The Ballads of Richard Thompson

NPR | By John Ydstie

Published August 20, 2005 at 12:00 AM EDT

The world British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson creates is so vivid it feels as if you're in the company of the characters he chronicles: bikers, schoolyard bullies, dreamers, lovers and losers.

For nearly four decades, Thompson has performed and recorded a wide variety of music, from traditional folk songs to rock-and roll.

His latest effort is Front Parlour Ballads, a mostly acoustic work recorded in a small studio in his garage.

John Ydstie

John Ydstie has covered the economy, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve at NPR for nearly three decades. Over the years, NPR has also employed Ydstie's reporting skills to cover major stories like the aftermath of Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He was a lead reporter in NPR's coverage of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession, as well as the network's coverage of President Trump's economic policies. Ydstie has also been a guest host on the NPR news programs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Ydstie stepped back from full-time reporting in late 2018, but plans to continue to contribute to NPR through part-time assignments and work on special projects.