Danny Thompson obituary

"Afounder member of the British folk-rock band Pentangle, the double bass player Danny Thompson also added depth and resonance to recordings by artists as varied as Nick Drake and Kate Bush, Cliff Richard and Everything But the Girl, Graham Coxon and John Martyn to name a handful among the hundreds of sessions he played on from the early 1960s into the 21st century."

"Thompson, who has died aged 86, was a musician's musician, his bass always compl. His fluid playing enriched the albums Five Leaves Left (1969) by Drake and Solid Air (1973) by Martyn, and he went on to form a long working relationship with Martyn, and, later, the singer-songwriter Richard Thompson (no relation). It was Lonnie Donegan's hits of the mid-50s that first inspired Thompson as a young teenager to build a tea-chest bass and join a skiffle band."

"Working Soho clubs and US airbases in the 60s, he built a name as a capable bassist, and in 1964 he joined Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated. As a band leader, Korner brought together a wealth of young British talent, including Ginger Baker, Charlie Watts, Eric Clapton and Brian Jones, and his stewardship led to Thompson engaging with many rising stars at Korner's Marquee club base."

Danny Thompson was a founding member of the British folk-rock band Pentangle and a distinguished double bass player. He contributed depth and resonance to hundreds of recording sessions from the early 1960s into the 21st century. His bass enriched albums such as Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left (1969) and John Martyn's Solid Air (1973). He formed long working relationships with John Martyn and the singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. Inspired by Lonnie Donegan, he built a tea-chest bass and joined a skiffle band as a teenager. He played Soho clubs and US airbases, joined Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated in 1964, became a sought-after bassist for jazz and folk musicians, and in 1967 joined Pentangle, helping fuse folk, jazz and classical elements into their music. He died aged 86.

Read at www.theguardian.com