He was a singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist who played 23 wind, reed and percussion instruments born into a musical family Salina, Kansas and raised in Chino, California. His father was a saxophonist and singer and his mother played the piano and organ in silent film theatres and at church. He studied how to play brass instruments when he was young and went on to study at Chatterly College where he met and performed with Frank Zappa.
Starting out as a salesman he met the guitarist and singer Jules Alexander, who was serving with the Navy, while on a trip to Hawaii in 1962. After he was discharge the two went to Los Angeles in 1963 and founded the Inner Tubes folk group with members that at one time or other included David Crosby and Cass Elliot. The group grew into a larger ensemble and changed it’s name to The Men.
The Men went their own way in 1965 and five of their members, including Terry and Jules Alexander, stayed together and founded the pop group The Association. He wrote The Association’s hit song “Cherish” which went to No.1 in the US chart in 1966 and many other chart songs for the group.
He left the band in 1972 and worked as a producer for HBO where his idea of a re-incarnation for the group via a cable feature came to fruition. He returned to The Association in 1979 but left again in 1984 when he was getting tired of touring. He would, however, still appear with the band as a guest musician.
The group were nominated for 6 Grammy Awards in 1967 and 1968 and in 2003 he was inducted into the Vocal Hall of Fame with other members of The Association. In 2019 he and the band members received the Rock Justice Award.
He also partnered Frank Zappa in his early career and was briefly with The Mothers of Invention.
After he retired from the band he was vice president of an organization helping musicians with drug abuse.
He died in Montclair, California in September 2023 after a long illness and suffering congestive heart failure. He was 83 years old.
The Association Recordings
Windy (Ruthann Friedmann)
Never My Love (Don & Dick Addrisi)
Here he is with The Association when they perform his “Cherish”…
Source:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Association
- http://www.classicwebs.com/associat.htm
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/terry-kirkman-mn0000028462
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/720834-Terry-Kirkman