Matt Thompson started formal percussion training at the age of nine, although he has been tapping and hitting things for as long as he can remember. With a classical violinist for a mom and a jazz trumpeter/pianist as a dad, he was exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age. Two pivotal concerts solidified his desire to become a drummer. The first was Chick Corea with Roy Haynes on drums, the second was Rush on their Signals tour in 1982.