Pete Thompson
Encyclopedia
Early life
Pete Thompson was born in Essex, England and started his life in Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
. He admits in his biography on his official website that when he was a child he, and quote, "was always tapping and singing and generally driving my teachers and parents mad." He got his first drum kit in 1968 and became a professional drummer. He also learned how to play the keyboard. When he was 19, he went on the U.S.O. tour in Europe to play for soldiers in R&R from the Vietnam War with his friend Rod "Rook" Davies and other people.
Involvement With Silverhead: 1972-74
After the U.S.O. Tour, he joined the British band SilverheadSilverhead
Silverhead were a British band, fronted by the singer/actor, Michael Des Barres. The other members of the band were: Robbie Blunt , Rod Rook Davies , Nigel Harrison and Pete Thompson...
in 1972. They toured the U.S. and Japan, and played with many of the big rock stars, such as KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, and Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
. For Thompson, Silverhead was the first time he played keyboards on tour. Silverhead included Michael Des Barres
Michael Des Barres
Lord Michael Philip Des Barres is a British actor and rock singer. He is known for playing the recurring role of Murdoc on the television show MacGyver and for replacing the late Robert Palmer in the band Power Station, fronting the band at the 1985 Live Aid concert...
, Nigel Harrison
Nigel Harrison
Nigel Harrison is an English musician, and best known as the bass player of the rock band Blondie....
, for a short time- Stevie Forest and Robbie Blunt
Robbie Blunt
Robbie Blunt is a rock guitarist who has worked with a variety of bands, most notably Robert Plant's in the 1980s. Since leaving Plant's band in the mid-1980s, Blunt has provided session work for a number of artists, such as Julian Lennon, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Clannad.-w/ Robert...
, and Thompson's friend Rob Davies. Silverhead stopped touring in 1974 and then disbanded. The U.S.O. Tour and Silverhead got Thompson used to performing in concerts.
Neutralization: 1974-80 and Involvement with Ken Hensley: 1981-
When Silverhead was over with, Pete became a session drummer for MCA UK. He did lots of commercials and jingles for radio and television. This is when Pete really did not do anything that popularized himself or his talent. The only single he did was Take No Prisoners when he "joined" The David Byron Band with Denny Ball. In 1981, Thompson left doing sessions and joined Shotgun, a band formed by Ken Hensley. When Hensley left Uriah HeepUriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
, he formed Shotgun in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and Thompson volunteered to join. When that did not work out, Hensley formed The Ken Hensley Band and the band did a U.S. tour.
Involvement in Pete Haycock's Climax: 1983-86 and Old Pal's Act plus Trower, Bibb, and Bronze: 1986-89
From 1983-86, Thompson joined Pete Haycock's Climax, where he toured Australia and Europe and recorded two albums with them. Thompson was not the official drummer of this band, which was officially known as The Climax Chicago Blues Band, yet he did these things anyways. He then left that band and joined The Old Pal's Act, which later became known as The HamstersThe Hamsters
The Hamsters are a band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.They performed their first live show at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, on 1 April 1987. They initially played in local pubs with no ambitions to take themselves seriously or to turn professional...
. This is where he met Dave Bronze
Dave Bronze
Dave Bronze is an English bass guitarist. The musicians he has worked with include Robin Trower, Dr...
, with whom he worked with after The Old Pal's Act. The Old Pal's Act included Snail's-Pace Slim as lead vocals and lead guitar, Davie Bronze on base guitar, and Thompson on drums. Thomson and Bronze left the group and joined Eric Bibb
Eric Bibb
Eric Bibb is an American acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He is based in London and launched his career in Europe. Today he lives in Finland.-Biography:...
and Robin Trower
Robin Trower
Robin Leonard Trower , known professionally as Robin Trower, is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960s, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio.-Biography:...
. From 1986-89, the group recorded two albums. One of the albums, Passion, was awarded the Best Indie Album Award from the RIAA. Plus, Thompson was voted to be the best rock drummer at the time. The work that Thompson, Bronze, and Bibb did with Trower was put under Trower's name.
1990s-current
After this work, he went back to Southend, England in 1990 and started teaching seven days a week and for ten years played at the house band at The Blue Last in London, England. In 1993, Robert PlantRobert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, vocalist extraordinare from the popular band Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, invited him to play on one of his albums, Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations is Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's sixth studio album. It was released in 1993 and re-released in a remastered edition on March 20, 2007. It features former Cutting Crew guitarist Kevin Scott MacMichael. The lead singer of Clannad, Máire Brennan is featured on the track "Come...
. He did, and than he and the others were awarded Gold and Platinum Albums for that record. After he was done with the house band, in 2001, Thompson recorded Living Out of Time with Trower.They toured and also made a DVD and a live album, Living Out of Time: Live. In 2002-03, he toured with Bibb in Australia and Europe and recorded the album Friends with him. He also did a few acts with Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood may refer to:In music:*Dr. Feelgood , an album by American band Mötley Crüe**"Dr. Feelgood" , a single and the title track from that album*"Dr. Feel Good", a song by Travie McCoy on the album Lazarus...
and The Hamsters
The Hamsters
The Hamsters are a band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.They performed their first live show at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, on 1 April 1987. They initially played in local pubs with no ambitions to take themselves seriously or to turn professional...
. Thompson worked with Trower in 2004 and in 2005 on a soundtrack for the movie Good Humor Man. After this they toured The First Farewell Tour, where they recorded a live album at the Royal Oak in Detroit. Thompson toured with Trower again in 2009. Currently, Thompson is working with Trower to either plan another tour or record music.