Tony Thompson
Encyclopedia
Anthony T. "Tony" Thompson (November 15, 1954 – November 12, 2003) was a session drummer best known as a member of Chic
. He was raised in the middle-class community of Springfield Gardens, in Queens, NY.
and father was Antiguan
descent, first drummed for the group Labelle
, and then for a short while was a member, with Raymond Jones, of the soul/disco band Ecstasy, Passion & Pain
. This was followed by a long tenure with the legendary R&B/dance/disco band Chic
, where he helped create hits such as "Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)," "Le Freak," and "Good Times". He also performed with members of Chic on "We Are Family" and "He's The Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge
and "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross
.
Following the temporary disbanding of Chic in 1983, Chic's former guitarist and bassist, Nile Rodgers
and Bernard Edwards
became prolific producers, and Thompson's drumming was much in demand among their clients. Thompson appeared with numerous artists such as Jody Watley
, Madonna
(on her 1984 album Like A Virgin), Rod Stewart
, Robert Palmer, Adam Ant
(on his unreleased Persuasion
album), Mick Jagger
, and David Bowie
(on his 1983 Let's Dance album and subsequent Serious Moonlight tour).
along with Robert Palmer and John Taylor
and Andy Taylor
of Duran Duran
. The enormous Live Aid
charity benefit concert
in 1985 saw Thompson playing with the Power Station as well as joining the remaining members of Led Zeppelin
on stage (along with Phil Collins
) at John F. Kennedy Stadium
. During a reunion attempt in 1986, Led Zeppelin again asked Thompson to join them as a replacement for John Bonham
; the reunion stalled in part because Thompson was in a serious car accident that year and was unable to continue participating.
Thompson would go on to join groups such as The Distance
and Crown Of Thorns
with Jean Beauvoir
(playing on their first album Crown Of Thorns before leaving the band and subsequently replaced by Hawk Lopez). In the mid 1990s he rejoined Power Station for their 1996 reunion album Living In Fear and subsequent tour.
(kidney
cancer
) on November 12, 2003, in Los Angeles, just two months after Power Station
bandmate Robert Palmer's death from a heart attack. Thompson was a member of the band Non-Toxic at the time of his death.
On September 19, 2005 Tony and the rest of the Chic band members were inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame
.
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
. He was raised in the middle-class community of Springfield Gardens, in Queens, NY.
Chic
Thompson, whose mother was TrinidadianTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
and father was Antiguan
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
descent, first drummed for the group Labelle
Labelle
Labelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...
, and then for a short while was a member, with Raymond Jones, of the soul/disco band Ecstasy, Passion & Pain
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain was a 1970s disco band. Their most successful songs are "Touch and Go" and "Ask Me".-History:EP&P was founded by Barbara Roy in New York in 1972...
. This was followed by a long tenure with the legendary R&B/dance/disco band Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
, where he helped create hits such as "Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)," "Le Freak," and "Good Times". He also performed with members of Chic on "We Are Family" and "He's The Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
and "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
.
Following the temporary disbanding of Chic in 1983, Chic's former guitarist and bassist, Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
and Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
became prolific producers, and Thompson's drumming was much in demand among their clients. Thompson appeared with numerous artists such as Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
(on her 1984 album Like A Virgin), Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Robert Palmer, Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
(on his unreleased Persuasion
Persuasion (Adam Ant album)
Persuasion was the planned fifth studio solo album by Adam Ant, planned for 1992-3 but never released. The album has however surfaced as bootlegs and nowadays circulates on file sharing networks...
album), Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
(on his 1983 Let's Dance album and subsequent Serious Moonlight tour).
Other bands
Thompson was also a full-fledged member of the band Power StationPower Station (band)
Power Station was a 1980s supergroup made up of singer Robert Palmer, former Chic drummer Tony Thompson, and Duran Duran members John Taylor and Andy Taylor . Bernard Edwards, also of Chic, was involved on the studio side as recording producer. For a short time he also functioned as Power...
along with Robert Palmer and John Taylor
Nigel John Taylor
John Taylor is an English musician who is best known as the bass guitarist and co-founder of pop rock band Duran Duran....
and Andy Taylor
Andy Taylor (guitarist)
Andy Taylor is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a member of Duran Duran and The Power Station....
of Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
. The enormous Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
charity benefit concert
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
in 1985 saw Thompson playing with the Power Station as well as joining the remaining members of 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...
on stage (along with Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
) at John F. Kennedy Stadium
John F. Kennedy Stadium
John F. Kennedy Stadium was an open-air stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that stood from 1925 to 1992. The South Philadelphia stadium was situated on the east side of the far southern end of Broad Street at a location that is now part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
. During a reunion attempt in 1986, Led Zeppelin again asked Thompson to join them as a replacement for John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
; the reunion stalled in part because Thompson was in a serious car accident that year and was unable to continue participating.
Thompson would go on to join groups such as The Distance
Distance (band)
Distance was a late-1980s rock/funk band led by bassist/producer Bernard Edwards, patterned after the Power Station. The band was composed of former Chic and Power Station members Edwards and Tony Thompson with future Bad Company member Robert Hart on lead vocals, and noted session musicians...
and Crown Of Thorns
Crown of Thorns
In Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...
with Jean Beauvoir
Jean Beauvoir
Jean Beauvoir is an American singer bassist, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist.Beauvoir was born in Chicago to parents of Haitian background. He played drums as a child and switched to bass as a teenager. He was Gary U.S. Bonds's musical director at age 13; following this he sang in the doo wop...
(playing on their first album Crown Of Thorns before leaving the band and subsequently replaced by Hawk Lopez). In the mid 1990s he rejoined Power Station for their 1996 reunion album Living In Fear and subsequent tour.
Death and legacy
Thompson died within a month of being diagnosed with renal cell carcinomaRenal cell carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma is a kidney cancer that originates in the lining of the proximal convoluted tubule, the very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products. RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately 80% of cases...
(kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
) on November 12, 2003, in Los Angeles, just two months after Power Station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
bandmate Robert Palmer's death from a heart attack. Thompson was a member of the band Non-Toxic at the time of his death.
On September 19, 2005 Tony and the rest of the Chic band members were inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame
Dance Music Hall of Fame
The Dance Music Hall of Fame was created in 2003 when music industry veteran John Parker thought that something needed to be done to honor the creators and innovators of dance music...
.