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Terry Gillespie: EPK/Bios
EPK - Hi-Rez pics & downloadable docs
Photo Credits
Terry Gillespie image
Terry Gillespie image
Terry Granary Band image
Terry Gillespie bio.doc
Terry Gillespie Reviews.doc
Granary Blues Band bio.doc
Stage Plot
Band BIOS: Terry Gillespie - Singer, Guitar
In 1965 Terry Gillespie was in Michigan hugging a radio into the wee hours. He was listening to the skip stations broadcasting from the Southern States; it was his first encounter with the roots of American music. And he's never looked back.
When he was 16 or 17, the drinking age in Michigan was 21. He was six foot tall and wore a sport coat, shades and a skinny moustache drawn on his top lip with ink. Everything was segregated: they played blues and jazz in the black bars, but they could tell he loved the music. "Well, anybody who looks that crazy... Let 'im in!"
Terry studied chemistry and literature at Michigan State University, but the lure of the music saw him sneaking into the bars more often than the classroom. He was beginning to hone his craft and snapping up opportunities to play with legends including Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker.
In 1968, he brought his experiences and burgeoning skills to Ottawa and formed the band Heaven's Radio, whose highly acclaimed albums of the early 80s, 'Active' and 'Uptown Babies', were re-released as a box set in May 2007. Holger Peterson calls Heaven's Radio, "A highly under-rated band of that era."
Today there is renewed excitement over Terry Gillespie's music. With the rebirth of his performing and recording career, we can begin to appreciate the versatility and influence of this Edmonton native.
JUNO award winner Sue Foley, for example, cites Terry as a major influence in her career. She plays lead guitar on his 2006 CD, Brother of the Blues, and has said:
"Terry Gillespie is one of the most sincerely talented musicians in Canada. He's a bluesman to the core, but not in the traditional sense for he has range and influences that take blues to a whole new level. His blues is the truth and it comes through with every word and melody he wraps his soulful voice around. This is real!"
Respect from a broad music community keeps Terry very busy. Among his numerous live dates, he has performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival twice in recent years; he has recorded two CDs of his own and produced music for others; and in September 2007, Terry had the honour of forming a 13-piece international band to play a two-day wedding for Sacha, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau.
The 'comeback' began in 2001, when Terry started a jam that resulted in the formation of The Granary Blues All-Stars. The band was recorded by CBC and released a CD, aptly titled "Again."
Reviewing the CD in July 2004, BluesWax said, "They raise the hackles on the back of your neck... This is a very soulful group that needs to be heard."
The semi-autobiographical solo CD, Brother of the Blues, followed in December 2006 and generated still more impressive reviews, including one that described Terry Gillespie's music as " a sweet tiramisu consisting of liquor-soaked layers of Blues, Reggae, Country, and Jazz." The intoxicating disk was in the CBC Saturday Night Blues top 10 for five months, putting Terry firmly back on the map and injecting a fresh sound into the modern day blues scene.
It marks a powerful return for one of the few remaining Canadian bluesmen who can claim to be the genuine article -- a performer absolutely without pretense, yet completely engaging. Let's not allow this treasure to be lost again.
Cool stuff about Terry
I am Terry Gillespie
I’m a crazy guy
I was born in 1947
I am an Aries
I did all my drinking in the first 45 years of my life
I started out in orchestra
I play the blues
I dig reggae and African music
I like jazz music
I like my music funky
I play guitar, trumpet and mouth harp
I am a one-on-one kinda guy
I have 2 sons and I granddaughter
I have 2 Jaguar cars (not exactly running at the moment)
I use to own a Norton motorcycle and want another one
I was born in Edmonton, Canada
I grew up in England
I finished off in The States
I live 3 km from Vankleek Hill Ontario (pop 1800)
I like solitude
I like coffee
I like cigars
I like to read
I like CNN
I like dancing girls
I AM Music and I AM Dance
Dig-ya-later, Terry
FREQUENTLY SEEN ON STAGE WITH TERRY!
Any combination of...
Peter Measroch - Keyboards
Originally a theatre and studio musician in his native South Africa, Peter has been on the road in both Europe and North America with artists such as rocker Leo Sayer, bluesman Luther Allison and guerilla theatre group; The Friends Roadshow.
In the mid-70's, Peter moved to Montreal, accompanying French artists Jean-Pierre Ferland and Edith Butler and working as a session player on the local scene. He is now to be found mostly at his home studio and publishing company Electric Desert, writing music for film and television. He continues to play live with Terry Gillespie and the Granary Band.
Jody Golick - Sax
Jody has been blowing saxophones for over 35 years. He played with Terry in Heaven’s Radio in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
Since then he has travelled the world studying, teaching, performing, composing and recording.
Over the years he has played with such diverse artists as Toumani Diabate, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Otis Rush and Penny Lang. When he’s not playing with Terry and the Granary Band he is a regular member of the Stephen Barry Band.
Stephen Barry - Bass
In more than thirty years on the Montreal and Quebec blues scene, Stephen has received many honours. He collected the the Lys Blues Hommage Award for 2004. In 2002 he was awarded Toronto Blues Society's "Bass Player of the Year" award; and with the Stephen Barry Band he picked up Album of the Year and Blues Group of the Year from Jazz Report Magazine, following the release of his top selling CD, Happy Man.
