![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan7.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/morse2.jpg)
Erik Thomsen RIP
Erik Thomsen was a legendary Danish promoter who over his 40 years in the music business became close friends to lots of bands, including Deep Purple and Rainbow. There are lots of funny stories from ET’s meetings with both bands, many involving Ritchie Blackmore and his unusual sense of humour.
Erik passed away on May 20, 2006. Beside his family, he is missed by the entire music industry. Read more about Eric (and one of those Blackmore pranks) in this nice tribute.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Here is a story to tell…
I became friends with Erik in the late 1980’s when he was promoting a band called Pretty Maids. He brought them to record an album in NYC with the help of David Foster and another agent from International Talent Group.
Bottom line, Erik invited me to hang out on a Saturday and travelled from the city to Connecticut to meet with Deep Purple’s US promoter. We ended going to a restaurant in Westport to join another person. While we all had a great conversation about music, memories, and dinner, a woman approached the table to say “hi” to one of the guys. Then she turned to me and asked me “And how do you fit in this table?” Erik right away told the woman to bug off and to leave us alone. Not only that, he said that she had no business disrespecting me.
Erik was funny and enjoyed moments with Rainbow and Deep Purple, but he was foremost, a gentleman. Unfortunately I lost contact when I moved to Miami, and later Puerto Rico. I never forgot the day he told me about he hanging from the stage naked, and how he wanted to continue promoting other bands. I had a feeling he was no longer with us since I haven’t seen a profile of his on Facebook. I still preserve the Pretty Maids CD, and to see my name (mispelled) on the notes thanking me for being a huge support for the band means a lot to me. Wherever you are Erik, we miss you after all these years. Godspeed!
August 14th, 2024 at 01:49