Terry Sylvester  

December 6, 2009

Sunday 6:00pm

Detail:

Terry Sylvester was born on the 8th January 1947 in Liverpool, England. His father James, a jazz trombone player, introduced him to music at an early age. He was raised in the Allerton area of Liverpool, and lived in the next road to Paul & Mike McCartney. He left school just before his 15th birthday and worked for one year as an apprentice panel beater for Peter Harrison, (George Harrison's older brother). At 16 he turned pro, & was sharing the stage with the Beatles regularly in and around Liverpool and at the world famous Cavern Club, fronting his own group the Escorts. When the Beatles appeared at the Cavern for the last time on the 3rd August 1963, Terry & the Escorts were invited by the Beatles to be on the same bill.
The ESCORTS
In August 1965, the Escorts were appearing with the Hollies at the 'Hit House Club' in Munich Germany. When a couple of members of the Escorts were taken ill before the show, Graham Nash & Allan Clarke from the Hollies graciously filled in for them, and performed with Terry for the first time. In January 1966 when guitarist Ralph Ellis decided to leave the Swinging Blue Jeans, the then 18 year old Terry was asked to join the group.
The SWINGING BLUE JEANS
The Swinging Blue Jeans had a number of hit records including 'Hippy Hippy Shake', 'Good Golly Miss Molly' & 'You're No Good'. From 1966 to 1969 Terry toured the UK and Europe continuously, and appeared on numerous TV and radio shows. In 1968 when they were touring Czechoslovakia, a lucky tip from a high ranking fan enabled them to leave the country the day before Russia invaded.
The HOLLIES
In December 1968, Graham Nash left the Hollies to form Crosby, Stills, & Nash. The remaining members of the Hollies remembered Terry from Munich, contact was made & the rest, as they say is history. Terry's first single with the Hollies 'Sorry Suzanne' reached number 3 in the UK charts and established the group once again as a top ten hit making act. Terry's first album 'Hollies Sing Dylan' went even further, all the way to number 1. Soon after they recorded 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother', with the then unknown session man Elton John playing piano. The song became a world wide hit, and remains to this day an anthem for those who choose to help people less fortunate than themselves. More hits followed including the follow up single 'I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top', U.S. number 1 'Long Cool Woman, In A Black Dress', 'Long Dark Road', 'Gasoline Ally Bred', and the 1974 universal classic love song, 'The Air That I Breathe'.