Christopher Algernon Thompson (born 9 March 1948) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist known both for his work with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, specifically for his lead vocal on the classic hit "Blinded by the Light" and for his solo accomplishments.[1][2] In his early career, he used the self-chosen middle name 'Hamlet' to distinguish himself from a folk singer of the same name, who also came from New Zealand.[1]
Thompson was born in Ashford, Kent, England, but raised in New Zealand.[3] His early musical experiences were whilst still at school with the band The Paragons that played at weekly church youth club dances. Later, as his talent became clear, the band was reformed as Dynasty with other musicians and achieved much local success on the New Zealand music scene. Thompson's last band in New Zealand was Mandrake, formed with university friends who played the Friday and Saturday night dances in and around Hamilton City.
He went to Australia before returning to England in 1973 to pursue a musical career, eventually joining Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1976.[4]
After several years with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Thompson left in 1979 and formed the Los Angeles–based outfit Night,[5] which enjoyed two hits during its lifetime. One of them, "If You Remember Me," the unused theme song for Franco Zeffirelli's remake of The Champ,[6] was initially credited solely to Thompson; later pressings of the single were credited to "Chris Thompson and Night." (But this source[7] gives lyric credit to Carole Bayer Sager for "If You Remember Me," and the music credit to Marvin Hamlisch.) The song reached #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #7 Adult Contemporary.[8] It was a very minor hit in Canada (#91).[9] After the band broke up in 1982, he rejoined the Earth Band.
In 1980, he co-wrote and sang backing vocals on the track "No Stoppin' Us Now" with Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald, on the Doobie Brothers' album One Step Closer. In 1983 he contributed vocals to Simmons' solo album Arcade as well as co-writing several of the tracks.
In 1981, Thompson released his debut album, Out of the Night. This was followed by five more albums, most recently Won't Lie Down in 2001.
In 1984, while functional lead singer for the re-formed Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Thompson lent lead vocals to "Runner," which slowly climbed to become a USA and UK top 30 hit, propelled by then-hot MTV airplay.
In 1986, Thompson was one of the four co-writers of the hit song "You're the Voice" – the others being Andy Qunta of Australian new wave outfit Icehouse, erstwhile Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid and Maggie Ryder. He hoped to record the song in London but was turned down by record companies there who stated the song was "not commercial". He sent a demo to John Farnham, who had recently come off a five-year stint fronting the Little River Band. Farnham liked the song and agreed to record it for his forthcoming album, Whispering Jack. Farnham's release of "You're the Voice" was a worldwide hit, reaching top ten positions in many countries across the world.
In spite of his already busy schedule in 1986, Thompson still found the time to return to Manfred Mann for their new album, Criminal Tango, in addition to putting out some solo material. He recorded the song "It's Not Over" for the soundtrack to the film Playing for Keeps, and this track was also featured (with a slightly longer fade-out) on his new solo album, High Cost of Living, released later the same year. The following year, "It's Not Over" would be re-recorded by Starship, becoming a top-ten hit for the group.
In 1989, Thompson recorded the single "The Challenge (Face It)" as the official theme song for the 1989 Wimbledon Tennis Championships. He co-wrote the song with Harold Faltermeyer. A year later, in 1990, Thompson worked again with Faltermeyer in writing the 1990 song for Wimbledon, Hold the Dream by Franzisca.
Also in 1990, Thompson recorded the single "This Is The Moment" as the official theme song for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.[10]
In 1995, Thompson performed "You're The Voice" in the Netherlands at the World Liberty Concert as the grand finale of the event. He also sang a studio version of it on the Alan ParsonsThe Very Best Live album (1995).
In 2006 and 2007, he joined Jeff Wayne for a second time to tour as The Voice of Humanity in the live version of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.[11] According to the special features of the DVD Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – Live on Stage, Thompson designed some artwork for the show.
Thompson has also been involved with the SAS Band (Spike's All Star Band) where he has performed numerous songs, especially from his repertoire with Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a short hiatus in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Earth Band continues to perform and tour, as of 2024.
"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on his 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. A cover by British rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in February 1977 and was also a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.
Anthony Lawrence Carey is an American musician, composer, producer, and singer/songwriter. In his early career he was a keyboardist for Rainbow. After his departure in 1977, he began a solo career, releasing albums under his own name as well under the pseudonym Planet P Project, and producing for and performing with other artists.
"You're the Voice" is a song recorded by the British-born Australian singer John Farnham released in 1986, which became an immediate hit in Australia as well as several European countries, his native country the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It was released as a single in September 1986 ahead of his album Whispering Jack, and was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder, and Chris Thompson.
Mann Alive is a live double album released in 1998 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Criminal Tango is the twelfth studio album released in 1986 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band with Chris Thompson. Founding guitarist/vocalist Mick Rogers returned to the band for this album and is still an active member. The new bassist Steve Kinch joined the band only when parts of the album were already recorded. Kinch therefore shared the bass parts on this album with bassists Durban Betancourt-Laverde and John Giblin. This is their first album for the Virgin Records label after eleven years with Bronze Records.
Budapest Live is an album released in 1984 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The album was recorded on the "Somewhere in Europe" tour in 1983 in support of the "Somewhere in Afrika" album, and despite its title, also featured recordings from the Dominion Theatre in London. It was the final Earth Band album to appear on the Bronze label and also the last album recorded with Steve Waller and Matt Irving.
