I’m influenced by any music that touches my soul regardless of time period or genre. I like all kinds of original music that is honest, sincere, and from the heart. I couldn’t possibly list all my influences, there are just too many, but the biggest ones would be God, mom, dad, my beautiful daughter Leah, Elvis Presley, Doug Sahm, Sir Douglas Quintet, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, legendary Producer Sam Phillips, Sun Records, The Beatles (and most of the British invasion), Producer George Martin, Allman Brothers, Hank Williams (Sr. and Jr.), Nelson Riddle, Buck Owens & the Buckaroos, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, all "Deep Soul" and Southern Soul music, Michael Franks, Leon Redbone, George Strait, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Freida and the Firedogs, Lightnin' Hopkins, Billy Joe Shaver, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Hound Dog Taylor, Henry Mancini, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Memphis Minnie, Big Joe Williams, Stephen Bruton, Roy Orbison, Lyle Lovett, Bob Marley, Thelonius Monk, Les Paul, Roky Erickson, Bill Hicks & his Hot Licks, Eric Johnson, Asleep at the Wheel, Terri Hendrix, Steven Fromholz, Kinky Friedman, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Gary P. Nunn, Shake Russell, Dana Cooper, Alvin Crow & his Texas Valley Boys, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton, Jesse Ashlock, Joe Ely, Lou Ann Barton, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Gatemouth Brown, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Willis Alan Ramsey, Joe King Carrasco, Van Wilks, Ray Benson, Rusty Wier, Lloyd Maines, Omar and the Howlers, David Ball, Marcia Ball, Frenchie Burke, Augie Meyers, B. W. Stephenson, Double Trouble, Sunny and the Sunliners, Jimmy Day, Greezy Wheels, Lost Gonzo Band, Roy Head and the Traits, Alex Harvey, Dale Watson, Chris Duarte, Elvis Costello, Big Star, The Cars, The Kinks, Lenny Kravitz, Stone Temple Pilots, The Pixies, The Eagles, The Black Crowes, Pink Floyd, Boston, Cake, The Cardigans, David Bowie, T. Rex, Glenn Tilbrook, Squeeze, The Guess Who, Hall & Oates, James Gang, No Doubt, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, The Police, The Pretenders, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Carol King, Todd Rundgren, Sly and the Family Stone, Steve Miller Band, Talking Heads, David Byrne, Tears For Fears, Thin Lizzy, Tom Petty, Traffic, Wilco, Yes, Patsy Cline, Louis Armstrong, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra, The Doors, Johnny & Edgar Winter, Ricky Skaggs, Rush, Dream Theater, Deep Purple, "Hitsville USA" - Motown, baby!!, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Rockpile, the early Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Charles Brown, Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin, 10cc, The Nightcrawlers, 13th Floor Elevators, Moving Sidewalks, ZZ Top, Rod Stewart & The Faces, Eva Cassidy, Leonard Cohen, Cream, Brian Wilson (all of his works especially "Pet Sounds” and “Smile") Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, STEELY DAN (ALL the album cuts ), Los Lobos, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Beck, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Alan Parsons, Bill Haley & The Comets, Lyle Lovett, David Crosby, Al Jolson, The Chordettes, George Jones, Captain Beefheart, Moody Blues, T-Bone Walker, Duane Eddy, Travelin’ Wilburys, Barbra Striesand, The Platters, Jeff Lynne, ELO, Gino Vannelli, Django Reinhardt, Radney Foster, Rodney Crowell, Charlie Pride, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and The Strangers, Wynn Stewart, Jimmie Rodgers, Gary Stewart, Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Paycheck, The Derailers, Roger Miller, Ray Price, Faron Young, Ernest Tubb, Ray Charles, Gram Parsons, Keith Whitley, Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Wilson Picket, Arthur Alexander, Jimmy Hughes, Joe Simon, ZZ Hill, James & Bobby