Terry Sylvester
Encyclopedia
Terry Sylvester was the guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

/singer with The Escorts
The Escorts (Liverpool band)
The Escorts were a Merseybeat band formed in October 1962 in Liverpool, England, by three classmates who had just left the Morrison School for Boys in Rose Lane, Allerton — Mike Gregory, Terry Sylvester and John Kinrade...

, The Swinging Blue Jeans
The Swinging Blue Jeans
The Swinging Blue Jeans were a four piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label; "Hippy Hippy Shake", the follow-up, Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "You're No Good", a Clint Ballard song that provided a change of pace and furnished the...

 (1966–69) and The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...

. In the latter guise, he replaced Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...

 who left the band in December 1968.

Life and career

Sylvester grew up in the Allerton, Liverpool, only a few hundred yards from his older contemporary, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

. He attended school with future Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland. At age fourteen, Sylvester was employed for a time as a panel beater by George Harrison's brother. Sylvester's father, James Sylvester, was a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 trombonist
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 in his spare time, who had played in big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

s. With his father's encouragement, Sylvester gravitated toward music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

, beginning with Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...

, whose "Volare
Volare (song)
"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....

" was the first record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

 he ever bought, and then moving on to Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

's "Hound Dog
Hound Dog (song)
"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952. Other early versions illustrate the differences among blues, country, and rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The 1956 remake by Elvis Presley is the best-known...

" b/w "Don't Be Cruel
Don't Be Cruel
-Legacy:"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961. It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969.Many...

". It was The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...

, Sylvester revealed in an interview with Jud Cost in 1997, who pulled him completely into rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

 with their harmony singing
Vocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...

.

By the early 1960s, he had co-founded his first group, The Escorts, with schoolmates Mike Gregory and John Kinrade, plus drummer Pete Clarke. The Escorts appeared with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 at the Cavern Club on many occasions between 1961 and 1963, and were there when the Beatles played their last show
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

.

The Escorts always seemed poised to break out of Liverpool, but despite having a minor UK chart hit with a cover of 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy' (on Fontana records TF 453) in 1964 never quite made it as a hit making Beat Boom outfit, despite several credible follow up singles; 'The One To Cry' (TF 474, 1964), 'I Don't Want To Go On Without You' (TF 516, 1965), 'C'mon Home Baby' (TF 570, 1965) and a cover of The Everlys 'Let It Be Me' (TF 651, 1966). They were booked with the Hollies at the same club 'The Hit House' in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, when three of the bandmembers fell ill, and Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...

, Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke (singer)
Allan Clarke is a retired British singer who was one of the founding members of The Hollies. He retired in 1999.-Career:...

, and Bobby Elliott of the Hollies played the gig in place of the stricken Escorts members, thus sharing a stage with Sylvester four years before he joined their group. A compilation of The Escorts singles 'A' and 'B' sides featuring Sylvester; 'From The Blue Angel' was later issued on LP (Edsel FORD 1) then in 1995 on CD (EDCD 422).

The chance came in 1966 for Sylvester to leave The Escorts and join The Swinging Blue Jeans to replace guitarist/vocalist Ralph Ellis, and he spent three years with the group, recording singles such as; 'Sandy' (HMV POP 1533, 1966), 'Rumours, Gossip, Words Untrue' (POP 1564, 1966), 'Don't Go Out Into The Rain' (POP 1605, 1967), and 'Sidney, Gotta Draw The Line' (1968), tho' the band's chart days were by then over in the UK. This was the first of two breaks for Sylvester, to join an established band with hits.

However, his joining of The Hollies, in January 1969 (Escorts Mike Gregory duly following Sylvester from Escorts to Swinging Blue Jeans as his replacement) , outweighed all previous bands, as an internationally recognised band that did not focus solely on touring already having many established hits. His first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 with the Hollies was Hollies Sing Dylan (which reached No.3 in the UK album charts). He immediately had a single hit with the band in 1969 with "Sorry Suzanne" which reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. "Sorry Suzanne", was followed by "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
"He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" is a popular music ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for The Hollies later that year and again for Neil Diamond in 1970....

