Barbara Gracey Thompson MBE was an English jazz saxophonist.
She was born on July 27, 1944, in Oxford, United Kingdom.
Her father David Richard Thompson was the Registrar of the Court of Criminal Appeal, and her grandfather William Thompson was an accomplished pianist.
From the age of 13 to 17, Barbara played in the London Schools Symphony Orchestra.
She studied saxophone and classical composition at the Royal College of Music, but the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane made her shift her interests to jazz and saxophone.
Thompson has written several classical compositions, music for film and television, a musical of her own and songs for the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia and her big band Moving Parts.
In 1978, Barbara was signed by MCA and recorded 5 albums at Morgan Studios, London. That same year, she met and worked with Andrew Lloyd-Webber for the first time.
Thompson and Lloyd-Webber’s musical relationship lasted for many years, recording and playing live on a variety of Andrew’s works including Variations, Requiem, Cricket, Cats, Starlite Express & Tell Me On A Sunday.
Barbara Thompson was awarded the MBE in 1996 for services to music.
Due to Parkinson’s disease, which was diagnosed in 1997, she retired as an active saxophonist in 2001 with a farewell tour.
Following a period of working as a composer exclusively, she returned to the stage in 2003.
Thompson played the incidental music in the ITV police series A Touch of Frost starring David Jason. She also played flute on Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.
She was married to Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman from 1967 until he died in 2018.
Barbara Thompson died on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at age 77 after 25 years of battling Parkinson’s disease and complications with her heart.
She is survived by her son, Marcus Hiseman, daughter, Ana Gracey Hiseman and 4 grandchildren.