Purify, Joe Tex, The Sweet Inspirations, Arthur Conley, Etta James, Clarence Carter, Candi Staton, Lou Rawls, King Curtis, Marty Stuart, John Hiatt, Little Richard, Bobbie Gentry, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Dobie Gray, Tom Jones, Wet Willie, Willie Hightower, Johnnie Taylor, Wild Cherry, Bill Medley, Solomon Burke, Ray Stevens, Producer Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertegun, Billy Joe Royal, Travis Wammack, Vern Gosdin, T.G. Shepperd, Shenandoah, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Don Schroeder, FAME Gang, George Jackson, Spencer Wiggins, Del-Rays, Jerry Reed, Russell Smith, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Barbara Lynn, Johnny Jenkins, Laura Lee, Irma Thomas, Mac Mcanally, Otis Rush, Percy Sledge, Bobby Womack, LeBlanc & Carr, Joe South, Hourglass, Bettye Lavette, MUSCLE SHOALS RHYTHM SECTION (Roger Hawkins, David Hood, Jimmy Johnson & Barry Beckett), David Briggs, Pete Carr, Jerry Carrigan, Donnie Fritts, R.B. Greaves, Rick Hall, Eddie Hinton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Norbert Putnam, Leon Russell, Boz Scaggs, Bob Seger, Billy Sherrill, Paul Simon, Tom Stafford, Staple Singers, Rod Stewart, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, The Chips, The Mar-Keys, The Triumphs, William Bell, The Del-Rios, Booker T & the MGs, Deanie Parker, David Porter, Sam & Dave, Ruby Johnson, Eddie Floyd, Mabel John, Albert King, Freddie King, B.B. King, Sir Mack Rice, Judy Clay, Billy Vera & The Beaters, Isaac Hayes, Freddy Powers, John Conlee, Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band, Jim Reeves, Don Williams, Steve Wariner, Exile, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Glen Campbell, Brad Paisley, Earl Thomas Conley, Dan Seals, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Eric Clapton, Kris Kristofferson, Marty Robbins, Lee Roy Parnell, Bill Anderson, Fleetwood Mac, Miles Davis, Hank Cochran, Bill Monroe, Vince Gill, Harlan Howard, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steve Earle, Point Blank, Jay Boy Adams, Furry Lewis, Joe Cocker, The Box Tops, Chips Moman, The Memphis Horns, Carol King, Tom Waits, Cat Stevens, STEVIE WONDER, all the musicians I grew up with, Miles Davis, Curt Cobain, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Who, Led Zepplin, Nat King Cole, The Doors, The Brill Building writers, Radiohead, The Mills Brothers, Donald Fagen (everything he ever did or will do), ALL things Rock-a-billy…There’s just too many, I could write pages of my influences since I have over 4,000 LP’s, not to mention my CD’s, 45’s & 78’s!!
***Terry is now primarily playing live with the GREEN ONIONS RHYTHM & BLUES REVUE That's what the upcoming shows will reflect unless otherwise noted, so make plans to come out and see him and the band soon, they'd love to see you!!
The music presented on this site is recordings Terry has been an integral part of, whether it be producing, mixing, engineering, playing drums on, or a combination thereof.
From being the drummer in the house band "The Bayou City Beats" at the original Gilley's Club in Pasadena, Texas for 11 years (from 1978 until it closed in 1989), to playing on recording sessions too numerous to count, when Terry Says he's backed an artist up, he's not referring to opening a show for someone on the same bill, he means he has rehearsed with that artist and will be their drummer for that evening's live performance or recording session, and there have been many! Artists as diverse as pop legends Johnny Rivers, The Shirrelles and Bo Diddley to country stars Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Dale Watson, Con Hunley and John Conley to Gospel artists Wayne Watson, Harvest, Brian Becker and Michael James Murphy to name a few. And his movie credits are just as impressive: "Urban Cowboy" (John Travolta/Debra Winger) "Full Moon Over Blue Water" (Gene Hackman/Burgess Merideth/Terri Garr) "Girls in the Office" (Barbara Eden/Tony Roberts/Susan St. James).
