He got his first drum kit in 1968 and rapidly gained a local attention as a fine young drummer in a town that produced notables such as Gary Brooker, Robin Trower, Mickey Jupp, and Procol Harum.
It was at that time that he met Rod T. "Rook" Davies, guitarist and alumni of David Bowie's The Riot Squad, who would later bring Pete in as the drummer for Silverhead.
Silverhead played support for some of the biggest bands of the era, including KISS, Deep Purple, Nazareth and Uriah Heep.
Silverhead included Michael Des Barres, Nigel Harrison, for a short time- Stevie Forest who was replaced by Robbie Blunt, and Thompson's friend Rod T. Davies.
Thompson was the drummer for Melanie Safka during her 1987 tour of the UK and appears on the BBC Radio 1 live recording "BBC On Air: Melanie"[4] Thompson traded touring for a more settled life, teaching seven days a week in his hometown of Southend-on-Sea and for ten years leading the house band at The Blue Last in London, England.
In 1993, he recorded Fate of Nations with Robert Plant, which scored Thompson Gold and Platinum Album awards.
He continues his association with Trower recording and touring and works as a producer, teacher, performer, and composer in his spare time.