Oliver Thompson is a Michigan-based songwriter, composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist associated with alternative rock, rock and folk rock. He plays piano, bass, drums and, most prominently, guitar.

He grows up in a small Midwestern town and begins playing music at 13, when he buys an electric guitar and teaches himself to play. He starts writing original songs straight away and continues into his twenties, later studying music formally and earning a BA in Music Composition.

Thompson writes and records rock music throughout college and fronts the band The People, where he applies his classical training and compositional approach to a rock setting. He is described as highly prolific and, since 2003, has independently released four full-length albums: one solo record and three with The People. He also records more than four additional albums of unreleased music.

His solo and band releases include Make a Sound, Where Do I Begin and Oliver Thompson, which are available through iTunes and CD Baby. His songwriting draws comparisons with Elliott Smith, Ryan Adams and Jack White, while his guitar playing is likened to Prince, Trey Anastasio and Frank Zappa.

Thompson describes his work as melodic pop/rock written with careful attention to composition but performed with punk-like energy. He aims to handle most parts himself in his solo work, recording everything except drums, and his lyrics cover love, loss, politics, activism, spirituality and broader human experience.