Another major source of inspiration for Thompson was the Count Basie horn section. I like what they can do. When I play, I try to visualize a trumpet section. Indeed, Thompson improvises complex chordal solos with the ease of water pouring out of a jar, and he packs the power of a big band in full swing. Having worked with Thompson over a three-year period, I can't recall him ever playing a note he didn't mean.
Every phrase is right where it belongs, with nothing left to waste.
In the early days, his inability to read music kept him out of the studio scene. It got played for about two weeks, then they banned it because they thought the lyrics were too dirty. Then they gave it to Milt Gabler at Decca, he wrote a new verse and changed a couple of lines around, and they gave it to Bill Haley. When the movie Blackboard Jungle came out, they pushed that one instead. Recently, Thompson and his wife of 50 years, Bette, went to see the remnants of Bill Haley's Comets play at a retirement community.