Even when I listen to him now, I’m not sure what it is that he had that was so special. It was easily accessible to me at the age of 10. Such simple stuff on the face of it, and sort of dorky with his trademark hiccup vocal motif. Buddy had a purity that verged on the naive. Zero interest in listening to anything made after 1959 (yes, I know Cathy’s Clown was released in 1960. Again, it was instant love, and I was firmly ensconced in ’50s American pop music. I think my mum or dad gave me this as a follow up to The Everlys. We may have ruined The Everly Brothers for him for ever. I thought, if this is music, sign me up! Dad tried to move us on to The Beatles and probably anything else, but we weren’t having it. My sister and I would sing along to Bye Bye Love and Cathy’s Clown. I can see it now, it was that beige cassette colour. Before all that, for his This Music Made Me Thompson dug deep into his music memories to guide us through the albums that have influenced him most… His rescheduled tour kicks off in January, ahead a run of support slots for John Grant. While the album is drawn from the demise of a real-life relationship as told from Thompson’s perspective, it could also be seen as a projection of his relationship with New York City, the place he has called home for the better part of two decades. Heartbreaker Please, recorded in Brooklyn, is his first solo work since 2011’s Bella and sees him return to his melodic roots.

It’s been 20 years since Teddy Thompson released his eponymous debut album, and he’s enjoyed a successful and varied career since, releasing four solo albums, collaborating with artists such as Rufus Wainwright, contributing to film soundtracks – not least Brokeback Mountain – and undertaking various producing duties.

Make It Music by Everly Lucas