" (1969) another UK No.3 plus a US chart hit, which Sylvester today calls his favourite Hollies song as it cemented his place in the band. However, while in the United States Sylvester seldom escaped being mentioned in Nash's shadow, where Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...

 were more popular, in Britain especially 'post punk' era during the 80's when CSN's media popularity declined sharply, Sylvester was seen as a second generation Merseybeat musician with a strong reputation who was then a longtime figurehead member of The Hollies featured on their two most famous UK hits ('He Ain't Heavy' / 'The Air That I Breathe').

By the time he joined The Hollies he was introduced as a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 on Hollies Sing Hollies (late 1969), his first song for The Hollies was 'Gloria Swansong', and he continued to contribute to songs, both solo ('Pull Down The Blind', 'Cable Car' 1971) with Allan Clarke ('Why Didn't You Believe', 'Man Without A Heart', 'Perfect Lady Housewife' 1970 etc) and also under "Clarke-Hicks-Sylvester". ('Please Sign Your Letters', 'Do You Believe In Love', etc). Additionally, Sylvester wrote the songs for b-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

 on some singles including "Indian Girl" (1972).

Sylvester became an even greater band figurehead during the 1972-73 period when Swedish vocalist Mike Rickfors temporarily replaced longtime singer Allan Clarke (who left to go solo for a time). Sylvester deputised for Clarke singing the US big hit 'Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)' on The Hollies 1973 US Tour & on American TV appearances.

Sylvester took a number of lead vocals during this period on The Hollies albums 'Romany' (1972) and the (still unissued in the US or UK) follow up 'Out On The Road' (1973), on which Sylvester took lead vocals on several songs including Tony Hicks' 'Slow Down, Go Down' (a minor chart hit as a single in Australia) and which included his notable solo numbers; 'Pick Up The Pieces', and 'Mr. Heartbreaker' (co-written with Dean Ford late of The Marmalade group).

From 'Romany' Sylvester sang a memorable cover of Judee Sill's 'Jesus Was A Crossmaker' which later was featured in the film 'Elizabethtown'

Sylvester was a key high harmony vocalist during The Hollies seventies period notably on hits such as; 'I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top' (1970), 'The Air That I Breathe' (1974), and 'Sandy' (1974),being featured on a further ten Hollies UK chart hits between 1969 and 1980, plus many overseas hits.

In 1974, Sylvester cut his first solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...

 album, a self-titled work that was released by Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

 (KE 33076) in the United States.
This set with a slightly revised track listing re-titled I Believe, recorded at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

, and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 by Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...

 and the Hollies long time producer Ron Richards was then issued on Polydor records (2383 394) in the UK in 1976. His friend James Griffin of Bread guested harmony vocals on the song 'Travelin' Boy', while Sylvester cut solo versions of his Hollies songs 'Cable Car', 'Indian Girl', 'Pick Up The Pieces Again' and later a solo version of his 1973 Hollies song 'I Had A Dream' was added to the CD version of the album..

After a 1974 single on Polydor ('For The Peace of All Mankind') then two 1976 singles ('I Believe' & 'At the End of The Line') all taken from his solo album failed to chart, in 1978 Sylvester issued the rare non album singles; 'Too Bad Lucy Jane' c/w 'Realistic Situation' (Polydor 2040 194) and 'Silver And Gold' c/w 'Realistic Situation' (2058 985) in the UK, but these also failed to chart.

He also earlier had contributed vocals to The Alan Parson Project's Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the debut album by the progressive rock group The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1976. The album's avant-garde soundscapes kept it from being a blockbuster, but the interesting lyrical and musical themes — retellings of horror stories and poetry by...

album in 1975, singing; 'To One In Paradise'.

Sylvester along with Clarke and Hicks, composed most or all of The Hollies albums; 'Confessions of The Mind' (1970), and the Polydor (UK) sets: 'Hollies' (1974), 'Another Night' (1975), 'Write On' and 'Russian Roulette' (both 1976 - tho's neither issued in the US in original form,) plus 'A Crazy Steal' (1978).

