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in the press
quotes and reviews
shared the stage
high
resolution photos
PDFs:
posters & EPK
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Marjorie
's appearance on Oprah!
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It was short, but oh, so
sweet.
Marjorie was featured February 28 on the popular syndicated Oprah Winfrey Show,
in an episode devoted to women of accomplishment who have
gone on to soar in completely different careers. The segment opened
with a black-and-white picture of 11-year-old Marjorie, beaming with
happiness as she sat with her new Guild guitar, almost bigger than she
was. It went on to describe how she has come to write and play, record
and perform. Pictures and footage from live performances, plus an
interview she did especially for the segment, were featured. The
response was
overwhelming.
As Oprah herself put it, "Thanks, Marjorie -- that's great!"
If you missed the episode, don't despair: You can catch Marjorie
Thompson on tour, and you can enjoy
her music all the time!
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Reviews of Right
By Me |
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"Marjorie Thompson opens her
new CD, "Right By Me," with a song called, "Don't Look Back," which is
essentially a noirish tale of a spiked-heeled lady on a date who
decides she doesn't want to see the guy again, and makes sure no one
else will, either. It is Thompson's wicked humor blended with a
country-folk sensibility that makes the track stand out. But it is her
extraordinary fingerstyle acoustic picking and ingenious songwriting
ability that makes the entire CD a triumph. She is supported on "Right
By Me" by some terrific musicians, including mandolin genius Barry
Mitterhoff and pedal steel player Buddy Cage. Some of the other notable
cuts include a poignant tale of human interaction called "Ernie And
Grace," a juicy ode to edibles entitled "Eat Right By Me," and a
sparkling version of Jorma Kaukonen's "Watch The North Wind Rise." So
make a date with Marjorie Thompson. Just make sure you have a
food-taster nearby."
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Michael Ventre, MSNBC.com
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"Each new album from Marjorie
Thompson presents melodic, memorable facets of the life, times and
psyche of this modern singer-songwriter who derives her music from the
folk and fingerpicking tradition. Sometimes sensual, sometimes
political, always relevant and universal in her polished, acoustic
presentation, in her fourth CD she again surrounds herself with notable
musicians. Featured sidepersons include Buddy Cage on pedal steel -
yes, that Buddy Cage who played in New Riders of the Purple Sage, with
Dylan on Blood on the Tracks, with Ian & Sylvia on Great
Speckled Bird. She provisions us the best mandolinist in the
Northeastern Quadrant: Barry Mitterhoff, formerly of Skyline with Tony
Trischka, Silk City and, most recently, the touring partner of Jorma
Kaukonen. I began to think, listening to this album, that we have
finally found the next Phil Ochs -- Marjorie's song "America the New"
recalls Ochs' sardonic, trenchant contemporary criticism with the
stops-you-cold line: "When Social was the word, instead of Homeland,
that described Security." And then in "Ernie and Grace" she uses the
phrase "There but for Fortune." Shivers up the spine, anybody? Her
first song, familiarly titled "Don't Look Back" is an auspicious
opening piece about three novel ways to kill your lover. Now that's
original! "Come to the River" utilizes a six-string guitar-banjo, with
its powerful walking bass, in the Delta blues idiom. "Light of Day,"
punctuated by Mike Levine's tasteful, lyrical Dobro lines, examines a
theme that returns so often in Marjorie's songs - that of
self-actualization as, perhaps, defined by theorist Kurt Goldstein who
postulated that the drive to realize all of one's potentialities is in
fact the "Master Motive" - the only real motive a person has. Marjorie
takes the poetic view when she writes: "Sitting in the barroom, perched
up on a chair, I must be invisible, and the barman he can't hear."
Whether writing of a chance encounter in a darkened parking lot or
happily interpreting Paul McCartney's timeless fantasy about
sexagenarian life, (with the grandkids, Vera, Chuck and Dave), Marjorie
Thompson generously gives us thoughtful themes and mellifluous music.
Her musicianship is resplendent with six-string sparkle."
