Ali Thomson

Ali Thomson climbed the charts in the early '80s with the title track to his melodic set, Take a Little Rhythm. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, young Thomson stayed home and struggled with his multiplication tables while big bro Doug played bass in the British beat sect the Alan Brown Set. Doug and John Helliwell left this unit for Supertramp, and Ali began to see the benefits of an occupation in rock. Ali started singing and playing piano with regional bands. In the mid-'70s, he moved to London and landed a songwriting gig at Mountain Records. Doug set up an audition for Ali at A&M, so Ali took a jumbo cross the water and relocated in California. "Take a Little Rhythm" was criticized for cloning Paul McCartney, but reached the Top 20. The excellent follow-up "Live Every Minute" narrowly missed the Top 40. Ali helped Gary Wright return to the radio with the affecting "Really Wanna Know You" in 1981, but the younger Thomson is now a one-hit wonder casualty.