Early years Born in
Hackney, London, she moved with her family to her mother's home city of
Glasgow, Scotland, at the age of six. Actor
Brian Pettifer (born 1953) is her brother. Around 1966 she started singing in folk clubs, and in 1967 began studying modern languages at the
University of London, but dropped out after four months. She changed her name to Linda Peters. By day she sang advertising jingles, including one with
Manfred Mann. She recorded the Bob Dylan song "
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", released as an
MGM single in 1968 by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, McNeill being another friend of
Sandy Denny and
Alex Campbell. They released a second single as Paul and Linda in 1969 on
Page One, featuring the
John D. Loudermilk song "You're Taking My Bag". She met
Richard Thompson in 1969, but they did not record together until 1972. Her reputation led to her being invited to join
the Bunch, a loose supergroup of folk rock artists including former Fairport Convention members Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, and
Ashley Hutchings which recorded an album called
Rock On. This was a set of 1950s rock and roll classics. A single was released from the album:
The Everly Brothers' hit "
When Will I Be Loved", which was a duet by Linda and Sandy. A second single was released soon afterwards "
The Loco-Motion", sung by Linda alone. Two versions exist, one with "Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller" as the B-side and in a picture sleeve, another with "Don't Be Cruel" on the flip. Later in 1972 Linda and Richard were backing singers on Sandy Denny's solo album
Sandy. Linda teamed up with
Simon Nicol and Richard (after he had left
Fairport Convention). Calling themselves "Hokey Pokey", they toured as a trio. Linda and Richard married in 1972. Linda sang on Fairport's album
Rosie (1973), credited as Linda Peters. The next album,
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) was credited to "Richard and Linda Thompson". Two albums followed in 1975:
Hokey Pokey and
Pour Down Like Silver. Richard had started to take an interest in
Sufism, a mystical form of
Islam, in 1973. After the tour, the couple went to a Sufi commune in
East Anglia for six months, then to another in
Maida Vale. Richard announced that he would never play again, but returned after three years. Linda found herself in a community where all the food was prepared by the women. In her words, the members were "white middle-class people trying to punish themselves, and everybody else. It taught me a lot. To stay away from sects, mostly."
Lights on and off again Their come-back album was called
First Light (1978). Richard's writing has a strong thread of disdain for fame, wealth and worldly values and attacks political hypocrisy, often in wildly abstract metaphors.
Sunnyvista followed in 1979, and
Shoot Out the Lights in 1982.
Shoot Out The Lights was surprisingly successful in America, and the Thompsons, despite the fractured state of their relationship, were offered a long and lucrative tour of the U.S. Simon Nicol described the final tour, in the summer of 1982, as being "like walking on a tightrope", and that as a result the first thing he did on stage was "look for the exit". The couple had separated by the time that the American tour started, and were barely speaking to each other. The penultimate date of the tour was in Los Angeles. Linda then went to stay with her friend
Linda Ronstadt. The tapes were finally released in October 2010 in the
Shoot Out The Lights box set, although a version of "Walking on a Wire" from earlier in the tour is on the Free Reed
RT boxed set. When Richard left Linda, she had just given birth to their third child,
Kamila.
Linda alone Linda lost her voice for the next two years as a result of
spasmodic dysphonia. She made a new start in 1984, singing with "
Home Service" at the National Theatre's production of
The Mysteries and in 1985 she released her solo album
One Clear Moment, then fell silent for eleven years. One song from the album, called "
Telling Me Lies", written with
Betsy Cook, was recorded by
Emmylou Harris,
Dolly Parton, and
Linda Ronstadt for their
Trio album in 1987. The recording was nominated for a
Grammy in the Best Country Song category. Linda retired from music to run an antique jewellery shop in
Bond Street, central London. She married Steve Kenis, an American recording artists agent at
William Morris. A compilation of Linda's earlier work,
Dreams Fly Away (1996), included both previously released songs and alternate versions of some of her better-known songs. It was received politely but did not sell well. In 1999, Linda's mother died. This provoked an outpouring of sorrow and regenerated her determination to sing. Linda was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, preventing her from singing. A temporary cure was found. By having
botox injected into her throat, she could regain her normal singing voice for a few months.
Give Me a Sad Song (2001) was positively reviewed. In 2002, she released a new CD,
Fashionably Late, which featured several family members, including her son
Teddy Thompson and daughter
Kamila Thompson, as well as an appearance on one song by Richard Thompson. Linda appeared along with her son Teddy, her friends
The McGarrigles, and
Kate McGarrigle's children
Martha Wainwright and
Rufus Wainwright (amongst others) in
Hal Wilner's "Came So Far For Beauty" tribute concerts to the music of
Leonard Cohen from 2003 to 2006. Linda sang the Cohen songs "A Thousand Kisses Deep" and "Alexandra Leaving". She appeared again with Teddy Thompson with The McGarrigles and Wainwrights for some of their family concerts, including the McGarrigle Christmas shows. In 2007, Linda released yet another set of original songs and covers,
Versatile Heart. Like
Fashionably Late, this too was primarily a collaboration with son Teddy Thompson, and the CD also features a supporting cast of family and friends. The CD was well received in the press. The CD opens and closes with two arrangements of a Teddy Thompson instrumental piece, "Stay Bright", the first an acoustic version, and the second a version for string quartet arranged by
Nick Drake collaborator
Robert Kirby. She contributed vocals to the
Primal Scream album
Beautiful Future (2008), on the track "Over & Over". Linda and Richard Thompson performed a duet at 12 June 2010
Meltdown Festival tribute concert to
Kate McGarrigle, which Richard coordinated. Linda's fourth solo album, ''Won't Be Long Now'', was released on 15 October 2013. The album features compositions and backing vocals from Teddy Thompson and his sisters as well as guitar work by Richard Thompson. In July 2024, music from
Proxy Music, an album of Thompson's music, was performed at London's
Cadogan Hall, with
Neil McCormick of
The Daily Telegraph describing it as "more of an impromptu family shindig than a slickly presented show." ==Personal life==