Mayo Thompson

Mayo Joseph Thompson Jr. (born February 26, 1944) is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the experimental rock band Red Krayola. He released his only solo album Corky's Debt to His Father in 1970, and later collaborated with the English conceptual art collective Art & Language. He formed the band Saddlesore with Rick Barthelme, Frank Davis and Cassell Webb in 1971, and the Rockin' Blue Diamonds in 1972 with Barthelme, Rock Romano and Tucker Bradley. He later worked with Greek composer Manos Hatzidakis and artist Robert Rauschenberg. By the late 1970s, he moved to England and began working with Rough Trade where he co-produced releases with Geoff Travis for groups such as the Monochrome Set, Stiff Little Fingers, the Raincoats, the Fall, Scritti Politti, Blue Orchids, LiLiPUT and Cabaret Voltaire. Thompson briefly joined the band Pere Ubu and was credited as an associate producer for the Smiths' "The Queen Is Dead" music video. He contributed to film soundtracks for Lizzie Borden's Born in Flames and Derek Jarman's The Last of England. He later produced the Chills, Felt, Shop Assistants and Primal Scream in the mid-to late 1980s. Thompson would move to Germany and collaborate with artists and musicians such as Albert Oehlen, Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank. During the 1990s, Thompson moved back to the United States, signed to the label Drag City and briefly joined the German free improvisation group COWWS Quintet. In 1994, he taught at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena until 2008. His paintings and visual artwork were later exhibited at Galerie Buchholz. He released two novels Art & Mystery (2018) and After Math: Art, Mystery - Part II (2023). Mayo Joseph Thompson Jr. was born on February 26, 1944, at St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston, Texas, to father Mayo Joseph Thomson Sr. and mother Hazel Margaret Muhl. Shortly after he was born, his parents divorced. Thompson grew up alone with his mother in Houston, who became a teacher at San Jacinto High School. His father, Mayo Thompson Sr. had previously been in the armed services, and later became a lawyer and member of the Federal Trade Commission. Thompson's formal education includes Garden of Arts Kindergarten until Holy Rosary Elementary School through fifth grade, then Moye Military School until high school at Cascia Hall College Preparatory School, from which he received a diploma in 1962. He went on to study at the University of St. Thomas, where he tried variously, off and on, pre-Law, Creative Writing, English and American Literature, Philosophy, and Art History, before dropping out. In 1955, Mayo Thompson began taking piano lessons at the age of 11, where he first became interested in composing music. In 1958, he jammed once in the music building of Moye Military School on piano with a friend who played trumpet and drums. Thompson went on to study at the University of St. Thomas, where he found an "affinity for jazz". In 1963, he met Frederick Barthelme (brother of novelist Donald Barthelme). On November 15, 1964, Thompson performed a cover of "Baby, Please Don't Go" at the University of St. Thomas. At the time, Thompson was a part of a folk music parody band known as the Seventy-Three Balalaikas, which consisted of Sam Irwin of the Sixpence, Bob Raines and Paul Norris. In 1965, Thompson embarked on a school trip to Europe. On returning, he was inspired by Beatlemania to start a rock band. He later stated he was "more interested in creating new material than interpreting old material". In mid-1966, amid the burgeoning Houston psychedelic scene, Thompson formed the band Red Crayola with Rick Barthelme and Steve Cunningham, they signed to International Artists after being discovered by producer Lelan Rogers performing for radio station KNUZ's Battle of the Bands event at the Gulfgate Mall. They became labelmates with the 13th Floor Elevators, with Roky Erickson performing on their debut album. In late 1967, Rick Barthelme left the Red Crayola, leading to Thompson briefly working as a sound man for Joseph Byrd and his band the United States of America in Los Angeles. In March 1968, Thompson began working with local musician Johndavid Bartlett at Gold Star Studios, the same place where "She's About a Mover" was recorded. Bartlett had joined in on rehearsals during the Red Crayola's early days and would sometimes get the opportunity to play his own original songs. Because of this, Thompson took an affinity for his songwriting and got him signed to the International Artists record label. He started producing the album which contained instrumental cameos from Johnny Winter, Jimmy Reed and Stacy Sutherland of the 13th Floor Elevators. The album was to be called Mother's Milk; however, by the time it was supposed to be released, the label folded and the tapes were lost. In 1970, Thompson released his only solo album to date, Corky's Debt To His Father, which employed "the best session musicians in Houston" and was recorded at Walt Andrus' Andrus Studio and released on his label Texas Revolution. However, because the label's executives did not like Thompson's voice, the album was made available only by mail order. Subsequently, Thompson and Barthelme formed the Houston band Saddlesore with Cassell Webb. The trio released one single on Texas Revolution, with "Old Tom Clark" on the A-side and "Pig Ankle Strut" on the B-side. The label later folded and the band split up. Additionally, Thompson would provide illustrations for Barthelme's novel Rangoon (1970). In 1971, he moved from Houston to New York. Christine Kozlov, whom Thompson had met in 1969, introduced him to the British art collective Art & Language, whom he described as "the baddest bastards on the block". At this time, he also met Mel Ramsden. In 1972, he formed a jam band known as the Rockin' Blue Diamonds. The group originally consisted of Frederick Barthelme along with Rock Romano and Tucker Bradley on vocals, but later included Fred McLain on lead guitar, Bob Henschen on piano, Bernard Sampson on saxophone and flute, Don Jones on bass, Art Kidd on drums, and Thompson on rhythm guitar and as the primary songwriter. They performed a few shows, and Fahey offered Thompson $250 to record a demo. However, Fahey and his wife did not like the recording, and the group later disbanded. Thompson later sampled Bob Henschen's 1971 piano recordings at the end of Fingerpainting. In 1973, Thompson began working with Greek composer Manos Hatzidakis on an album that was later cancelled. He later worked as a studio assistant for Robert Rauschenberg, whom he met by chance in Paris. They collaborated on an unfinished film titled Mostly About Rauschenberg (1975), produced by Reiner Moritz. Thompson also worked with Rauschenberg in Greece and Israel, alongside Christine Kozlov. In 1974, Thompson and Art & Language began recording the album Corrected Slogans (1976) in England. The album featured drummer Jesse Chamberlain, who later joined Arthur Russell's band the Necessaries and who was the son of sculptor John Chamberlain and Lorraine Belcher Chamberlain, Frank Zappa's former girlfriend. In 1976, the New York branch of Art & Language recorded video performances entitled "Struggle in New York" and "Nine Gross and Conspicuous Errors", which featured Thompson and Jesse Chamberlain. The former featured filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, who at the time was a member of the New York underground scene. After the release of Corrected Slogans, Thompson fell out with Art & Language and remained in England. He was interviewed by Pete Frame, who was working as the press agent for Stiff Records, and he met with Virgin Records' Simon Draper, who expressed interest in issuing a one-off single. He also met Andrew Lauder who'd later form Radar Records and reissue the Red Crayola's original material, with Thompson releasing new Red Crayola singles under Radar. Thompson also became involved with Geoff Travis's distribution business at Rough Trade