Daily Archives: October 30, 2012

30th October 2012 (R.I.P. Terry Callier)

Terry Callier – Sail Away (CjK guest post)

There are no second acts in American lives – this famous F.Scott Fitzgerald adage from The Great Gatsby hangs over the presidential hopefuls in the run up to next week’s US election. 

In fact Terry Callier, who sadly died a couple of days ago, did have a second act. He retired from recording music in 1983 to become a computer engineer and his recording from the 60s were rediscovered in the mid 90s by DJs who encouraged him to record again. He then went on to produce some his finest work. His unique soulful voice gave great character to his often plaintive songs about people on the periphery of society.

/CjK


P.S. RjK I would add that I owe TC’s music a debt of thanks. Listening to it was when I got one of my first inklings that there was something deeper, fuller, more substantial to soul music than the purely pop leanings of Motown (spectacular though they are) to which I previously been exposed.