Angel Station is the ninth album released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released in 1979. Several line-up changes were made for this album. Ex-Wings drummer Geoff Britton replaced founding drummer Chris Slade and Steve Waller replaced guitarist Dave Flett. Britton left the band soon after due to illness, and was replaced by John Lingwood. Also in the line-up were Pat King on bass guitar from the then current line-up and Chris Thompson.
The Roaring Silence is the seventh studio album by English rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It was released on 27 August 1976, by Bronze Records in the UK and by Warner Bros. Records in the US. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers. "Blinded by the Light", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, is a cover version of a song by Bruce Springsteen; "Questions" is based on the main theme of Franz Schubert's Impromptu in G flat Major (1827); "Starbird" takes its theme from Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird (1910); and "The Road to Babylon" is based on the canon "By the Waters of Babylon" by Philip Hayes. Lyrics and melody of the intro of "The Road to Babylon" is taken from the song "Babylon" from Don McLean's second album American Pie, released in 1971.
Odds & Sods – Mis-takes & Out-takes is a four-CD box set compilation album released in 2005 by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It features alternate takes, outtakes and other assorted rarities, recorded over the 35-year career of the band.
Mick Rogers is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, chiefly known for his time with Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1971 to 1975 and again since 1984. Rogers was the original lead vocalist of the band until his departure; after his return, he became a backing and occasional lead vocalist.
Nightingales & Bombers is the sixth studio album released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1975.
The title of this album was inspired by a recording made in Surrey, England during the Second World War, by an ornithologist intending to record nightingales. The bombers flew over at the same time and were recorded by accident. The recording has been incorporated in 'As Above, So Below'.
Solar Fire is the fourth studio album by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released in 1973. It spent 15 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts, peaking at number 96 on 11 May 1974. It was initially intended to be a full adaptation of The Planets suite but Gustav Holst's heir, who had previously given permission for the adaptation of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" in the hit single "Joybringer", did not allow this to happen, so the band made their own "cosmic" album using mostly original themes, although the most well-known song is the Bob Dylan composition "Father of Day, Father of Night", which is in the Earth Band's live set to this day and remains a popular song on rock radio. "Pluto the Dog" and the two-part "Saturn, Lord of the Ring/Mercury, the Winged Messenger" are instrumentals, and "Earth the Circle Part 2" features only two lines of sung vocals. The album is often considered to be the peak of the early Earth Band line-up and, for a lot of progressive rock reviewers, the pinnacle of Mann's career in general.
Whispering Jack is the twelfth studio album by Australian adult contemporary pop singer John Farnham. It was produced by Ross Fraser and released on 29 September 1986, peaking at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart. Whispering Jack became the second-best-selling album in Australia, behind only Meat Loaf's album Bat Out of Hell, and the highest-selling album in Australia by an Australian artist―24× platinum, indicating over 1.68 million copies sold; it remains the third-best-selling album of all time in Australia, as Shania Twain's Come On Over eventually eclipsed it. It spent 25 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the albums chart during 1986–1987, it was awarded the 1987 ARIA Award for Album of the Year, and it was the best-charting album for the decade of the 1980s in Australia. It was the first Australian-made album to be released on compact disc within Australia. One of Farnham's biggest hits, "You're the Voice", was issued as the lead single from the album and peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report singles chart.
Night was a rock band formed in 1978 in Los Angeles, California, United States, whose personnel were veteran British-based session musicians.
"Spirit in the Night" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen for his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973). It was also the second single released from the album. A cover version performed by Manfred Mann's Earth Band using the title "Spirits in the Night" was released on the album Nightingales and Bombers and as a Top 40 single.
"For You" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen in 1972 for his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., released in 1973. It was later included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen. The song has been covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, The Format, and Greg Kihn.
"The Runner", also called simply "Runner", is a song written by Canadian rock musician Ian Thomas and released in 1981 on his album of the same name. Inspired by the story of Terry Fox, "The Runner" was covered by French singer Sheila later that year, but its most famous rendition was recorded by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, a British band known for making hits of reworked cover songs, and released as a single in 1984, shortly before that year's Summer Olympics. The timing of the Manfred Mann's Earth Band version made it a success, and it reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
Alan Parsons Live is the first live album by Alan Parsons, recorded in May 1994 during his European tour, and released late that year by Arcade Records in Europe. RCA/BMG added three new studio tracks and changed the cover art when releasing the album in the rest of the world in 1995, renaming it The Very Best Live; stylized on the cover with "The Very Best" in a smaller font between Alan Parsons and Live. Despite the tour promoting Try Anything Once with seven songs from the album in the setlist, the live performances on the album are all songs from his years with The Alan Parsons Project.
Mandoki Soulmates is a musical project founded by German–Hungarian musician and producer Leslie Mandoki. Considered a supergroup, the project combines the talents of many internationally successful musicians to foster a unique sound, primarily comprising the progressive rock and jazz rock genres.
References
1 2 Russo, Greg (2022). Mannerisms – The Five Phases of Manfred Mann. New York: Crossfire Publications. p.147. ISBN978-0-9983550-8-5.
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