Dave Thompson

Dave Thompson was nine when his father bought him a guitar and taught him how to play it. Sadly, his father did not live long enough to see Dave, at the age of 15, join the blues band Booba Barnes and the Playboys (later renamed the FM Stereo Band, following Barnes's departure). Life on the club circuit was, to say the least, eventful: Dave survived two car crashes and a bullet in the thigh, as well as having the odd brush with the law.

Although Dave Thompson is also a perfectly competent singer, it's his guitar playing that really impresses. According to one reviewer: 'His command, passion and intensity propel him to the forefront of contemporary blues guitarists. His sweeping bends and punching melodies convey as painful a depth and blissful a height a human soul can attain - a delicacy for blues enthusiasts.'