Tony Thompson

There are two artists with this name, a drummer and a soul/r&b singer.

1) Tony Thompson (November 15, 1954 – November 12, 2003) was a session drummer of Trinidadian and Antiguan descent with a long list of studio credits. He is best known for his work with Chic.

He first drummed for the 1970s group Labelle, and then for a short while was a member, with Raymond Jones, of the soul/disco band Ecstasy Passion & Pain. This was followed by a long tenure with the legendary R&B/dance/disco band Chic, where he helped create hits such as "Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)," "Le Freak," and "Good Times". He also performed with members of Chic on "We Are Family" and "He's The Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge and "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross.

Following the temporary disbanding of Chic in 1983, Chic's former guitarist and bassist, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards became prolific producers, and Thompson's drumming was much in demand among their clients. Thompson appeared with numerous artists such as Jody Watley, Madonna (on her 1984 album Like A Virgin), Rod Stewart, Robert Palmer, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie (on his 1983 Let's Dance album and subsequent Serious Moonlight tour).

Thompson was also a full-fledged member of the band The Power Station (along with Robert Palmer and John Taylor and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran). His distinctive heavy drum sound can be heard on their self-titled 1985 debut album, produced by Chic's Bernard Edwards, and its hit singles "Some Like It Hot" and the remake of the T. Rex song "Get It On (Bang A Gong)".

The enormous Live Aid charity benefit concert in 1985 saw Thompson playing with The Power Station as well as joining the remaining members of Led Zeppelin on stage (along with Phil Collins) at John F. Kennedy Stadium. During a reunion attempt in 1986, Led Zeppelin again asked Thompson to join them as a replacement for John Bonham; the reunion stalled in part because Thompson was in a serious car accident that year and was unable to continue participating.

Thompson would go on to join groups such as The Distance, and Crown of Thorns with Jean Beauvoir, and played on their first album Crown Of Thorns, then left the band and was replaced by Hawk Lopez. In the mid 1990s he rejoined The Power Station for their 1996 reunion album Living In Fear and the subsequent tour.

Thompson died within a month of being diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) in November 2003, just two months after bandmate Palmer's death from a heart attack. Thompson was a member of the band Non-toxic at the time of his death.

On September 19, 2005 Tony and the rest of the Chic band members were inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame.

2) Tony Ulysses Thompson (September 2, 1975 – June 1, 2007) was an American R&B/soul singer and the lead vocalist of the R&B group Hi-Five. Thompson, who was raised in Oklahoma City, started singing solos in the local church choir at the age of eight. He was noticed by the manager and promoter Robert Ford, and made a cut of a demo with Roderick Clark, Russell Neal, Marcus Sanders, and Toriano Easley, acquaintances from his days in Waco. Hi-Five signed with Jive Records in 1990. The quintet's self-titled debut album went multi-platinum and created several hits, including "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)," "I Can't Wait Another Minute," and "Just Another Girlfriend".

In 1992, the group released Keep It Goin On, with "She's Playing Hard to Get" and "Quality Time". Faithful appeared the following year. Thompson's solo debut, Sexsational, was released on Giant Records in 1995.

Thompson formed his own record label, N'Depth, and re-incarnated Hi-Five with four new members, one of whom was his younger brother. The group's new album, The Return, was released in 2006.

He died from a freon overdose a.k.a "huffing" (as it has been confirmed through autopsy results) on June 1, 2007 at age 31 in his hometown of Waco. Thompson had recently moved back to Waco from Dallas, Texas and was working on new material for a solo album at the time of his death.