Manfred Mann’s Earth Band Singer Chris Thompson Releases New Single “Blood On His Hands” – A Seething Message About The Current US Administration
Best known as the lead vocalist for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and their major hit “Blinded By The Light,” legendary singer Chris Thompson has penned a seething new message about the current US administration with his single “Blood On His Hands.”
Says Chris, “I think the meaning is pretty clear. The leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world cannot tell the truth and seems unable to stand up to or carry out his responsibilities, resulting in a tremendous amount of hardship and a lot of needless deaths. He had his chance and has come up short so often and everything is falling around his ears.”
A phone call from Chris’s uncle set the recording of the new song in motion. Says Chris, “I keep Quicktime files of all the little ideas that pop into my head while I’m practicing or playing around on my guitar. During a call with my 88 year old uncle in New Zealand, we talked about the current situation regarding Covid in his country and mine, eventually getting on to the developing situation in America and how it was being dealt with. He was appalled by the President and remarked, ‘that man’s got Blood on his hands.’ As I was listening back to some of my latest Quick time files, I found a perfect musical accompaniment to that lyric idea, which became the chorus for our song. My wife and I worked on the lyric together, took a little while to get it expressing how we felt.”
Recording it because of the lockdown situation was difficult so Chris first put down a rough drum track and started recording the guitars. He farmed the bass part out to an old band mate from New Zealand, Sid Limbert, drums were done in Norway by Steinar Krokstad. Keyboards were done in Belgium by the 3rd writer of the music Pieter Akkermans. Background vocals and lap steel were done in California by Jesse Siebenberg and other vocals in Spain by Hille Belemans and in England by Lance Ellington. Chris’s vocals were done at home. Although complicated, he was really happy how it turned out. The track was mixed in Belgium where Chris resides with his wife and two daughters.
Watch the video here:https://youtu.be/8ShRZ5V-iBI
Chris Thompson’s vocals made a permanent mark on the landscape of modern rock with the release of “Blinded by the Light” with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in 1976, a No. 1 hit throughout the world then and still on worldwide constant radio rotation today. He enjoyed continued success with The Earth Band with 5 more top ten singles in England and Europe.
Well known for his high-energy vocal powers and moving ballads, his talents have been used by the likes of Jeff Wayne, Queen, Elton John, Tina Turner, Alan Parsons, Jan Hammer and Sarah Brightman. Chris recorded and toured with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band from 1974 to 1999 and has recorded 7 solo albums, including 2 albums with his band Night, with one top 5 singles in the USA, “If You Remember Me” and one top 20 single “Hot Summer Night.” In 1984 Chris worked with Doobie Brother, Patrick Simmons on his solo album “Arcade.”
Chris was involved in The Freddie Mercury Tribute concert as vocal support to all the artists throughout rehearsal and the event (artists included David Bowie, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Lisa Minnelli and many others) and at the Mandela Concert in Cape Town in 2003, where he sang “The Show Must Go On” with Queen.
Chris has written songs for or with The Doobie Brothers, Roger Daltry, Ray Charles, Rita Coolidge, Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons, Bonnie Tyler, Isaac Hayes, Jan Hammer, Jennifer Rush, Heart, John Farnham, Peter Maffey, Harold Faltermeyer, David Foster, Elkie Brooks, Jane Wiedlin and Starship.
Vocals on record with Tina Turner, Elton John, Roger Daltry, Brian May, Ozzie Ozbourne, Queen, Britney Spears, Def Leppard, The London Symphony Orchestra, Sarah Brightman, Toto, Mike Oldfield, Alan Parsons, Jeff Wayne’s “The War of the Worlds” and Mavis Staples.
In 2020 Chris wrote and sang the end title song for “After Arabia” a new film about Laurence, which won best song at the Los Vegas film festival in July. He continues to work on his Musical called ‘DO IT FOR LOVE’ based on his original story, with all original new music, which will have it’s premiere when theaters return to normal!
Chris Thompson’s “Blood On His Hands” single will be released digitally on October 5th.
To purchase:http://smarturl.it/bloodonhishandsct
