Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier (May 24, 1945 – October 27, 2012) was an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Life and career

Callier was born in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in the Cabrini–Green housing area. He learned piano, was a childhood friend of

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

Major Lance Major Lance (April 4, 1939, 1941Soul music A-Z 1995 p. 185 or 1942The golden age of American rock 'n roll: Volume 3; 2002 p. 556 – September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including " The Mon ...

and

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (born December 8, 1939) is an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...

, and began singing in

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

groups in his teens. In 1962 he took an audition at

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and r ...

, where he recorded his debut single, "Look at Me Now". At the same time as attending college, he then began performing in folk clubs and coffee houses in Chicago, becoming strongly influenced by the music of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

. During this period, he briefly performed in a duo with

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

in Chicago and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. He met

Samuel Charters Samuel Barclay Charters IV (August 1, 1929 – March 18, 2015) was an American music historian, writer, record producer, musician, and poet. He was a widely published author on the subjects of blues and jazz. He also wrote fiction. Overview Ch ...

Prestige Records Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musi ...

in 1964, and the following year they recorded his debut album. Charters then took the tapes away with him into the Mexican desert, and the album was eventually released in 1968 as ''

The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier ''The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier'' is the 1968 debut album from American folk and soul performer Terry Callier, released on Prestige Records. The album has received positive reviews from critics. Recording and release Callier started recordin ...

''. Two of Callier's songs, "Spin, Spin, Spin" and "It's About Time", were recorded by the

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band H. P. Lovecraft in 1968, as part of their '' H. P. Lovecraft II'' album. H. P. Lovecraft featured fellow Chicago folk club stalwart George Edwards, who would go on to co-produce several tracks for Callier in 1969. He continued to perform in Chicago, and in 1970 joined the Chicago Songwriters Workshop set up by Jerry Butler. He and partner Larry Wade wrote material for Chess and its subsidiary

Cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

label, including

The Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...

' 1972 hit "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind", as a result of which he was awarded his own recording contract with Cadet as a singer-songwriter. Three critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful albums followed, produced by

Charles Stepney Charles Stepney (March 26, 1931– May 17, 1976) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician. Stepney is noted for his work with artists such as The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Rotary Connection and Earth, Wind & Fire. Caree ...

: '' Occasional Rain'' (1972), '' What Color Is Love'' (1972), and '' I Just Can't Help Myself'' (1973). These demonstrated that Callier's influences included soul, jazz, funk,

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic dr ...

, and classical music. Subsequently, he toured with

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician ...

and others. Cadet and its parent label

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

were sold in 1976 and Callier was then dropped from the label. The Songwriters Workshop closed in 1976. The following year,

Don Mizell Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a v ...

signed him to a new contract with his

Jazz Fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and key ...

Division at

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between th ...

, resulting in the R&B-oriented ''Fire On Ice'' (1977) and ''Turn You to Love'' (1978). The opening track of the latter album, "Sign Of The Times", was used as the theme tune of radio DJ

Frankie Crocker Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker (December 18, 1937 – October 21, 2000) was an American disc jockey who helped grow WBLS, the black music radio station in New York. Early soul radio According to popeducation.org, Crocker began his career in Buffa ...

and became Callier's only US chart success, reaching No. 78 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

in 1979. The single prompted his appearance at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

, where Mizell presented him in the Elektra Jazz Fusion Night showcase alongside Grover Washington,

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

and

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

. When Mizell moved on to work with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

in 1980, Callier was dropped from the label. Callier continued to perform and tour until 1983, when he gained custody of his daughter and retired from music to take classes in computer programming, landing a job at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

and returning to college during the evenings to pursue a degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

. He re-emerged from obscurity in the late 1980s, when British DJs discovered his old recordings and began to play his songs in clubs.

Acid Jazz Records Acid Jazz Records is a record label based in East London formed by Gilles Peterson and Eddie Piller in 1987. The label is the namesake of the acid-jazz subgenre of jazz music for which it is most famously known for producing. Background The ...

head

Eddie Piller Eddie Piller is a British DJ, radio show host, and founder/managing director of Acid Jazz Records. Early life and career Piller was born in 1962 and grew up in Essex. His father ran a firm of bookmakers and his mother ran the Small Faces' fa ...

reissued a little-known Callier recording from 1983, "I Don't Want to See Myself (Without You)", and brought him to play clubs in Britain. From 1991 he began to make regular trips to play gigs during his vacation time from work. In the late 1990s Callier began his comeback to recorded music, collaborating with Urban Species on their 1997 EP ''Religion and Politics'' and contributed to

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her " folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weather ...

