Dan Terry (December 22, 1924 – December 27, 2011) was an American

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

leader, arranger, and trumpet and

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

player who appeared at Birdland, the world-famous jazz club, with

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great D ...

, and other jazz luminaries. He also made half a dozen LP recordings, including 20 sides on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1954 and wrote music for and performed in the films ''

The Hustler ''The Hustler'' is a 1961 American sports romantic drama film directed by Robert Rossen from Walter Tevis's 1959 novel of the same name, adapted by Rossen and Sidney Carroll. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson a ...

'' and ''

The Manchurian Candidate ''The Manchurian Candidate'' is a novel by Richard Condon, first published in 1959. It is a political thriller about the son of a prominent U.S. political family who is brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for a Communist conspiracy. Th ...

''.

Biography

The son of a choirmaster, he was born Daniel Kostraba in

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite the city of Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s; it was incorporated as a borough in ...

. After working with George Summerson's

territory band Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven n ...

in high school, he went to New York City and worked with

Muggsy Spanier Francis Joseph "Muggsy" Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist based in Chicago. He was a member of the Bucktown Five, pioneers of the "Chicago style" that straddled traditional Dixieland jazz and swin ...

before entering the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. After leaving the service, he moved to Los Angeles to lead the Hollywood Teenagers Band before returning to New York in 1948 to play with

Sonny Dunham Elmer "Sonny" Dunham (November 16, 1911 – July 9, 1990) was an American trumpet player and bandleader. A versatile musician, he was one of the few trumpet players who could double on the trombone with equal skill. Biography Born in Brockton, ...

for eight months. Terry studied music theory at the College of the Pacific on the GI Bill from 1948 to 1949. Terry then formed a band and went on the road. Engagements included the Totem Pole Ballroom in Boston, the Aragon and Trianon Ballrooms in Chicago, Glen Island Casino, Tahoe Village, Chase Club in St. Louis, Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, and the Statler Hotel in New York, as well as appearing at proms and concerts. He recorded four sides arranged by

Marty Paich Martin Louis Paich (January 23, 1925 – August 12, 1995) was an American pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, music director, and conductor. As a musician and arranger he worked with jazz musicians Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Kento ...

for Vita Records in 1952, including " Autumn in New York" and "Terry Cloth". Terry's band went into Birdland in 1954, playing with

and

. Also in 1954, he was signed by Columbia with

Pete Rugolo Pietro "Pete" Rugolo (December 25, 1915 – October 16, 2011) was an American jazz composer, arranger and record producer. Life and career Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settle ...

and

Les Elgart Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter. Early Years Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed to ...

. He recorded 20 sides included on ''Teen Age Dance Session'' (Columbia) and ''Teen Age Dance Party'' (Harmony). During the same year, he appeared in the Universal film short ''Birth of a Band'' with

Connie Haines Connie Haines (born Yvonne Marie Antoinette Jasme; January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008) was an American singer and actress. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Fra ...

and Don Gordon. Terry and his band performed at Carnegie Hall for the Charlie Parker Memorial Concert with Dinah Washington and other jazz celebrities. He toured with the Birdland All Stars at Boston Arena and Carnegie Hall as a featured artist with the Count Basie Band. The September 25, 1954, Carnegie Hall performance was recorded for a live album called ''Birdland All-Stars at Carnegie Hall'' with

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

and

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed direc ...

. In 1958, he and his Band with the Hi-Fi Sound recorded "Coca-Cola Rock" and "Bull Fiddle Walk" on Devere Records with the Freddie Martel Singers. In the 1960s, Terry wrote music for and performed in the films ''

'' and ''

''. He was on the music staff for ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the s ...

'', ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it was seen Monday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titl ...

'', six television specials with

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

, Gleason's recordings for Capitol Records, and twelve albums with George Williams for CBS. Terry owned and operated Big Daddy's Nightclub at the Travel and Transportation Building at the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...

