Getty Shawna Thompson, Keifer Thompson of musical duo Thompson Square and son attend the 2018 CMT Music Awards.
Shawna and Keifer Thompson are the husband and wife duo behind Thompson Square. The pair has released three albums together and have hit the top ten of the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts on ten separate occasions. The couple has a three-year-old son together, Cooper. The couple’s latest single, “Masterpiece,” is about their son, Cooper.
Keifer is quoted as saying of the couple’s latest album, “This album is called Masterpiece, and the definition of a masterpiece is an artist’s life’s work. When we’re 80 years old and we look back, we want to be able to say we’re really proud of all the stuff we did.” Keifer was previously quoted as saying that, “Writing a song isn’t hard when you know what you want to write about. The biggest songs we have ever had were written very fast.”
Keifer spoke about the couple’s musical style in a 2017 interview with the Virginian-Pilot saying his wife’s voice “is much more traditional country-sounding than mine.” He added that its Shawna who edits the songwriting and he is “more of rock-pop guy and she’s more of a pop-country girl.” Keifer described the mix as maing Thompson Square’s music “kinda different than everybody else.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. In Addition to His Singing, Keifer Has Also Delved Into Stand-Up Comedy
Keifer has dipped his toe into the world of stand-up comedy in 2019. In April, he played a standup show at Zanies in Nashville to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank.
In addition to his music and his comedy, Keifer also wrote a children’s book, “Time to Get Dressed,” based on his experiences with his son. Keifer told People Magazine about the inspiration saying, “I was getting Cooper’s socks on one morning and made a little song about it.” Keifer said that he wrote the book completely from his heart.
During a separate interview with AXS, Keifer said of the inspiration, “I started putting his socks on and just started singing, “Socks, socks, one by one… Puttin’ on socks can be so fun.” Shawna was there at the time and asked me if that was something my mom used to sing to me as a kid. I told her it was something I had just made up and she told me I really needed to finish it.” In 2016, the couple also published a novel for young adults titled, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?”
2. The Couple Met in 1996 in a Singing Competition in Nashville, While Keifer Was Dating Someone Else
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Keifer and Shawna Thompson met each other during a singing competition in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1996. Keifer explained the meeting in a 2017 interview with the Virginian-Pilot saying, “I walked in and saw her and started talking to her; we played pool. I heard her sing and was blown away and asked for her number that night. It was definitely personal before it was business.”
On the couple’s official website, Keifer said that he was dating someone else at the time he met Shawna. Keifer, while discussing one of the couple’s songs, “Let’s Do Something Stupid,” said, “I was actually going out with someone else when I met her, but I was running away from that. I knew instantaneously that this is what I’d been running to, and instead of playing it safe, we jumped in.”
3. Their Son’s Real First Name Is Rigney
Shawna Thompson performs at the GLAAD + TY HERNDON’s 2018 Concert for Love & Acceptance at Wildhorse Saloon on June 7, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Thompson Square welcomed their first child in January 2016. Despite referring to him as Cooper publicly, the three-year-old’s real first name is Rigney. In a statement at the time, the family said, “We’re so excited to be able to share this monumental day with all of you. We’ve had many wonderful things happen to us but this absolutely tops them all. We want to thank you all for being there for us and our music and for all of your support during our pregnancy. We can’t wait to see you out on the road this year but until then… Please say hello and welcome to this big ol world, Rigney Cooper Thompson aka #coopert #cooperman #coopdeville #coopdog #sircoopsalot.”
38 weeks and two days as of today! Little Cooper will be here before we know it! #crazy #readybutnotready
Keifer said of being a father in March 2019 in an interview with People Magazine, “It’s actually the most fun I have ever had.” The couple announced that they were pregnant in a typicallyy humorous way, drinking out of Coke cans labelled “Dad” and “Mom” in a social media post in August 2015. In September, Thompson Square revealted that they were expecting a boy.
4. Earlier in 2019, the Couple Canceled a number of Concerts Following the Tragic Death of Keifer’s Mother, Carroll Thompson
In February 2019, the couple had to cancel a series of concerts following the tragic death of Keifer’s mother, Carroll Thompson, in Miami, Oklahoma. A rep for the family had confirmed the news to People Magazine.
5. The Couple Is Celebrating 20 Years of Marriage This Year
According to the couple’s official website, they were married in May 1999 and are celebrating 20 years of marriage this year. To celebrate, Keifer told AXS the couple planned to perform 80 to 90 times during the year.
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