Singer/Songwriter~
HEATHER WALKER THOMPSON BIOGRAPHY
Down the street a spell, there’s a girl who can climb a tree better than her brother, run faster than the neighborhood kids, and certainly yell louder than anyone else in town. This same girl can also still charm her brothers’ best friend after punching him in the arm, and bat her eyes “just so†when her old man comes to scold her for cussing in the playground and pulling her sister’s pigtails. She’s the girl from around the corner; definitely not the girl next door. She’s evolved from the kid catching frogs at the creek in to the young woman who gets the attention of all the guys at the party because she can hang better than their girlfriends. While you may have not met her yet, chances are you’ll meet Heather Walker Thompson sooner or later. And it will be memorable.
Heather Walker Thompson’s small frame and long blonde hair might cause you to let your guard down, but her mischievous grin should say it all; she’s here for a good time and even if it means blowing your curfew, she’s counting on you being in for the ride. Her quick wit and sense of humor is amplified by her pure enjoyment of this life. Heather knows she has a voice, too. And she is more than willing to use it.
This punkish, spirited tomboy, now grown in to quite a looker, sings an authentic soulful, soul-food version of country that is informed and inspired by decades of pop, rock, and rhythm and blues. “When I was first growing up in South Carolina, ‘country’ to me felt more like the way people lived, not a kind of music. Music was music, and we listened to all of it. My dad played bass in a Motown revue band called ‘the Fantasys,’ so there was always soul and r&b around the house. And, of course, as kids, we listened to plenty of pop and rock on the radio. I loved it all and sang along with the radio to Martina McBride and Muddy Waters. By age 8, my grandfather, a Juilliard graduate, was giving me lessons on the piano. All those times with him... they meant so much to me, not only my career now, but my whole upbringing.â€
Now back in familiar territory, Heather has returned to a style of living that she has been without for so many years. Taking residence in Nashville, she has united with songwriting partner Del Gray (Little Texas,), Zack Turner ("Trying TO Find Atlantis, Jamie Oneal among many others), and many others to co-write and record for her upcoming releases. The warm weather and slower pace have been suiting her just fine, and Music City has been rich ground to plant songs in.
Heather originally grew up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, a small town of a few thousand people, 20 miles, and a few worlds away from Charleston, the nearest city. The small town is framed in by the southern side of Lake Moultrie and the canal that connects to the Black River. It was here that Heather and her brother and sister played as children. The idea of being a tomboy (or what that word even meant) never dawned on Heather. She was perfectly content getting dirty in the backyard, and became skilled at charming her way out of getting grounded for messing up her new clothes. Home was small and simple and yet managed to be everything to Heather as a child. So, when the announcement came that the family was moving up north to Maine, it seemed like things were falling apart. “I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know much outside of Moncks Corner. All I knew is that it would be cold!â€
Well, she was right on that count. Maine’s winters are not only brutally frigid, but the locals can sometimes be as hard to crack as the ice on the lake in January. For a young girl used to a warmer greeting and a slower drawl, it goes without saying that it would be long time before she would feel like it was home. Heather soon discovered a small miracle that has been shared for generations and defies culture or class... singing her favorite songs, whether it be the Judds or Janis Joplin, makes those blues and that homesickness retreat back out in to the cold.
She took this love to another level at age 13, when (with the help of her voice teacher) she had her first live on-stage experience. Shortly after this monumental event, Heather was getting work singing jingles for radio ads. Throughout her teen years, she found her way on to stages all around her close locale of Coastal Maine and New Hampshire. In the years to follow, her shows have put her square in the spotlight at several concert events opening for acts such as Lee Greenwood, Jeff Bates, Jamie O’Neal, Mark Willis, Little Texas, and Heartland. She has enjoyed headlining opportunities at fairs and festivals all over New England, including a residency at Mohegan Sun Casino, a gold standard for entertainment in the Northeast.
Heather now shares her time between her life in Nashville, and her audiences up North. Taking periodic breaks from her writing and recording projects, she’ll be returning on a regular basis to her adopted home of Northern New England, performing for the scores of friends and fans she’s earned through her years of hard work. Believe it: Heather Walker Thompson’s boisterousness, mellowed with delicious soul and finished with a wink, will certainly leave you wondering what it was you just encountered.
Written by Todd Richard
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