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Stan Jay, Mandolin Brothers
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"I almost don’t know where to begin to share the
fascinating story included in this 40 something woman’s bio that came
to me with her 4th CD,
Right By Me.
"Like most of her peers, Marjorie Thompson became interested
in music as a young girl in the 60’s. Her first guitar became a
stepping stone to teaching herself a unique style of finger picking. A
style that has and is a story all on its own. But here’s where this
artist is truly one of a kind. She also became interested in Science
and went on to study and get a PHD, (yes, that’s what I said) in
biology from Brown University, where she ended up teaching and to this
day continues to be a member of the faculty and deanery. Ok, now if
that’s not enough to impress you-get this-she also has seven children!
It makes me truly wonder how this woman with seven kids found the time
and the energy, to once again, 'rediscover' music later in life, and
not only to excel in the finger picking style she had taught herself as
a young girl, but also to begin the process of writing her first song
and then recording them in her late 30’s. So listen up all you late
bloomers. Here is a shining example of the old adage, 'its never too
late!'
"Now about her music. It has to be obvious from reading what
I just wrote, that this woman is her own person. And that certainly
comes thru in her songs on this Cd. Starting off with the ominous,
'Don’t Look Back', she takes us down an artistic path that is truly
admirable. And although her particular simple and raw style will not
appeal to everyone, you can’t help but appreciate this one of a kind
artists commitment to her craft. Every song but one is a solo write and
carries its own weight, staying within the realm of her unique guitar
playing and very basic singing. The one song she didn’t write is a
stripped down hip rendition of the Beatles classic, 'When I’m
Sixty-Four', that somehow manages to come off as a Marjorie Thompson
song, even though I knew of course that she did not write it.
"To call this woman an overachiever would be an
understatement. If you go to her web site, you will see that she also
sells jewelry that she makes in the form of cells-not the kind you talk
on, but the one’s swimming around in a biology lab. Still, I wouldn’t
want you to think that any of this takes away from her music. It’s a
joy to discover an artist like this. And even more so, to be able to
write about it and hopefully inspire other mature bloomers to never
ever give up on their dreams.
"Right By Me,
is a wondrous acoustical canvas for Marjorie Thompson. Get it, listen
to it, and please go to her web site and read her bio. You won’t be
disappointed.our
playing is stellar and your voice is bluesy, angelic and true all at
the same time."
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Nancy Montgomery, Music News Nashville
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"I was not familiar with Marjorie Thompson, but was
intrigued that this remarkable over-achiever (or perhaps a true
renaissance person) managed to balance a thriving musical career with a
full-time academic position at an Ivy League university. Her original
music combines elements of folk,
country, and blues, with a nod to traveling troubadors that provides a
unique lyrical quality coupled with contagious melodies.
"A native New Yorker, her early interest in piano was essentially
stifled due to space limitations. at 10, she received a $16 guitar and
began to emulate blues players like Mississippi John Hurt. A competing
passion for science ultimately led to a Brown University Ph.D. in
Biology in 1979;
Thompson had the first of seven children in 1980 followed by a Masters
in Accounting at the U. of RI. An appointment as Associate Dean of
Biological Sciences at Brown followed in 1983, where she also teaches
Histology at the Medical School and Embryology to undergraduates. After
completing a
Certificate of Scientific Illustration at Rhode Island School of Design
in 1990, she began designing and selling "biologically correct"
cellular jewelry.
"In 1999, she saw an ad for Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch Guitar
Camp, which offered weekend workshops. She had admired Kaukonen since
1970, when he and bassist Jack Casady, after leaving Jefferson
Airplane, released Hot Tuna's first album. She attended the first of
many workshops and ultimately achieved her ambition to play the Rev.
Gary Davis' 'Hesitation Blues' the way Jorma played it. By 2001 she
began to write songs and was encouraged to begin performing. After a
demo CD, she booked 92 performances the first year. Right By Me is her
fifth CD, and she performs throughout the east coast and Europe. She
now teaches her own workshop at the Ranch -- the most recent being
'Songcrafting and Country Blues Essentials.' Oh yes -- her music, in a
word -- INFECTIOUS!"
