Lil' Dave Thompson

Dave Thompson was born in Mississippi in 1969 into a blues family, his father Sam has performed alongside artists like Asie Payton, Willie Foster, Paul Wine Jones, and others. He began playing guitar at the age of nine and was playing in local bands in his early teens. Thompson was playing in backing bands for local acts like the Greenville Letts by his early teens.  Club owner and fellow bluesman Booba Barnes hooked up with Thompson when the latter was 15, and the two made the rounds on Mississippi's sometimes-violent club circuit. Thompson's first appearance on record was on David Malone's debut album for Fat Possum Records. (Malone is the son of bluesman Junior Kimbrough.) This gig gave Thompson a springboard for his own solo project, "Little Dave and Big Love", which was released in 1995 and showcases Thompson's fiery playing.

Although he would literally disappear from the blues scene for better than six years, Thompson would reappear in 2002 with his album "C'mon Down To The Delta"  It was with a pair of albums for the Electro-Fi Records label, however, that Thompson would make a big noise in the blues world. Thompson's "Got To Get Over You" (2006) and "Deep In The Night" (2008) would be accompanied by constant touring and critical acclaim, and would earn the guitarist a loyal and growing audience. 

Lil' Dave Thompson was killed in an auto accident outside of Augusta, Georgia on February 14, 2010. Thompson and his band were returning home to Greenville, Mississippi from Charleston, South Carolina where they had performed Saturday night, the last gig on a lengthy and successful tour. None of Thompson's band members were seriously hurt in the accident.  

Thompson is survived by his wife of 15 years, Susan White, and by five children. 

(Lil' Dave Thompson at 17th Annual Poconos Blues Festival 2008)