Name: Tony Thompson
Birthplace: Rusholme, Manchester
Father: Jamaican
Mother: British
Brothers 1 - Steven, 2 sisters - Julie, Tracy
Status: Married to the beautiful Anne Marie, 3 lovely children maisie/lilymay/xavierblu

Spent the early part of my lifegrowing up in Rusholme - as a young boy watching Man City and always tapping an object. Went to Heald Place Nursery for a couple of years, then when I was about 4-5 we all moved to Baguley, Wythenshawe.

It was about this time I took a real interest in drumming. From an early age I can remember always wanting a drum kit, then one christmas my mum and dad bought me a small kit.

I was delighted, playing all day when ever I could. I soon got into the school band, it was great, I loved it so much just being able to play but not really understanding what I was doing, just having fun. It wasn't until a few years later when I moved to Newall Green High School that I really got into playing.

1970

I was 9 going into 10, there was a lot of music about and it was a great feeling. I could listen to Reggae, Punk, Soul, R&B, it was a mish mash of music. Soon I made friends with some other lads in school and we always talked about music.

By this time I needed to get another kit, I was desperate to get another kit! My parents said that if they were to put half to it, I would have to get a part-time job and pay the rest. So I did, I got a job with a milkman called Ian (I still remember his name).

I had to get up at 5.00am and walk to the top of the lane where he would pick me up and go to work delivering milk. With this my parents went to Mamelok Music Shop on Deansgate and bought my drums. I was so grateful that they had done this, I worked so hard every day before school 3hrs - come rain or snow, it didn't matter because I was paying towards my new drum kit. The kit itself was made by Maxwin. It was a five piece black 10 12 14 20 with a 5 x 14 snare and 3 crashers and a paste ride cymbol if I remember. So I had my first real kit and it was fantastic.

I set it up in the dining room and every spare minute I had I would be practising with a blanket over the top of them to reduce the sound. Always listening to music I would copy the beats on my kit it was a great way to learn how to play. All the way through the 70s there was this great variety of music and I listened to it all absorbing information like a sponge.

In 1978 I went out and bought my first record. Strangely enough it was by Elvis Costello and the attractions. The single was called 'Pump it up', I loved that 4/4 beat and couldn't stop playing it.

By this time I was just leaving school, it wouldn't be long before I joined my first band.

It was around this time that a friend asked me if I was interested in joining a band, the band was called 52nd Street and it was the beginning of a great journey that would take a local lad from Wytheshawe all around the UK, playing on TV, Radio and also travel to the USA and tour the East Coast.

Well here I am, it's 1979-80, I am 19 years old and just about to sign to Factory Records in Manchester with 52nd Street. We were all very excited. We played a showcase gig in Manchester and Rob Gretton came down and we signed right after the gig. It's 1980 and Soul and R&B have hit the charts, Earth Wind and Fire, Heat Wave and Soul to Soul were all the bands getting played at this time. We had spent sometime rehearsing in Salford and recording in Cheadle Hulme (Studio Revolution). It wasn't until after this that we released our first single called 'Look into my Eyes/Express' on Factory and it wasn't long after this that it was getting played on the radio, and soon after this we made our first TV appearance on Granada Reports.