- Scott
Peavler, Elmore
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"Marjorie
has released 'Right By Me,' an acoustic flavored offering with that
expected finger picking expertise Thompson has been priming o'er these
many years. However, it is her strong sense of lyric that shines
throughout. Through each unfolding track, she creates a weave of
storytelling that can be both whimsical and weighty."
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Don DiMuccio, RIMotif
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"I've
been following Marjorie Thompson's music for, well, almost ten years.
Right By Me is certainly her finest outing to date. It is well produced
and delivered with depth and conviction. Strong, Marjorie, very strong."
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Jorma Kaukonen
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"I'm tempted to say that I taught her everything
she knows, but she's gone so far beyond anything I showed her I'm
afraid I might get called on it."
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Chris Smither
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"Marjorie Thompson's singing
and lyrics channel the classic folk artist of old, and her playing
shows that all you really need is the pure touch of an acoustic guitar,
and a heart-felt, soulful song."
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Pete Sears
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"Great
work throughout - it makes me proud to be a Marge-Tone!"
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Pat Donohue
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"The songwriting is thoughtful, witty, sometimes whimsical
but always clever. Her guitar playing is steeped in the Piedmont and
Blues traditions, showing that she is an expert fingerpicker. Taken as
a whole, this CD simply works. It's wonderful."
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Little Toby Walker
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Quotes |
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"Your
playing is stellar and your voice is bluesy, angelic and true all at
the same time.
Everyone
who loves acoustic music should buy this CD. Nice work."
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Bob McCarthy
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"Congratulations
on your new CD. Great work throughout - it makes me proud to be a
Marge-Tone!"
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Pat Donohue
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"Marjorie's
new CD, 'Right By Me' was a pleasure to listen to. The songwriting is
thoughtful, witty, sometimes whimsical but always clever. Her guitar
playing is steeped in the Piedmont and Blues traditions, showing that
she is an expert fingerpicker. Taken as a whole, this CD simply works.
It's wonderful."
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Little Toby Walker
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"Marjorie Thompson's
singing and lyrics channel the
classic folk artist of old, and her playing shows that all you really
need is the pure touch of an acoustic guitar, and a heart-felt, soulful
song."
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Pete Sears
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| "Marjorie Thompson gives the
singer-songwriter thing a kick of guitar proficiency, a grounding in
traditional Tin Pan Alley pop and lyrics that are poetic yet universal
enough, like good blues, to break out of the genre's stereotypical
solipsism."
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Rick Massimo, Providence Journal Music Writer
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| "You are really, truly,
marvelous. It's
so refreshing to hear
somebody playing folky unpretentious, wittily-worded,
fingerpicking-based music in the style of the great players … "
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Stan Jay, Pres.,
Mandolin Bros., NY
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| "Marjorie
is top notch. She's got it all!"
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Spider
Glenn, WEBK,
Vermont
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Reviews of Never Let me Down |
Album:
Never Let Me Down
Artist: Marjorie Thompson
Genre: Blues
Marjorie Thompson has a no-nonsense, down-to-earth approach on Never
Let Me Down, a style that lacks pretension by promising "what you see
is what you get." The album gets a strong start with "Poster Child for
the Blues," a funny take on a familiar genre. The song is greatly
bolstered by Vincent Pasternak's viola (which most will mistake for a
fiddle), reminding one of the old guitar-fiddle combos of the 1920s.
The title track is pure traditional country and manages - as Jimmie
Rodgers and other early country practitioners did - to keep its
connection to the blues. The song is graced with lovely pedal steel
work by none other than Buddy Cage.
