Terry Callier, a jazz/folk/soul songwriter whose professional career stretched back 50 years, was found dead Sunday (October 28) following a lengthy illness. He was 67.
The Chicago-born Callier was famously a childhood friend of Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. After singing in doo-wop groups in his early years, Callier began recording music in the '60s and eventually released his debut album, The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier, in 1968. He went on to release a string of albums during the '70s, but achieved only minor commercial success, and he withdrew from the music scene to become a computer programmer in the '80s and '90s.
He made an unexpected comeback in the '90s and collaborated with Beth Orton on her Best Bit EP in 1997. Callier then released several new albums of his own, worked with Paul Weller on the single "Brother to Brother," and most recently collaborated with Massive Attack for his 2009 album Hidden Conversations.
The Chicago-born Callier was famously a childhood friend of Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. After singing in doo-wop groups in his early years, Callier began recording music in the '60s and eventually released his debut album, The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier, in 1968. He went on to release a string of albums during the '70s, but achieved only minor commercial success, and he withdrew from the music scene to become a computer programmer in the '80s and '90s.
He made an unexpected comeback in the '90s and collaborated with Beth Orton on her Best Bit EP in 1997. Callier then released several new albums of his own, worked with Paul Weller on the single "Brother to Brother," and most recently collaborated with Massive Attack for his 2009 album Hidden Conversations.