. He was musical director at the Basin Street East club in New York from 1962 to 1965 and conductor for

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

with the

Will Mastin Trio The Will Mastin Trio (also Will Maston Trio on some bills) was a troupe of dancers and singers formed by Will Mastin, Sammy Davis Sr., and Sammy Davis Jr. The original members were Sammy Davis Sr., Howard M. Colbert Jr., and Will Mastin, although ...

Frances Langford Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades. She was known as the "GI Nighting ...

, Noonan and Marshall, and

Yma Sumac Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (September 13, 1922 (birth certificate) or September 10, 1922 (later documents) – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Yma Sumac (), was a Peruvian-American coloratura soprano. She was one ...

. After returning to the West Coast, Terry recorded the album ''Lonely Place'', which was released by

Happy Tiger Records Happy Tiger Records was an independent American record label that was owned by the Flying Tiger Line air freight company. Happy Tiger operated from 1969 to 1971. During this time the label produced more than two dozen albums by Count Basie, Mason ...

in 1969. He then moved to Las Vegas, where he was prominent in the city's music community in the 1970s and early 1980s. He played trumpet and led his big band in performances at the Pussycat A-Go-Go Club, the Tropicana, the Mint, Thunderbird, and Sahara hotels, and in 1979, a four-week engagement at the

Dunes Hotel The Dunes was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It opened on May 23, 1955, as the tenth resort on the Strip. It was initially owned by a group of businessmen from out of state, but failed to prosper under their man ...

with weekly radio broadcasts on KDWN-AM. While there, he served as president of Copyrite Music, a music service which included composing, conducting, arranging, and music preparation. From 1976 to 1977, Terry lived in Toronto, where he formed the Horns of Toronto. He and the band appeared at venues such as the Savarin Nightclub, The Forum at Ontario Place, the Canadian National Exhibition Bandshell, Sheraton Grand Hotel, and the Leisure Lodge in

Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand River (Ontario), Grand and Speed River, Speed rivers. The city had a population of 138,479 as of the 2021 Canadian census, 202 ...

. In the 1990s, Terry settled in San Diego and formed the Horns of San Diego and an offshoot, the San Diego Youth Swing Band, a group designed to give high school musicians an opportunity to perform his big band arrangements. Musicians in the band included trumpeter Igmar Thomas and drummer Mikey Cannon. He produced the band's album ''Bein' Green'' on the Metronome label in 1999. In addition to his recordings and touring, Terry worked as a jazz radio announcer for 40 years at radio stations in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, Las Vegas,

Middletown, Orange County, New York Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New Yo ...

, and Phoenix, Arizona. He died in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

in December 2011 at the age of 87.

Discography

* Vita Records: Hollywood, CA - 1952 – produced and recorded " Autumn in New York" and the minor hit "Terry Cloth" * ''Teen Age Dance Session'' ( Columbia, 1954) * ''Teen Age Dance Party'' (

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

, 1957) * "Coca-Cola Rock" and "Bull Fiddle Walk" (Devere, 1958) - 45 rpm single featuring Dan Terry and His Band with the Hi-Fi Sound * ''Good Feeling Blues'' (Cinema, 1962) – produced and recorded live album in concert at Virginia Polytechnic Institute * ''Reedtime'' (

Metronome A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...

, 1962) – produced and recorded experimental orchestra featuring soprano saxophones * ''Lonely Place'' (Metronome, 1969) – produced and recorded album released by

* ''Dan Terry Big Big Band'' (Metronome, 1981) – produced and recorded album * ''Bein' Green'' (Metronome, 1999) – produced and recorded San Diego Youth Swing Band album

Films

*''Birth of a Band'', Universal Pictures & Will Cowan Productions, Inc. Starred in the musical short with his band and Connie Haines. *''

'', Composed and arranged the music for the rally sequence of the film and appeared directing the marching band he contracted. *''

'', 20th Century Fox, Robert Rossen, director. Appeared in the picture with his

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

Band. Composed and arranged the music for the party sequence with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

and

, receiving screen credits.

References

External links

Dan Terry official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, Dan 1924 births 2011 deaths Big band bandleaders American jazz bandleaders American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters American music arrangers Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania American male jazz musicians United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II