Lee Thompson

Lee Jay Thompson (born 5 October 1957), nicknamed Kix or El Thommo, is an English multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning 5 decades, Thompson came to prominence in the late 1970s as a founder of, and saxophonist with, the English ska band Madness.

Early years Lee Thompson was born in St Pancras, London. His parents met in Great Yarmouth in post-World War II 1940s, where his mother had moved to so she could work as a waitress. They got married "around the time of the Queen’s coronation, and then they had me a few years later."

Prior to forming Madness, Thompson and future Madness keyboardist Mike Barson gained some notoriety as graffiti artists in the mid-1970s. After reading about the emerging New York graffiti scene, they spray-painted their nicknames ("Kix" and "Mr B") along with two friends' names "Cat" and "Columbo" around North London. They managed to spray their nicknames on George Melly's garage door, prompting Melly to write a newspaper article declaring: "If I ever catch that Mr B, Kix and Columbo, I'm going to kick their arses". Thompson chose the name "Kix" from the Adrenaline kicks he would get graffitiing. He wrote the group's debut single, "The Prince". Among the other songs, he wrote or co-wrote the singles "Embarrassment", "House of Fun", and "Uncle Sam". His experiences of being a petty criminal and serving time in borstal in his youth, inspired his lyrics for "Land of Hope and Glory" and "One's Second Thoughtlessness", the latter an unusual diversion into synth-pop for the group. Thompson performed lead vocals on both tracks. He also sang the vocals on his own composition, "Razor Blade Alley", which was a regular inclusion in early Madness shows. "Embarrassment" was written when he heard that his teenager sister, Tracy, was pregnant with a black man's child.

After Madness disbanded in 1986, Thompson formed a new band The Madness with Foreman, Suggs and Chas Smash, but they broke up after releasing one album in 1988.

Thompson reunited with all seven original Madness members in 1992. Thompson was featured floating while playing a red, white, and blue-colored saxophone while the band performing at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics, a direct reference to the bands music video for "Baggy Trousers", where he is seen floating in the air during parts of the song.

The Nutty Boys/Crunch! Thompson then joined forces with Foreman, and the pair began to write songs. They soon recorded an album at Liquidator Studios with Thompson on vocals and saxophone and Foreman playing the other instruments. This album, Crunch!, included the song "Magic Carpet", which was co-written with Suggs and originally intended to be included on the follow up album to The Madness. They then formed a band called "The Nutty Boys" for further live appearances in the early 1990s and since then. In 1996, Foreman formally changed their band name to Crunch!, and Foreman and Thompson started their own label, Magic Carpet Records, with all further releases and gigs being under the name and label.

During this time, Thompson often spent the early hours flyposting in the East End of London with Mark Sexbery, a part-time keyboard player of The Nutty Boys. This nearly got him in trouble with the local authorities, but Thompson stopped once the Madstock concerts in 1992 beckoned. Thompson also regularly visited fellow ex-Madness member Mike Barson in Amsterdam during this time, where they started writing songs during the band's interim period and throughout the rest of the 1990s, most of which ended up on subsequent Madness albums, such as "Lovestruck" and "Drip Fed Fred".

The Dance Brigade Thompson founded The Dance Brigade with Keith Finch in 2007, and they were joined by Jennie Matthias of The Belle Stars. The other musicians came from projects that they had all been involved in. He also fronted and played saxophone with a covers band called The Camden Cowboys.

The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra

In 2011, Thompson began performing with The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra, with a lineup that included Madness bandmate Mark Bedford. They released their debut album, The Benevolence of Sister Mary Ignatius, in 2013. They released the single "Fu Man Chu" featuring Bitty McLean from this album and, in February 2014, released the follow-up single "Bangarang" featuring Dawn Penn and Sharon Shannon.

Personal life In 1984, Thompson married Debbie (née Fordham). They have three children. Thompson is 5'6 tall.

Discography Madness

The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra

The Benevolence of Sister Mary Ignatius (2013) Bite the Bullet (2016)