My life forever changed on a summer day in 1969. I walked into a record store and heard a song called “Genesis Hall” by Fairport Convention. Everything came together on that recording, but it was the guitar playing that opened up synapses in my brain that I didn’t know I had. The guitar player was Richard Thompson, and in the intervening half-century I have made it a point to acquire and listen to every note he has recorded. Thompson’s memoir, BEESWING: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975, is a welcome revelation for both fanatics and casual fans.

"BEESWING is not music, but it sings, telling the story of one of our greatest contemporary guitarists in a voice as unique as his playing and composing."

Thompson exists in that musical limbo between obscurity and superstardom. His music is unusual, informed by such seemingly disparate elements as jazz, early English music and American Cajun waltzes, among other genres, and is not necessarily accessible to fans of mainstream pop. BEESWING aims at those familiar with Thompson who likely know a great deal of the book’s contents. The draw here is that his unique voice comes shining through as he discusses his childhood influences that took seed and bloomed in the mid-1960s, when the British music scene exploded.

Though not shy, Thompson is generally not given to self-promotion. His concerts often have the same feel that one would get if an unbelievably talented musician started playing guitar at a party, bringing the proceedings to a startled, hypnotized and enthralled standstill. So it is a unique experience to read his version of how Fairport Convention came together while he was still in his teens, its vision, and how the project almost died when a motor vehicle accident seriously injured several members of the band, killing his girlfriend and drummer Martin Lamble.

They carried on because they didn’t know what else to do. Thompson details his eventual departure from the band, his solo work, his albums with his (now ex-) wife Linda Thompson, and his session appearances. His distinctive sound has graced projects from Nick Drake and Beausoleil to The Golden Palominos (where he appears with Michael Stipe from REM) to his own work. The book’s subtitle is a bit erroneous, as Thompson does stray past the self-imposed 1975 limitation to talk about what has occurred since then, focusing more on the music than his personal history.

Thompson continues to record and perform well into his seventh decade. Some of his best music can be found on his most recent release, 13 Rivers, a heady accomplishment for anyone in the arts. BEESWING is not music, but it sings, telling the story of one of our greatest contemporary guitarists in a voice as unique as his playing and composing. It is worth reading, even if you have never heard a note he has played (though you probably have at some point).