Thompson's vocals triumph more on sincerity than versatility, and it's
easy to gain the impression that she's the best interpreter of her
material. The arrangements vary from song to song, but they retain a
similar roots feel. Spare combinations of mandolin, pedal steel,
guitar, viola, and piano offer a nice range of set-ups that complement
both the songs and Thompson's vocals. Another winning quality of Never
Let Me Down is Thompson's predilection for writing songs with
interesting chord changes, even when writing within a genre like the
blues. She likewise has an affection for offbeat lyrics, as on "Hairdo
Rag." Never Let Me Down is a nice, low-key effort by a talented writer.
- Ronnie D.
Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
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"Marjorie Thompson, guitarist, singer, and
composer, has released her third album - "Never Let Me Down." It is a
mix of blues, country, and folk, with guitar, bass, mandolin, viola,
Hammond organ, piano, and a Fender Rhode keyboard. Her album is
stylistically characterized (lit. "stamped") by her finger picking and
her singing. Marjorie Thompson prefers soft sounds. If her music were
described in a word then it's "wonderful."
Her pieces seldom fit in a clear musical category. She mostly mixes
blues, country, and folk with a harmonic whole. "Heart Full of Love"
sounds more like country; "Living With An Empty Heart" sounds a little
like folk. She describes her music as "country blues."
She demonstrates with "Money Blues" that she can play blues with
groove. On it she plays one of the most extraordinary FUNNELbody
guitars by Gottschall, which are not only beauties but also noticeable
by their construction and sound.
Marjorie Thompson is up until now probably only known to a few outside
the USA. You can't find her albums in stores, but only buy through her
website - a worthwhile effort.
At the 2006 Frankfurt Music Show, she was a guest at master guitar
maker Gottschall to show off his guitars with her music. Accompanied by
only a bass player, she played and sang live as well as in a studio.
During a short interview at the show, the American from Rhode Island
came across just like her music: charming, friendly, and unpretentious.
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Wolfgang Henderkes (www.tolaris.de/inhalt/course/view.php?id=5)
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"Marjorie's new CD, Never Let me Down, never lets
you down. Her writing and singing is wonderful as always ... her
playing is endearing. This is a great addition to her body of
work!"
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Jorma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna)
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"Marjorie
Thompson, Never Let Me Down (MoSugar). Kicking off with a song titled
"Poster Child for the Blues" may sound like a bit of a bummer, but
Marjorie Thompson's vocal never allows us to feel too dejected. The
country flavored "Heart Full of Love" likewise finds a certain beauty
in feeling lonesome and blue. Never Let me Down succeeds thanks to its
open, straightforward approach."
- RL (Sing Out Vol 49 #3 Fall
2005)
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"Marjorie Thompson, fingerstyle
guitarist/singer/writer/and, um, associate dean of biological sciences
at Brown University, has done it again. 2005 brings us
Marjorie's third and most ambitious recording so far - an album of
first-class urban blues-idiom work, performed largely in thoughtful
arrangements with bass, mandolin, viola, pedal steel, lead guitar,
organ, piano, a sprinkling of percussion, and a potent secret weapon,
Amy Helm of Ollabelle on harmony vocals. Marjorie's impressive
playing style is a cross between Dave Van Ronk, Pat Sky, Jorma Kaukonen
and John Hurt. A particularly haunting story-song, "The Party" is about
a wake, set to an Irish-traditional sounding melody and structure,
starting with "I went to your house tonight" and ending
with "I could feel and touch and taste and know that you were there
somewhere." The CD's 12th piece, "Once Again and More,"
starkly accompanied by just her Collings OM-cutaway acoustic guitar, is
crafted, as so much of Marjorie's work is, at the highest level of
folk-acoustical literacy and addresses the durability of relationships
by transporting the listener into a sweeping voyage whose melody and
message resonate within a reverie of reflective introspection. This
artist, who in her opener calls herself a "Poster child for the blues"
never ceases to refresh us with her prodigious finger-driven playing,
sparkling performance, self-deprecating wit and inspired imagination."
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Stan Jay, Mandolin Bros.
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"Marjorie Thompson's "Never Let Me
Down" seems to evoke the sultry, gold rush melodies of a frontier
saloon, mixed with the 1960s bohemian coffee bars and folk clubs of
Manhattan's Greenwich Village."
