Beeswing cover art

Beeswing

Fairport, Folk Rock and Finding My Voice, 1967–75

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Beeswing

By: Richard Thompson
Narrated by: Richard Thompson
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £21.99

Buy Now for £21.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

***READ BY THE AUTHOR***

THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A BOOK OF THE YEAR
ROUGH TRADE,
THE TIMES, ROLLING STONE, CLASH, MOJO, UNCUT

The memoir of international music icon Richard Thompson, co-founder of the legendary folk rock group Fairport Convention.

'I encourage everyone to read this wonderful book.'
ELVIS COSTELLO

'Thompson could be said to be an English Dylan - only in some ways he's even better than that.'
GUARDIAN

Richard Thompson came of age during an extraordinary moment in 1960s Britain - as music began to reflect a great cultural awakening, the guitarist and songwriter co-founded Fairport Convention, ushering in the era of folk rock. An intimate memoir of personal discovery and creative intensity, Beeswing vividly captures the life of an international music icon in a world on the cusp of change

'Gripping . . . A quiet joy of a memoir.'
GUARDIAN

'Thompson writes exceptionally well . . . If you love music in all its myriad forms, you'll love this book.'
NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

'An intimate, revealing tome, Beeswing is the voice of a figure at the heart of the British counter-culture.'
CLASH

'Perceptive, lyrical, amiable and seemingly effortless . . . required reading.'
CAUGHT BY THE RIVER

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Richard Thompson (P)2021 Faber & Faber
Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Musician Guitar

Listeners also enjoyed...

White Bicycles cover art
Tough Crowd cover art
Echoes cover art
My Bass and Other Animals cover art
Absolute Beginner cover art
I Wanna Be Yours cover art
My Effin' Life cover art
Some Fantastic Place cover art
View from the Bottom cover art
Bruised, Never Broken cover art
Verse, Chorus, Monster! cover art
Nina Simone's Gum cover art
The Road to Riverdance cover art
Have a Little Faith cover art
Good Pop, Bad Pop cover art
Letter from America: The Essential Letters 1936-2004 cover art

Critic reviews

W"Thompson could be said to be an English Dylan - only in some ways he's even better than that." (Guardian)

"This quiet joy of a memoir is just what you'd expect from one of the finest British musicians of the last 50 years." (Richard Williams)

All stars
Most relevant  
The books opening chapters about growing up and so well written and being on the road but it's kind of knocked off balance by the last chapter, Dreams which seems like just rambling gibberish and far too long. Left me feeling that if this was edited more the book would hold together better. Still worth a listen

An amazing musician

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A long term fan of Richard I found this as relaxing as listening to his incredible music. Calming, informative and simply divine.

Awesome just like Richard

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I’ve been with Richard all the way!
One of the best audio books I’ve listened to, beautifully crafted and read, as you’d expect from a man of his talents and attention to detail.
It’s a great puzzle why he is not universally recognised as our best songwriter, tunesmith, guitarist and all round performer.
Given my admiration for the man this book is no surprise.
Thank you Richard for being a part of my life!

Sublime

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Having been a fan of Richard Thomson since I heard the first Fairport Album as a schoolgirl, I was very much looking forward to getting my hands on this memoir.
I chose to listen to Richard’s own narration of the book before I read the text. I love to hear the writer read their own words and I’ve always loved the t

A rare thing...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This memoir covers the early years of Richard Thompson's life and career. It is full of quiet admiration for other musicians, from the obscure to the famous, and gives the reader a good understanding of how he came to be such a force in the emergence of a new and distinctive kind of folk music. He is generous to the many others he has collaborated with, and gives insightful descriptions of the processes by which he comes to write such quirky and original compositions. Anyone who has had the good fortune to see him onstage and then reads this memoir will recognise that what you see of him playing and singing is probably exactly what he is offstage - seemingly penny plain but in fact mesmerising. Thanks Mr. Thompson.

Gentle and wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

One of the most interesting and inspiring books I've read, written by one of my favourite musicians!
An awesome insight into the mindset of his innovative attitude towards songwriting and guitar playing!
Thanks so much! As a musician I am most inspired!

Amazing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A lovely book from a lovely man who has given us so much great music over the years. Essential for lovers of Richard's music and a great story in itself.

Hugely enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

RT speak like a wise old friend, and paints a colourful picture of his route through Fairport convention, session musician, as a Duo with wife Linda. There is humour & honestly from this spiritual minstrel. Play on Richard. The dream section at the end is a treat.

A enjoyable journey into the creative mind of Richard Thompson

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Wonderful insight into RTs musical journey. I came to it through my obsession with the works of Sandy Denny and am delighted to find this gem exists. Actually read by Richard himself.
Even if, for some reason, you are not into these artists it gives a fascinating take on the music scene in the late sixties early seventies and beyond.

Enlightening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Not allowed to buy based on geographic restrictions. I've had this message a couple of times recently. What is going on?

Can't buy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.