But for a lifelong blues enthusiast like Stephen, who's Blues Anthology show traces the evolution of the usic over half a century, few honours could have matched the hours he has spent on stage with the legends. He has played with Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley, Big Mama Thornton, Pine Top Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, John Lee Hooker, Johnny "Big Moose" Walker, and RnB Hall of Famer (Capt'n) Vann " the Piano Man" Walls.
Gordon Adamson - Drums
Gordon cut his teeth in the Montreal bar scene of the 1970's while studying percussion at Dawson and Vanier Colleges.
During the 70's and 80's, and along with Stephen Barry, had the priviledge of playing sideman to such great blues artists such as Big Mama Thorton, Johnny "Big Moose" Walker amongst others. Gordon has toured and recorded with Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Michel Pagliaro, Ray Bonneville, Mack Mackenzie and The Stephen Barry Band.
Gordon is an award winning drummer and was nominated for a Gemini award for his work on the sound track for the ONF documentary "Un Everest de l'intÈrieur".
"My greatest passion is locking in on a groove and watching how others work with it" Gordon is the beat machine behind Terry Gillespie and the Granary Band.
Vince Halfhide - Guitar
Over the last four decades, guitarist Vince Halfhide has performed and recorded in a variety of genres (blues, R&B, reggae, country, folk, jazz, African . . . ) with acts such as Heaven’s Radio, Bill Stevenson, Sneezy Waters, Andrea and the Fun Guys, the Jivewires, Larry “the Bird” Mootham, the Toasted Westerns, Missy Burgess and the Mighty Popo.
Vince's musical vocabulary is eclectic but cohesive, his playing both grounded in "roots" idioms and open to improvisation in the spirit of the moment. This approach can be heard in all his work, from his early days in Heaven's Radio to his recent work with Missy Burgess, the Mighty Popo and Terry Gillespie.
Selected Discography:
Mighty Popo: Muhazi, Ngagara, Dunia Yote, Tamba
Missy Burgess: Lemon Pie, Pour Me A Song
Vince Halfhide and Larry “The Bird” Mootham: Kitchen Music
The Jivewires: Jive-O-Matic, Aw Shaddup
The Toasted Westerns: Out To Lunch
Andrea And The Fun Guys: We’ve Got Something Good
Sneezy Waters: You’ve Got Sawdust On The Floor Of Your Heart
Heaven’s Radio: Rendezvous, Uptown Babies, Radio Active
Trevor Brewster - winner of Ottawa’s 1992 Yamaha Guitar Wars
Trevor Brewster, born in Barbados, was exposed to spiritual music at a very young age and learnt to play guitar at his father’s feet.
Trevor is comfortable in a vast array of musical styles;
Soul, Blues, Hip Hop Combo, Reggae, Soca, Calypso, Funk and Rock.
He has been leader and member of a number of touring musical bands, Citric Acid in Barbados, Black Spirit, W.I. Connection, Tribal Funk, Ragamuffin Reggae Band, Star Child and Stone Soul Picnik. and has toured across Canada with reggae Juno-award winner, Lazo John-Finn.
Terry and Trevor play together every chance they get and have for over 10 years.
Terry Owen - Sax
Originally from Gatineau, Quebec Terry Owen started his 25 year plus career under the direction of trumpet master and big band leader maestro Bob Cleall. He continued his studies at Toronto’s coveted Humber College under Eddie Sossin and Pat Labarbera.
In the ‘90’s Terry relocated back to Ottawa where he spread his R & B wings. He soon was a familiar player on the Ottawa Blues scene where he first met Larry "The Bird” Mootham and Terry Gillespie. Honing his skills with some of the best R & B and Roots musicians, his tasteful, soulful playing has enabled Terry the ability to work with a diverse range of artists including The Legendary Dutch Mason, Drew Nelson, Bo Diddley, The Platters and most recently Percy Sledge.
In the late ‘90’s Terry moved to the U.S. to tour with Grammy nominated Queen Bee & the Blue Hornet band. While touring the USA, Canada and Europe and performing 200 dates a year for nearly a half decade, Terry shared stages with such great artists as B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Duke Robillard, Luther Allison, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Link Ray to mention a few.
Terry has proved his versatility as a player and appears on over 30 CD recordings and projects ranging from Blues, Rock. Pop, Reggae, Metal and Funk.
“Terry Gillespie is the coolest most laid back groove, roots artist I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, he’s the real deal!
Jeffery Grosvenor - Bass, drums, percussion
Jeffrey is a multi instrumentalist playing bass and guitar as well as percussion. Music has been his focus and main interest all his life. Born in Barbados, he moved to Canada in 1981. Some of Jeffrey’s bass playing influences include Anthony Jackson, John Pattitucci, and Victor Wooten.
Jeffrey has a wealth of playing experience ranging in styles from traditional Caribbean, Cuban, African Latin, folk, world jazz, fusion, rock, reggae, pop, xperimental as well as punk rock! A truly diverse musician with an undeniable ability to groove. Jeffrey has toured extensively throughout the USA and Canada with different groups. He played in many festivals like the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, many Summer Festivals in Quebec and Toronto, and the Crop Over festivals, in New-York and Barbados…
Wayne Stoute - Drums, Percussion
Wayne plays in Jabjab, with Lorraine Klaasen and Terry Gillespie. Wayne is originally from Trinidad.