Thomas Linley

Born in Badminton, Gloucestershire, Linley began his musical career after he moved to Bath at the age of 11 and became an apprentice to the organist Thomas Chilcot. After his marriage to Mary Johnson in 1752, Linley supported his wife and growing family predominantly as a music teacher. As his children grew and he developed their musical talent, he drew an increasing amount of income from their concerts while also managing the assembly rooms in Bath. When the new Bath Assembly Rooms opened in 1771, Linley became musical director and continued to promote his children's careers. He was eventually able to move to London with the thousands of pounds he had amassed from their concerts.
Among Linley's students were his eight children (Elizabeth Ann, Thomas, Mary, Samuel, Maria, Ozias, William, and Jane), as well as tenor Charles Dignum, singer and actress Anna Maria Crouch, and novelist Frances Sheridan.
In London, Linley became a musical director and part-owner of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He collaborated with his son Thomas the Younger in penning the comic opera The Duenna, with a libretto by his son-in-law Richard Brinsley Sheridan.