Terry's love for drumming began at an early pre-school age in his hometown of Texas City, Texas that has never left him. It all started when, at the age of four, he saw his future Brother-in-law, Claude Sumrall, playing guitar with Johnny Lee & the Roadrunners (yes, THAT Johnny Lee, same hometown!) at his sister's best friend's birthday party.
But it was the drums that fascinated him that night to the point of being glued next to the drummer's floor tom for about four hours. As they say, it was all history from there.
Starting with pots and pans and graduating (after they started getting too dented up for his mom's liking) to coffee cans on a chalk board playschool desktop, he would put that whole contraption on his wagon and pull it down the street to stop for anyone that cared to listen!
This went on for about a year until Christmas rolled around and Santa brought Terry a "real" set of drums complete with cardboard heads that had to be taped up every Friday night after the Monkees tv show!
So the next Christmas, Santa got smart and got a set from Montgomery Ward's that were a little more durable. Little did Santa/Dad know, but these drums would prove to be just durable enough for Terry to do his first gigs (at the age of seven and a half years old) with grown men!
Terry recalls, "We went to a bait camp in Texas City called the Pigeon Roost to launch my dad's new fishing boat. Just as we were driving in the parking lot, the boat trailer had a flat, so my dad parked the boat and trailer in the parking lot and headed to town with the flat to fix it, leaving me and my mom at the bait camp to watch the boat."
"As we were waiting, little did we know, but they had (of all things) a band - or at least PART of a band. A gentleman, now deceased, named Vince Molina was singing and playing electric guitar (a Gibson SG, just like my sister's boyfriend!) and a guy not too much older than myself named Tony Parker playing bass guitar. Tony would later turn out to be a super musician (especially on steel guitar) that would go on to play at Gilley's in the house band (before me) and eventually play jazz in New Orleans!"
"By the time my dad got back, it was too late to go out in the boat, besides, I already had these guys talked into letting me play with them. All my dad had to do was go get my drums. I don't remember him minding, because he got them and I ended up playing with just about every band that played in that little bait camp for about a year and a half after that, as the bands playing country in 1966-68 there didn't have drummers. I remember I made $10.00 on Friday night and $15.00 on Saturday night!"
As time went on Terry honed his young chops, playing house gigs in some of the roughest "joints" in the Galveston County area. Among them: The Clique; Duffy's Tavern; Freddiesville; Pickles Barn; Cedar Oaks and of coarse the Red Barn.
Lady luck would finally smile upon Terry as he landed, a little after his 11th birthday, a gig with the most sought after band in the Galveston County area. Don Westmoreland hired Terry to be drummer with his band, Don Westmoreland & the Rhythmaires featuring Alice Collins. Terry would hold this position for six years until graduation. Don has held a pivotal position through most of Terry's life, as they have shared so much common ground in music from starting at a young age to their love of the recording process (more on that and Don later)
After graduation, it was a time for Terry to move on from under the musical wing Don had so graciously given Terry to further develop his musicianship. It was time in 1977 for Terry to get with a more progressive (if you will) form of music. It was at this time that Terry hooked up with Sweet Texas, a band known for their rowdy brand of Southern Rock & Progressive Country. Leading the band were two guys in their early to mid-20's named Donald Rogers and Wesley Henson. Terry was with the band for only about six months, when the gig of a lifetime came along, but these guys would eventually buy a club in Chocolate Bayou naming it the Texas Rose Hall and the band the Texas Rose Band and end up moving the club to a hall in Alvin, Texas.
Here's a song I produced on artist Gary Helms - "Another Perfect Day". Soon to be seen on CMT and GAC Music Video channels.
HERE'S SOME HISTORY ON THE MUSCLE SHOALS RHYTHM SECTION. IN MY OPINION, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STUDIO RHYTHM SECTIONS IN MUSIC HISTORY!!
IN HONOR OF THE 35th ANNIVERSARY OF ELVIS' DEATH,
A DUET WITH LISA MARIE:
Hey Terry, Thanks for the continued friendship over the net. 21st century technology!...Once the warmth of analog, now convenience of digital. The best of both!? Will exchange cell #. Hope you had a great weekend. Glenn
