Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson’s musical influence cannot be overstated.  Having co-founded the groundbreaking group Fairport Convention as a teenager in the 60s, he and his bandmates invented the distinctive strain of British Folk Rock.  He left the group by the age of 21 which was followed by a decade long musical partnership with his then-wife Linda, to over 30 years as a highly successful solo artist.  In 2011, Thompson received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) personally bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.  The Los Angeles Times called him the finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix and Rolling Stone has named him one of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time.  He has received lifetime achievement awards for songwriting from Britain’s BBC Awards, the Americana Music Association, and was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award.  His song “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Greatest Songs Since 1923.”  A wide range of musicians have recorded Thompson’s songs including Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Sleater-Kinney, Del McCoury, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Jones, David Byrne, Don Henley, Los Lobos, and many more.  His massive body of work includes many Grammy nominated albums as well as numerous soundtracks, including Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man.  Thompson’s genre defying mastery of both acoustic and electric guitar along with engaging energy and onstage wit continue to earn him new fans and a place as one of the most distinctive virtuosos and writers in Folk Rock history.

A familial bond and their rolling ranchland home are at the heart of Kacy & Clayton’s music—a timeless amalgamation of British folk rock, classic American country, cross-cultural traditional songs and slightly faded psychedelia. Second cousins born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, Kacy Anderson and Clayton Linthicum were musically educated and inspired at a young age by Kacy’s paternal grandfather and grew up playing countless hours of music together at family and community gatherings large and small.

Buoyed by Kacy’s otherworldly voice and Clayton’s virtuosic guitar playing, and with a musical wisdom that belies their ages, the forward-looking traditionalists have released a string of thrilling albums beginning with 2013’s The Day Is Past & Gone, including two produced by Jeff Tweedy and a collaboration with New Zealand’s Marlon Williams. Touring extensively throughout North America and Europe, the pair have shared stages with the likes of Wilco, Colter Wall, The Sadies, Ray Lamontagne and The Decemberists.

Confident, focused and ever-surprising, Kacy & Clayton continue to forge a musical path on their own terms and time, showing the way for a new generation of like-minded travelers. A life spent in music, with family at their side.