Terry Adail (December 14, 1921 – August 23, 2001), known professionally as Doc Terry, was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

musician who started playing the

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

at the age of 12, influenced by Sonny Boy Williamson I whom he would hear play at country picnics in Greenville, Mississippi. During his career, Terry played with blues musicians such as

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, Howlin' Wolf, Yank Rachell and

Henry Townsend Henry Townsend may refer to: *Henry Townsend (Norwich) (1626–1695), early American colonist born in Norwich, Norfolk, England *Henry Townsend (Oyster Bay) (1649–1703), American colonist born in Oyster Bay *Henry Townsend (missionary) (1815–18 ...

Biography

After serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, Terry returned to the U.S. and became active in the St. Louis blues scene in the late 1940s. During the 1950s he played in

juke joints Juke joint (also jukejoint, jook house, jook, or juke) is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African Americans in the southeastern United States. A juke joint ...

all around the St. Louis area. When

Boo Boo Davis James "Boo Boo" Davis (born November 4, 1943) is an American electric blues musician. Davis is one of the few remaining blues musicians who gained experience singing the blues in the Mississippi Delta, having sung to help pass the time while pic ...

moved to St. Louis in the 1960s, he joined Terry's band for a time. In the 1970s, Terry formed his own record label called D.T.P. Records, named after his band, Doc Terry and the Pirates. Terry led the Pirates with vocals and harmonica playing, and was joined by Thomas Johnson on guitar, Nathaniel Thomas on drums, Peter Smorodin on bass, with Patti Thomas providing additional vocals. The Pirates performed mainly around the St. Louis area at venues that included: the USS President, Union Station Biergarten, Broadway Oyster Bar, Webster Grill and

Blueberry Hill "Blueberry Hill" is a popular American song published in 1940, best remembered for its 1950s rock and roll version by Fats Domino. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Larry Stock and Al Lewis. It was recorded six times in 1940 ...

. In 1988, they were featured on a PBS television documentary about the St. Louis blues scene, which also included blues artists James Crutchfield, James DeShay and George McCoy.

Discography

Singles

*Rock With Doc / Who Do Blues; D.T.P. Records TS71-74 / TS71-75 *Things Can't Stay The Same / Dr. Boogie; D.T.P. Records TS74-588 / TS-74-589 *Running Blues / Down The Road I Go; D.T.P. Records DTP-1421 (1971)

Compilations

*''Chicago Blues''; Various Artists; JSP CD 401 (1997) ::Dr. Boogie / Things Can't Stay The Same *''Chicago Blues 2''; Various Artists; JSP CD 405 (1998) ::Who Do Blues *''The Best of Harmonica Blues''; Various Artists; Wolf 120105 (2001) ::Born In The Delta *''St. Louis Blues Today''; Various Artists; Wolf 120941 (2015) ::Born In The Delta / A.C.D. Blues *''Harpin' On It - A Blues Harmonica Anthology''; Various Artists; JSP CD 811 (2017) ::Dr. Boogie / Things Can't Stay The Same

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, Doc 1921 births 2001 deaths American blues singers American blues harmonica players St. Louis blues musicians Musicians from St. Louis