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Pete Sears (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship, Flying Other Bros.)
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"I liked it very much. Your
writing is reliably intelligent and the songs are very well crafted.
Nice playing, and good back-up, too."
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Happy
Traum
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"I
really enjoyed the lyrics, the tone of the guitar and your sense of
timing."
- Pat Donohue
(Prairie Home Companion)
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"I
think I am in minor state of awe. There is a real nice feel on this
disc. Fabulous in fact!"
- RL Hegarty, NH
Luesman
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"I
think I am in minor state of awe. There is a real nice feel on this
disc. Fabulous in fact!"
- RL Hegarty, NH
Luesman
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"Have been listening avidly and can’t
really find words to express admiration and awe - so "wow" will have to
do. Unbelievably beautiful performance, writing and singing on your
part. Perfect and moving arrangements to compliment the emotional mood
of every song - Michael's efforts for sure, yes? Love the viola and
harmonies on Empty Heart. And the pedal steel on several tracks is just
thrilling. Your playing and singing has just matured so much - think
you are in the big leagues now."
- Bob Doherty, NY
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"I
love it. You have the real vibe for this style of music. Not everyone
can pull it off as you do. Angels Gonna Carry Me Home was especially
compelling to me right now."
- Russ Paladino,
Very Cool Media, NY
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"The
quality of the production values are a bit shocking. I can't believe
how good it sounds. I didn't think I could be a bigger fan than I
already am, but you have done it."
- Paul Karp, NY
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"I'm
in awe of your talent and songwriting. I love the CD. You are truly
gifted. If this doesn't propel you into the big time, I don't know what
will."
- Fran La Malva,
Lizardeye Guitars
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Reviews of Add Some More |
| "Marjorie Thompson, a
talented singer songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist from Rhode Island,
specializes in country blues as she shows on ADD SOME MORE (MoSugar
Records) Some of the songs, like the reflective Summer Saturday Night
(With Jimmy Fleming's mandolin blending superbly with Marjorie's fine
picking, leaning more towards country, while a pattern has something of
Loretta Lynn vibe about it. A neat little record that is highly
recommended."
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Robert Mills, The Maverick (UK)
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| "If
you love early American style folk blues, then I recommend you check
out Marjorie Thompson's new CD, "Add Some More." The songs are well
crafted both musically and lyrically and she brings her own unique
style to the fine art of acoustic finger picking guitar. Her sultry
voice, often touching on the blues, sometimes evokes the smoky romance
of an old Mississippi riverboat saloon."
- Pete Sears (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship, Flying
Other Bros.)
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| "Tight
grooves-catchy hooks-powerful and insightful lyrics-captivating
vocals-fluid and joyful guitar-I love it!"
- Bluesman Skip Jackson
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"I
just LOVED every song. The entire presentation just works so well –
the sequencing of the songs, the choice of instruments and the sound
quality itself is superb. You should be very proud for creating
something both beautiful and personal."
- Bob Doherty, NYC
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| "Your
new CD is FABULOUS!"
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RL Hegarty, Raymond NH
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Reviews of Driving to
Distraction |
| "I love the album!. Each
time reveals more nuances of your style, your melodies and the
transfixing stories you weave. You should be very proud of this album."
- Stan Jay, (Mandolin Bros)
NYC
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| "Strong blues-based
fingerpicking, heartfelt singing and clever, insightful original lyrics
combine to make this CD a fine first effort from Marjorie Thompson."
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Happy Traum, NY
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| "Tunes
are good. Guitar is good. The most pleasant surprise was your
communicative, inflected, unaffected voice. I luv yer songs, man."
- Steve James, Austin, TX
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| "I got the new CD and it
looks and sounds great!"
- Pat Donohue,
Minneapolis, MN
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| "I listened to the songs
given and they are great! I
am so happy that they aren't some remake of an old style, rather, they
are rather unpredictable! Nice job!"
- Chris Wilhelm,
(WKRBD) Ketchikan, AK
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