's ''

Best Bit ''Best Bit'' is an EP released by Beth Orton, prior to her 1999 release ''Central Reservation''. It contains two songs performed with Terry Callier, which are covers of Fred Neil's "Dolphins", and Callier's own "Lean on me". The title track ap ...

'' EP in 1997 before releasing the album '' Timepeace'' in 1998, which won the United Nations' Time For Peace award for outstanding artistic achievement contributing to world peace. His colleagues at the University of Chicago did not know of Callier's life as a musician, but after the award the news of his work as a musician became widely known and subsequently led to his dismissal by the University. Terry Callier Queen Elizabeth Hall

As well as touring internationally, Callier continued his recording career, releasing five albums after ''Timepeace'', including ''Lifetime'' (1999), ''Alive'' (2001), ''Speak Your Peace'' (2002), featuring

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/ mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul m ...

on the single " Brother to Brother", ''Golden Apples of the Sun'' (2003), featuring the words of

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

' poem ''The Song of the Wandering Aengus'', and ''Lookin' Out'' (2004). May 2009 saw his album ''Hidden Conversations'' featuring

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was rele ...

released on

Mr Bongo Mr Bongo is a British, Brighton based independent record label, independent film and publishing company specialising in world music and art house/ world cinema. History Founded in 1989, in Berwick Street, London, the label later moved to ...

records. In 2001, Callier performed "Satin Doll" for the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

's compilation album ''

Red Hot + Indigo Red Hot + Indigo is the 13th entry from the Red Hot AIDS benefit series of compilation albums produced by Paul Heck. It marks the tenth anniversary of the Red Hot Organization (RHO), an international organization which uses mass media as a fun ...

'', a tribute to

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was ba ...

, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. He died from cancer on October 27, 2012, aged 67.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' ( Prestige, 1968) * '' Occasional Rain'' (

, 1972) * '' What Color Is Love'' (Cadet, 1972) * '' I Just Can't Help Myself'' (Cadet, 1973) * ''

Fire on Ice ''Fire on Ice'' is a studio album from American musician Terry Callier. Released by Elektra Records in 1978, this is the artist's fifth album and the first with Elektra, released after a four-year break from recording. It has received mixed crit ...

'' (

Elektra Electra was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Greek mythology *Electra (Pleiad), one of the Pleiades * Electra, one of the Danaids, daughter of Danaus and Polyxo * Electra (Oc ...

, 1978) * ''Turn You to Love'' (Elektra, 1979) * ''Time Peace'' (

Verve Forecast Verve Forecast is a record label formed as a division of Verve Records to concentrate on pop, rock, and folk music. Founding Jerry Schoenbaum of Verve and Moe Asch of Folkways created Verve Folkways in 1964 to take advantage of the popularity ...

Talkin' Loud Talkin' Loud was a record label, originally founded by Gilles Peterson in 1990 after he left Acid Jazz Records. The label name is based on Peterson's Dingwalls club night "Talkin' Loud And Sayin' Something", itself a reference to James Brown ...

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be ...

, 1998) No. 92 UK * ''Lifetime'' ( Blue Thumb/Talkin' Loud, 1999) No. 96 UK * ''Speak Your Peace'' (

, 2002) No. 156 UK * ''Lookin' Out'' (Mr Bongo, 2004) * ''Hidden Conversations'' (Mr Bongo, 2009)

Live albums

* ''TC in DC'' (Premonition, 1996) recorded live in Washington D.C. 1982 * ''Live at Mother Blues, 1964'' (Premonition, 2000) recorded live in Chicago 1964 * ''Alive'' (Mr Bongo, 2001) recorded live in London 2000 * ''Welcome Home'' (Mr Bongo, 2008) recorded live in London 2008

