Behind every unforgettable Longworth-Anderson Series (LAS) evening at Memorial Hall, there are people whose passion for music makes it all possible—and Bill Thompson is certainly one of them. A Cincinnati Memorial Hall Society Advisory Board member, LAS Advisory Committee member, and concert sponsor, Bill has been part of our story for several years. Whether he’s championing artists, hosting Blue Snakes & Banjos on WAIF, or conducting thoughtful interviews with musicians who take our stage, Bill brings a deep love of music—and a genuine curiosity—to everything he does.
We’re excited to provide a glimpse into the musical influences, memories, and moments that have shaped his connection to LAS and Memorial Hall.
What has been most meaningful to you about watching LAS grow over the years?
The return of people who could fill a much larger space: Rhiannon Giddens, Marty Stuart, and Mavis Staples. Rhiannon came here last year from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, where she had sold out the 2,362-seat room (for comparison, the Taft Theatre holds 2,261). The series and the venue have built a reputation among artists who aren’t interested in squeezing every dollar from the audience.
What do you love most about Memorial Hall, both as a historic building and as a place for live music?
I appreciate the building as an architectural gem. However, if it didn’t have the Annie W. and Elizabeth M. Anderson Theater, I would have visited it once after the renovation was complete. I return again and again for the music. The intimate theater is the best listening room in the Tri-State.
What’s the first concert you ever attended?
I’m an old man, but I have been going to concerts since I was in junior high school in Piqua, OH. I can’t swear that this was the first show I saw, but my dad drove me to Hara Arena in Dayton to see the Rolling Stones. Here’s the AI description: “The band played a notoriously poorly attended concert on November 13, 1964, during their second U.S. tour. Only 300 to 650 fans attended the 6,000-seat venue, resulting in a short, roughly 20-minute set. The show was criticized by locals and considered a commercial flop.” I was not one of the locals who criticized the event; I was mesmerized. It might have only been 20 minutes, but it seemed like hours to me. I was already music mad, but this convinced me I was onto something special.
What’s a song that instantly takes you back to childhood?
There are many because AM radio was filled with great music in the mid-1960s—Motown, British Invasion, the Beach Boys, one-hit wonders, etc.—but when I hear “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones, I head straight to the Rec, a teen club in Troy, about 8 miles south of Piqua. They had after-school events and dances on weekend evenings, so whenever I could catch a ride with a friend’s older sibling, I was there. In retrospect, as much as I liked looking at the local girls, it’s the music that I remember most.
What are you listening to right now?
I co-host Blue Snakes & Banjos on WAIF-FM 88.3 with Bob Hust (also a Founder of LAS). We have been on the air since 2014. I spend my time trying to keep up with new music from artists I like and searching for new artists that sound intriguing. I subscribe to multiple newsletters for tips about people I should give a listen to. It would be silly to say who I’m listening to now, but I’ll tell you who I have seen and who I have tickets for this year: Amythyst Kiah; Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill of the Continental Drifters; Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit; Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens; the Montvales; Madison Cunningham; Bob Dylan; St. Paul & the Broken Bones; Shawn Mullins; Paul Thorn and Scott Miller; Bruce Springsteen; the local honeys; Paul Simon; Daniel Donato and Marty Stuart; Drivin N Cryin; Wilco; Graham Nash; Watchhouse; Yacht Rock Revue; and Duane Betts. I have my eye on some others as well.
If your life had a soundtrack, what’s one song that would have to be on it?
“Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones. The Let It Bleed album came out in the fall of 1969, two months into my freshman year of college, which was the most formative time in my life.
How has music impacted your life?
I was watching the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, when the Beatles played for the first time. After it was finished, I went into the bathroom and combed what little bit of hair I had into bangs for school on Monday. When I arrived, I wasn’t the only boy in the seventh grade who did the same thing that day. My friends and I had always enjoyed music, but after that, it became all-encompassing. My only regret is that I didn’t have the discipline to learn to play an instrument. But I could not have chosen a more rewarding obsession.
