Born near the City of Canterbury, in the County of Kent, just 50 miles south-east of London, England, Terry was the eldest of six children born to Tom (a miner) and Beryl (a land-girl during the second world war. Land-girls were responsible for producing food and farming the land while the men were away fighting the war).

circa 1933, Terry's father Tom (left), and Uncle Richard (right) with a friend on drums during an early practice session in their garden in South-east London.

His musical genes stemmed from his father's interests, prior to World War II. Tom played guitar, tenor banjo, piano-accordion and harmonica in small bands prior to, during and after the war. As children, Terry and his siblings would always try to play their father's musical instruments and it was here that the seeds were sown for his musical future. Their home had an old wind-up gramophone on which they used to play old 78 records of Spike Jones and his City Slickers, Lonnie Donnegan, Emile Ford and the Checkmates more info, Guy Mitchell, NancyWhiskey and many more.

     It was Lonnie Donnegan's 'Skiffle' music that inspired many British bands, because he introduced the British public to a new style of music and recorded covers of songs from such American icons as Woody Guthrie and Huddy Leadbetter (Leadbelly) and Lonnie was a regular contributor to the music scene throughout the 50s and 60s . One of Lonnie's most famous songs was the Leadbelly standard, Rock-Island Line.

     Terry's cousin Colin introduced him to the musical genius of American icons such as Little Richard and of course Elvis. It was Colin who took him to his first ever Elvis movie 'Viva Las Vegas' and this furthered his appreciation of the rock'n roll scene.

Radio Influence
     Regularly the family would listen to Radio Luxembourg an 'English speaking' radio station that broadcast from mainland Europe. The signal used to fade-in and out as they struggled to tune-in on Long-Wave 208. It was the only radio station which played genres which could at the time, be classed as modern music. Typically, on a Sunday evening, Radio Luxembourg's DJ Kid Jensen would broadcast the top-twenty countdown. All other radio stations in England were controlled by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and rarely played modern, or at the time 'new-wave' music. It took years before the BBC realized and addressed the musical needs of the British public, by launching Radio 1 in 1964.

     In the early 1960s a plethora of pirate radio stations like Radio Caroline started operating in international waters off the coast of Great Britain. These were considered illegal and the government used to try and take action to shut them down. Suddenly, the British public had access to a much wider range of music from America, Europe and global markets. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Dave Clarke Five, Moody Blues and many other British bands were just launching in the mid-60s. While at college his influences included Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, Chuck Berry and Rod Stewart. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s artists such as The Eagles , Bruce Springsteen, Mike Oldfield , Mott the Hoople, Paul Brady, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Gordon Lightfoot, John Mellencamp, Cat Stevens. and many more influenced his musical direction.

Career
     Terry was educated at Sturry Secondary School and attended Hadlow College in Kent and Lackham College in Wiltshire. His career in marketing and journalism took him to many parts of the world including every European country, to North Africa, Canada, the USA and Mexico. He once worked for the American agricultural machinery giant, John Deere at its British regional office and managed the company's sales promotion activities. In 1987 he started his own International PR and Marketing Consultancy, providing PR and Marketing services for multi-national and local companies.

Chordal inspiration
     It wasn't until much later in life, in 1987 that he decided to take learning the guitar seriously, and invested in guitar music books and taught himself to play. What triggered his decision to proceed is unclear, but it may have been linked to the passing of his father that year, who had inspired him while in his youth. There were occasions when his father would take him to the local Ye OldeYew Tree pub in Westbere and his father would jam with the landlord, often playing his piano accordion. The Yew Tree was a 13th century public house, constructed of ships timbers and situated in a beautiful English village setting.

After a lot of practice and learning guitar techniques, Terry would go to local 'open-mic' sessions and listen to other amateur guitarists, and knew if they could do it, so could he. Finally, he plucked-up enough courage to show off his limited acoustic guitar skills in front of friends and strangers at the Royal Oak, Great Wishford, an old pub/restaurant in the heart of the English countryside. He met two local guitarists - Tim Maddern and Keith Mouland who influenced and encouraged him. Today they both are recording artists in the UK, and are still best of friends.

     Terry hosted a regular acoustic 'unplugged' session at the Coach and Horses pub/restaurant in Salisbury, Wiltshire, an event which attracted many local musicians and inspired many 'budding' artists. Salisbury has many venues where live music can be heard most nights of the week. He also spent much time at the Faversham Folk Club - a thriving folk group in the south-east of England which meets weekly at a local pub - 'The Chimney Boy' Faversham. The club often participates in many local musical events.

The Calling      Terry and his 'late' brother Barry used to jam together. Barry was learning to play blues harmonica. But this musical partnership ended abruptly when his brother was involved in a tragic road accident. The loss of his dear brother made Terry realize that life was too short to waste and that you should always fulfill your dreams, regardless of how extreme they may be. In the late 1990s Terry 'set-out' on one of his long-time dreams, he moved to the USA to both explore the country and to broaden his musical talents. He had been to America numerous times on business trips, he had always enjoyed the friendliness of the people he had met, the lifestyle, the energy and the spirit that adorned the American society. He had always wanted to explore and 'experience' the American lifestyle.

Terry's brother Barry "always in my heart."

Travel history
     To date he has traveled to and visited more than 20 of the 50 States, played guitar at many 'open-mic' venues, bookstores, coffee shops and jammed with musicians from all over the country. From New York to San Diego, Florida to Colorado he has traveled many miles, but there are many more ahead of him. Today, he resides in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and plays many local venues.

Current musical activities.
     Terry is an active member of the Summit Songwriter's Circle which meets the first Monday of the month at the Riverfront Coffee Mill, Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls. He is a member of Folknet. Has performed 'live' on Just Plain Folk - WAPS-FM 91.3 The Summit. He performs solo at many venues and regularly as part of two trios, one called 'Old Dogs and an Englishman' and the second he guests with two incredibly talented young musicians, Lisa and Heather Malyuk. Terry also plays as part of the popular duo, called Cotton-Eye Joe, with Heather Gullstrand on Violin and Viola. Together they play an eclectic mix of traditional tunes and popular classics. Please go to the Schedule page of this site to follow future events for both solo, duo and trio gigs. Also listed there are gigs of friends and colleagues performing in the local area.

Family
     Terry has four children of whom he is extremely proud; Mat, who owns a successful Safari business; Tim, a Veterinary Surgeon who operates in North London; daughter TJ, who works in Human Resources in London; and youngest son Travis who recently qualified as an automotive technician for August Honda Cars in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.