Steve Thompson Around 1996 I started teaching music composition part time at South Tyneside College. Here I met poet, playwright and local historian Tom Kelly. Tom had written many songs too and over the next 3 years or so we exchanged stories and anecdotes in the staff room. I told Tom of my early days in a … Read more
In the late seventies I was producing bands and running a record company in Wallsend (UK). At night I played in the Mick Whitaker Band. We played the Burgundy Cobbler in Whitley Bay on Tues and Wed nights. I lived in Manor Court Next door, a block of bedsits owned by the Sid McCulloch who … Read more
In 1999 I worked with Poet Tom Kelly on a CD called “Urban Grit”. We called the collaboration WMDJ. There is a WMDJ site at www.wmdj.org.uk and specific details of Urban Grit HERE This me working in my Studio at around the time of the WMDJ Urban Grit collection. There number of things you don’t … Read more
Live at the Marquee Club Wardour Street. That’s me on the far right playing keyboards. This was a blast for me because I never got to play the Marquee and this gave me the chance. Can’t remember when this was but it was knocked down soon after. John V (left in top pic) was in Argent … Read more
My first band. Second line-up Top left to R Pete MacDonald, Jim Harle. Bottom Left to R, Robin Hird, Steve Thompson. The picture to the right is the Freemasons Arms in my hometown, Consett. it was around 1969/70 when I played my very first note in public with these guys. Jim has a website that … Read more
[edit 22/07/2026] The image refered to has long since disappeared from this site. I have re-created it using AI. It is not 100% accurate. AI does not know that Burman Speakers were massive! I came across this pic of me in my archive. Don’t remember where or when it was taken. My brother dug it … Read more