Born at the dawn of the civil rights era with a plastic spoon in his mouth, guitarist Ed Thompson's ascent to musical notoriety began in the most ordinary of circumstances.

After meeting Yankee great Elston Howard, this lower middle class "brotha' from another planet" found himself playing little league baseball with members of the Isley Brothers' family. But instead of a future in sports, Ed caught the music bug, and the rest is history.

Soon he was on his way, practicing non stop even without lessons at first- and playing wherever he could. But once he learned to read music, he started to get calls to do jingles -at the ripe old age of 18.

College life beckoned, and with his charming good looks, quick wit and an enormous afro, Ed couldn't get a date with a woman in prison on death row with a presidential pardon in his back pocket. But mostly college was where Ed brushed up against greatness, meeting Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Hank Jones and Dizzy Gillespie, playing with Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and Roland Hanna, and sharing a bathroom break with Sammy Hagar.

After college he spent a few years gigging constantly, close to home and on the road with acts like the Motown Revue and others. Work was plentiful, but the cash was pitiful, and Ed decided to sell his soul and return to school for a degree in music education. It wasn't long before Ed began his descent into the life of a schoolteacher.

Condemned to teach, he found himself in schools filled with adorable young charges, impressionable and easily inspired to sing by Ed's magical ways with a piano, a baton, and a melody - that's if they weren't getting into trouble.

All the while, Ed keeps his connections to the music business intact, touring with people like Gerald Alston of the Manhattans and most recently Michael Amante, appearing in venues across much of the east coast and midwest in the process. One of the best things about the dynamic tenor's show is his versatile backup band, and Ed is at the front providing a wide array of guitar styles from the past to the present, whether it's delicate acoustic accompaniment, swinging jazz rhythm or smoking pop/rock lead work.

He is surely New Jersey's "hardest working man in show business". Whether it's with a blues band in a local bar or on stage at a regional theater, versatile Ed Thompson's motto must be "any gig, any time". Students of voice and guitar sing his praises, and up and coming performers swear by his abilities to whip them into performing shape. He can put together a band in an instant or sub in the pit band of a theater show at a moment's notice. And if you need a demo, Ed will rehearse and record you, supplying your demo with tasty guitar work and a great arrangement.

To take the edge off a rough day, Ed likes a good glass of wine at the end of every class-uh...the day. A fine meal goes great while mastering the latest version of Pro Tools, and of course great music coming from a pile of CDs or an endless stream of iTunes downloads coming from an assortment of Macs both desktop and portable.

Dependable, versatile, and still damn good looking, Ed shows no sign of stopping. Look for him the next time you're at a show-he just might be in the band...

a brief, more practical bio will be available for download soon...