Singles and maxi singles

*"Look at Me Now" (Chess, 1962) * "I Just Can't Help Myself" (Cadet, 1973) * "Ordinary Joe" / "Golden Circle of Your Love" (Cadet) * "Look at Me Now" / "Ordinary Joe" (Cadet) * "Butterfly" / "Street Fever" (Elektra, 1978) * "Sign of the Times" / "Occasional Rain" (Elektra, 1979) * "I Don't Want to See Myself (Without You)" / "If I Could Make You (Change Your Mind)" (Erect, 1982; reissued on Acid Jazz, 1990 & 2006) * "Love Theme from Spartacus" (Talkin' Loud/(Verve Forecast), 1998) * "I Don't Want to See Myself (Without You)" (Talkin' Loud, 1999) * "Silent Night" (Talkin' Loud, 1999) * "Holdin' On" / "When My Lady Danced" (Talkin' Loud, 1999) * "Tomorrow in Your Eyes" – East West Connection featuring Terry Callier (Chillifunk, 2001) * "Brother to Brother" – Terry Callier with

(Mr Bongo 2002) * "Running Around" / "Monuments of Mars" (Mr Bongo, 2002) * "In a Heartbeat" – Koop feat. Terry Callier (Superstudio Grå/

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

, 2002) * "Lookin’ Out" (Mr Bongo, 2004) * "

Live with Me "Live with Me" is a song by the Rolling Stones from their album '' Let It Bleed'', released in December 1969. It was the first song recorded with the band's new guitarist Mick Taylor, who joined the band in June 1969, although the first reco ...

" –

with Terry Callier (Virgin, 2006) * "Advice" – Hardkandy featuring Terry Callier (Catskills, 2006) * "Wings" (Mr Bongo, 2009)

DVD and videos

* ''Terry Callier – Live in Berlin'' (

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, 2005) Prod.: Modzilla Films/

Beatrice Tillmann Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated c ...

Appearances

* Vocals on

The Juju Orchestra ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

's – "What Is Hip" (2007) * Vocals on

's "

" (2006) * Vocals on Hardkandy's "Advice" (2006) * Vocals on

Nujabes , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, ...

's "

Modal Soul ''Modal Soul'' is the second full-length album by Japanese hip-hop artist Nujabes, released on November 11, 2005, on Nujabes' own record label Hydeout Productions. Like its predecessor, ''Metaphorical Music'', ''Modal Soul'' fuses jazzy, smooth r ...

" (2005) * Vocals on Kinobe's "Moonlight and Mescaline" (2004) * Vocals on Jean-Jacques Milteau's "Blue 3rd" (2003) * Vocals on

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 ...

's "Varekai" (2002) * Vocals on Kyoto Jazz Massive's "Deep in Your Mind" (2002) * Vocals on

4 Hero 4hero are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. While the band is often cited as ''4 Hero'' or ''4-Hero'', the name is stylised as ''4hero'' on their albums and ...

's "The Day of the Greys" (2001) * Vocals on Koop's "In a Heartbeat" (2001) * Vocals on

Zero 7 Zero 7 are an English musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. They began as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, '' Simple Things'', was released in 2001 in which their song "Destiny" stayed ...

's "Simple Things"(2001) * Vocals on

Grand Tourism Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

's "Les Courants d'Air" (2001) * Vocals on

's ''

Central Reservation The median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, freeways, and motorways. The term also ...

'' (1999) * Vocals on Urban Species's "Religion and Politics" and "Changing of the Guard", from the album ''Blanket'' (1998), after sampling his song "You Goin' Miss Your Candyman" in their song "Listen" from the album by the same name (1994) * His song "You Goin' Miss Your Candyman" was featured in the French movie, '' Intouchables''.

References

External links

*
Terry Callier
–

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

obituary
Mr Bongo
label site * Hodgkinson, Will
Open Secret
''Guardian Unlimited''. October 15, 2004. Retrieved April 5, 2006 * Ruffin, Mark

''JazzUSA 'Zine''. Retrieved April 5, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Callier, Terry Singers from Chicago American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American folk guitarists American folk singers American soul guitarists American male guitarists American soul singers American jazz guitarists Cadet Records artists MCA Records artists Elektra Records artists Verve Records artists Universal Records artists 1945 births 2012 deaths Guitarists from Chicago 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Prestige Records artists PolyGram artists Mr Bongo Records artists Blue Thumb Records artists Talkin' Loud artists Singer-songwriters from Illinois