After a period of discontent, partly over musical policy, Sylvester split with the Hollies in May 1981, in an incident that precipitated the resignation of longtime bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 Bernie Calvert
Bernie Calvert
Bernie Calvert played bass guitar and keyboards with The Hollies from 1966 until 1981.-Career:...

.

That same year, he recorded Griffin & Sylvester (issued on Polydor in 1982) in collaboration with ex-Bread
Bread (band)
Bread was a rock band from Los Angeles, California. They placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977 and were a prime example of what later was labeled soft rock....

 member Jimmy Griffin
Jimmy Griffin
James Arthur Griffin was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter with the 1970s rock band Bread.-Early life:An Academy Award winning songwriter, Griffin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. His musical training began when his parents signed him up for accordion lessons...

 in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

. From this album a single 'Please Come Into My Life' was taken but failed to chart.

After leaving The Hollies, Sylvester worked for a period in the mid 1980s as an estate agent
Estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...

 in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...

.

Sylvester returned to music in the late 80's, once again teaming with James Griffin as 'Griffin & Sylvester' touring the US and Canada as a part of the 'Soft Rock Cafe', the friendship and partnership continued on and off up to Griffin's death in January 2005.
Their 1982 album was re-issued on Compact disc with three bonus songs in 1999.

Sylvester issued a further solo album; 'I Believe In Love' on Major Oak Records (MORECD 9894) in 1994, comprising live versions of both his Hollies and solo recorded songs plus covers such as 'It Never Rains In Southern California' etc, from a concert recorded on 20 March 1994 in Germany.

Sylvester, who now divides his time between Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, has remained active in music, touring mainly in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 either alone or with other 1960s era musicians such as Billy J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer is a British Invasion/Merseybeat singer. In the 1960s he was managed by Brian Epstein, who also managed The Beatles, and he recorded several original Lennon and McCartney compositions.-Early life and career:He grew up as the youngest of seven siblings and attended the St George of...

, Peter Noone
Peter Noone
Peter Noone is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as "Herman" of the successful 1960s rock group Herman's Hermits.-Early life:...

 and Gerry Marsden
Gerry Marsden
Gerard "Gerry" Marsden is an English musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the British band Gerry & the Pacemakers.-Biography:...

.

Sylvester has also appeared with his childhood schoolfriend Joey Molland (Ex-Badfinger) in shows.

The Hollies recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...

 in 2010 was marred when other former Hollies Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke (singer)
Allan Clarke is a retired British singer who was one of the founding members of The Hollies. He retired in 1999.-Career:...

 and Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...

 performed a medley of Hollies hits without inviting former band mates Sylvester, Eric Haydock
Eric Haydock
Eric Haydock was the original bass guitarist with The Hollies from December 1962 until 1966. Although considered a great bassist, he was replaced in 1966 by Bernie Calvert, after disputes related to the conduct of the band's managers.-External links:*...

 or Bernie Calvert
Bernie Calvert
Bernie Calvert played bass guitar and keyboards with The Hollies from 1966 until 1981.-Career:...

 to share the stage, an act reminiscent of the 1993 induction ceremony of Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....

 during which John Fogerty
John Fogerty
John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...

 refused to allow former colleagues Stu Cook
Stu Cook
Stuart Alden Cook is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work in the rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival....

 and Doug Clifford
Doug Clifford
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford played drums in the American rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival...

 to participate in the performance of a medley of CCR hits. However it transpires it was not known beforehand whether all would be attending the show (fellow inductees longtime band members Tony Hicks & Bobby Elliott were away touring the UK with the current Hollies group thus were absent), Haydock's attending was apparently a last minute thing, thus none besides Nash and Clarke were at the TV show rehearsals, the location having been changed at the last minute without Sylvester being informed.

A compilation 'Anthology' 2CD set of Sylvester's recordings with The Hollies (mostly Sylvester lead vocal tracks) , The Alan Parsons Project , solo, and Griffin & Sylvester titled: 'The Complete Works: 1969-1982' was issued in France on Magic Records (3930048) in 2001.

External links

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