It isn't surprising if you don't recognize who Richard Thompson is.

Unless you're a guitar aficionado, you probably have never heard of the guy.

But maybe you should have. At age 60, Thompson remains one of the most accomplished unknown guitar players on the planet.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked him as one of the top 20 greatest guitarists of all time in 2003, and Filter magazine calls him one of the most diversified, well-kept secrets and busiest songwriters of the later half of the 20th century.

It's no stretch to compare the intensity he plays with to that of Stevie Ray Vaughn or Jimi Hendrix, or his lyrical stylings to Bob Dylan.

Yes, he's that good, and he performs tonight at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and Saturday at Paliku Theatre.

Thompson is one of those under-the-radar performers who has a knack for influencing other artists. He writes copious amounts of music that have been recorded by the likes of R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, David Gilmour, Elvis Costello and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

His song "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" from the album "Rumor and Sigh" remains the most requested song on National Public Radio.

He can be both political and humorous in his songs, and he does both well.

As part of his "Thousand Years of Popular Music" gig, Thompson covered Britney Spears' "Oops! I Did It Again," Prince's "Kiss," and John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "It Won't Be Long." His latest CD, "Live Warrior," is a return to his playful side with the song "I Read About Love."

It details a teenager's tumultuous self-education into the world of sex through magazines, picture books and older brothers.

"Live Warrior's" best offering, however, is the politically charged "Dad's Gonna Kill Me," where Thompson describes the perils of a soldier's life in Baghdad.

"Dad," in Thompson's song, is short for Baghdad.It's the slang term used by U.S. troops who are deployed to the war zone.

"I've got a wife, a kid, another on the way

Dad's Gonna Kill Me."