Linda Thompson

Although she is one of the best known female singers to emerge from the UK rock/folk boom of the 1970s, Linda Thompson's time in the spotlight was relatively short-lived. The husband and wife duo released six studio albums between 1974 and 1982 with their first collaboration being 'I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight'. Now regarded as a masterpiece, the album was overlooked upon its release in 1974 and achieved very little commercial success.

Although the duo showed great promise their careers were blighted by their tumultuous personal relationship and the couple's flirtations with Sufism, a mystical form of Islam that in reality took the form of a controlling cult. At one point her husband stopped playing electric guitar on the orders of the cult's mullah and this had a detrimental effect on both their careers.

Following the break up of their relationship in 1982, which came ironically when the couple were enjoying the peak of their success, Thompson lost her voice as a result of a neurological disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. The condition obviously meant her career was on hold and although she released the solo album 'One Clear Moment', in 1985 the condition recurred and she didn't release another album until 'Fashionably Late' in 2002. She has since released three more studio albums and has also collaborated on 'Family' a project recording with Richard Thompson and other members of her family.