Fans of Richard Thompson â whose admirers range from Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan to the members of Los Lobos and Dinosaur Jr. â know he has long been critically acclaimed as one of the finest and most distinctive guitarists and singer-songwriters on either side of the Atlantic. They also know he helped create English folk-rock in the 1960s as a member of Fairport Convention, a pioneering London band with which Jimi Hendrix liked to sit in and jam. And fans know Thompson has been a prolific solo artist for nearly 50 years, during which time his songs have been recorded by everyone from R.E.M., Johnny Cash and The Pointer Sisters to The Neville Brothers, Tom Jones and bluegrass king Del McCoury.