, thoughts, and attitudes at the time with mature reflection.

Legendary British folk and folk-rock guitarist/singer/songwriter Richard Thompson focuses on his early career in this memoir. The story of his musical coming of age, it is devoted primarily to his years with Fairport Convention, early freelance playing, and work with his ex-wife as Richard and Linda Thompson.

The first year in the subtitle is the year Fairport Convention was founded, as well as the year Thompson turned 18 and graduated from school. But he sets the scene by first talking about his childhood, including his father's record collection, which included jazz like Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and Django Reinhardt, as well as Les Paul. His older sister exposed him to rock and roll when it hit Britain in 1956, first with Bill Haley and then Elvis Presley. Guitars were central to rock culture, so Thompson began asking for a guitar for Christmas from about age six.

After a succession of school bands, Thompson met bassist Ashley Hutchings and guitarist Simon Nicol. Simon's family owned a large mock Tudor house called Fairport—and from there the band began, initially playing covers of Byrds and the Lovin' Spoonful, along with blues, R&B, and a few country songs. In Thompson's telling, the band evolved in a series of (mostly happy) accidents: the musical freedom of the underground scene; meeting producer Joe Boyd early on; the expectation that recording artists would write their own material; recruiting singer Sandy Denny, with her skill performing traditional folk music (further cemented by fiddler Dave Swarbick joining the band); and the roadway accident that took the lives of drummer Martin Lamble and Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie.

The narrative describes the process of choosing and arranging the traditional material. As revivalists, the band was not overly concerned with authenticity, drawing from multiple sources and freely interpreting the songs. The very act of performing them with amplified instruments and a rhythm section diverged sharply from the usual performance practice at the time. Thompson's guitar playing was steadily evolving as well. But fans of his distinctive style may be disappointed, as he goes into limited detail about his concept or practice routines. This is typical of the generally self-effacing tone: he remembers lots of details about significant recording sessions, and is generous in praise for most of the musicians he worked with, but rarely boasts about his own contributions.

Thompson left Fairport in January 1971, and spent the rest of that year as a busy session musician. But he kept up old associations, working live and on record with Ashley Hutchings, Sandy Denny and others. In April 1972 he released his first solo album Henry the Human Fly, recording the songs he had been working on. He describes it as more of an attempt to understand his own writing than a cohesive statement. But everything came together when he began working with his girlfriend (later wife), vocalist Linda Peters. They began by touring British folk clubs, where Thompson finally overcame his shyness onstage.

The solo record sank without a trace, but Richard and Linda Thompson began playing larger venues with a full band. And when their first album I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight was finally released after a year's delay it managed to reach the bottom of the Top 40. When Thompson embraced the Islamic faith he found the spiritual answers he had been seeking. He also stopped drinking, and soon realized that much of his old social life had revolved around the consumption of alcohol. Shortly after that Linda gave birth to their first child. But the couple recorded two more albums—Hokey Pokey and Pour Down Like Silver, both released in 1975— before Richard Thompson decided to leave the music business. The couple moved to a Sufi community in East Anglia.

This explains the second date in the title. After touring behind their third album, Thompson describes his pilgrimage to Mecca and performance of the traditional Haj. Life in the religious community put a strain on the marriage, and Thompson confesses to being the one who fell out of love (no mention of the other woman he had become involved with, so he does not appear to be completely transparent). The pair recorded several more albums together after returning to music in 1977 but by the time they toured to support Shoot Out The Lights in 1982 their personal relationship had completely collapsed. Thompson has soldiered on, and his final thoughts are ruminations on the musical friendships he treasures and the pleasure he takes in live performance. The book includes two appendices: full lyrics of the songs quoted in the text, and a series of dreams he recalled during the writing, a surreal mixture of music and religion.

This memoir is a good overview about the beginning of Richard Thompson's music career, including Fairport Convention and his work with Linda Thompson. If you're a hardcore fan of his music however, you may be yearning for more a more in-depth look into the music, recording sessions, etc.

It is difficult to say what one expects from a memoir by a musician. As a casual fan of Thompson, I got a basic timeline of musical events in his life, and a little addition context to the world in which some of these recordings were created. But beyond that I found little in regard to contemplation on a life lived or reflection on choices, musical and otherwise. And the detail that was there becomes sparser and sparser as the chronology continues on. I don't know if this book would be of any interest beyond readers who are already familiar with Thompson's music, and deep fans will not get much new out of it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Overly detailed telling of Richard Thompson's early history. His prose is not as vivid and interesting as his songwriting, and he does not come across particularly well in his own telling of his story. Still, this book offers ascinating insights into the beginnings of British folk rock, with great background on the early players including Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas.. Die hard fans will find this a must read.

If you have ever been to one of Richard Thompson's concerts, you'll recognize his voice in this memoir - simultaneously witty, knowledgeable, self-deprecating, and generous. What you'll miss is the music, traced from his earliest experiences through Fairport Convention and the beginnings of his solo career.

If ever a book needed a Spotify list to read by, this is it! Familiar as I am with much of the music, I still longed to hear those early proto-Fairport collaborations, Sandy Denny's wild and sweet soprano, Linda Thompson's simultaneously strong and fragile voice, and the sounds of Richard himself, having a blast as he travelled the world with musical buddies as wild and talented as he is.

Thompson's wit glitters in this memoir. My recommendation is to read it with your musical source of choice at hand, or, at least, a generous pad of paper to note every musical reference you want to follow up on. At least, listen to the loveliest of his songs, "Beeswing," in several of its incarnations. You won't be sorry.

Highly recommended. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC to review.

Richard Thompson is a humble, musical genius. I had no sense of his personal or artistic history before picking up this book, but now I'm inspired to dig into his entire catalog with Fairport Convention. Richard and Linda and solo output. Well done.