Tony Thompson (drummer)

Tony Thompson
Promotional photo, 1985
Promotional photo, 1985
Background information
Birth nameAnthony Theodore Thompson
Born(1954-11-15)November 15, 1954
New York City, U.S.[1]
DiedNovember 12, 2003(2003-11-12) (aged 48)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresNew wave, alternative rock, hard rock, pop rock, disco, hip hop, funk, R&B, soul
OccupationDrummer

Anthony Theodore Thompson (November 15, 1954 – November 12, 2003) was an American session drummer best known as the drummer of the Power Station and a member of Chic.

Early life and education

Thompson was raised in the middle-class community of Springfield Gardens, in Queens, New York, New York.[1] His mother was Trinidadian and father was of Antiguan descent.

Music career

Chic

Thompson first drummed for the group Labelle, and then for a short while was a member of the soul/disco band Ecstasy, Passion & Pain. This was followed by a long tenure with 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 and David Bowie.

Other bands

Thompson was also a member of the band the Power Station along with Robert Palmer, and John Taylor and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran. The Live Aid charity benefit concert in 1985 saw Thompson filling in and 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. Page, Plant and Jones then invited Thompson in England for rehearsals for a Led Zeppelin reunion which was canceled by Jimmy Page after Thompson was badly injured in a car crash.

He went 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). Thompson was also a founding member of the band That Hideous Strength. In the mid-1990s he rejoined Power Station for their 1996 reunion album Living in Fear and subsequent tour. Thompson's final project was called Non-Toxic which he formed with bassist Michael Paige (Crown of Thorns) and guitarist Dave Scott; Thompson died before finishing the project's first album.

He played with David Bowie on the Serious Moonlight Tour.

Death and legacy

Three days before his 49th birthday, Thompson died on November 12, 2003, in Los Angeles, within a month of being diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer),[1] and two months after the death of the Power Station bandmate Robert Palmer from a heart attack. Thompson was a member of the band Non-Toxic at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife, two children, and his sister, Cookie. On September 19, 2005, like his former band member Bernard Edwards, Thompson was honoured posthumously along with the rest of the Chic band members by being inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame.

Discography

with Chic

with Sister Sledge

with Diana Ross

with Power Station

with Distance

with Crown of Thorns

  • The Black CD EP (1991)
  • Crown of Thorns (1994)

Guest appearances

Film appearances

References

  1. ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (November 24, 2003). "Tony Thompson, 48, Drummer Who Helped to Define Disco". The New York Times. Retrieved July 11, 2014.