The Drop: Linda Thompson

On the same day that British folk-rock’s original siren Linda Thompson releases her first album in over six years, Won’t Be Long Now, join us for an exclusive interview and record preview event. Recorded mainly in New York City, but also at sessions in Scotland and various London studios including Abbey Road, with longtime producer Ed Haber, the album features nine songs penned by Thompson as well as collaborators, including son Teddy Thompson and Ron Sexsmith. Thompson first came to prominence in the 1970s with a string of albums with her then-husband Richard that remain undisputed classics of the singer-songwriter genre including Rolling Stone’s #9 album of the 1980s, Shoot Out The Lights. After 1985 she retired from recording due to a rare vocal disorder until her triumphant return with 2002’s Fashionably Late (Rounder), which was called “a marvel of modern folk” by The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal hailed it as “a bona fide comeback.” And in 2007 Thompson released Versatile Heart (Rounder) to more critical praise with NPR’s Bob Boilen proclaiming it “an absolutely stunning record.” Here Thompson in discussion, along with Vice President of The GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares Scott Goldman, about the various aspects of Thompson’s musical personality and the making of the new record.