Terry Stafford
TERRY STAFFORD
Bio
I started playing guitar at age 8, when my parents bought me a Fender
Duosonic guitar and a Princeton Reverb amp. I guess they thought it would keep
me out of trouble.
During those times in our Detroit suburb, if you had a guitar and could carry
it to a practice, you were in a band. Every neighborhood had it’s own band,
and eventually competition got tough.
In the 60’s, we taught each other how to play and learn in our “groups”. The
only lessons available were Piano and accordion. So we learned by trial and
error and watching others and spinning records, trying to learn as much as
possible.
I learned early that everybody wanted to play guitar. So being the trooper, I
removed the top two strings from my Fender six string, turned off all treble
and reverb and blasted the bass tone, and somehow I was anointed a bass
player.
It would be a couple of years before I could afford my first Fender Precision
Bass and Ampeg B-15 “flip top” amp.
I played with several musicians and groups during the sixties, but it was
sometime during my senior year in High School that I started playing more
often and for a steady amount of money.
I played a local nightclub called the “Touch of Vegas” at night and attended
school during the day.
My next group was with a dedicated group excellent musicians out of Allen
Park, Mi led by guitarist Paul Lunwick. This was a bar and party band that had
some local success and a solid following.
This was very early 70’s and we were just coming out of the “Motown and peace
era” into more British rockers, and firmly establishing the Detroit Rock
sound.
Detroit bands at that time were: Grand Funk, Bob Seger, Rare Earth, Mitch
Ryder, Stooges, MC5, The Frost, Savage Grace, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, SRC,
Rationals, Brownsville Station and many, more to include Frijid Pink.
I left my group and joined up with Bob Gilbert from the Group “Heaven” which
was a local act that were doing some local television and was an opener to
many of the major acts that came to town.
We added a keyboard player and a drummer and called ourselves” “Amaze”. Clyde
Stevers who managed Frijid Pink, was looking for a second band to book and
promote and signed us on. Clyde had us immediately hit the road. This band
stayed with Clyde and remained mostly on the road until about 1974 when Clyde
picked up a co- manager named Ron Geddish, who at the time had a very good
local bar band named Toby Redd. Out of Toby Redd came Chad Smith who is
currently the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Clyde and Ron Geddish
continued to book the band and trying to deal with personnel problems in Pink.
Clyde had some serious problems in Pink, and almost immediately after Pink’s
fourth release “All Pink Inside”, Clyde put Bob Gilbert, Keyboardist Ray Knapp
and myself along with original drummer, Rick Stevers in Pink. Immediately, we
found the group had new life along with an energetic live show that was close
to the original band but with better musicians and harmonies.
This band also hit the road and stayed together longer than any of Clydes
previous versions of Pink, and was more to the original heavy sound.
We had a very large road crew that included lighting, pyrotechnics and sound
systems technicians and played venues all over the US and Canada.
Pink enjoyed success on the road where our live sets were legendary. We played
venues from concert halls, to state fairs, to concert clubs to festivals and
enjoyed a good following, but we were still unable to get a record deal.
We did record an album, but mostly due to the current disco scene and the fact
that the last Pink album did not get very good sales, we could not get a
record deal. Pink had been signed to London Records, MGM and Fantasy Records,
and because of poor sales of the past few albums and record execs who were
scared of any rock and roll bands at the time, Disco was the rave. Some of the
biggest artists of the day could not get anything released.
The band finally disbanded in 1978 due to many factors, first of which was the
“disco era”and management problems.
After the three of us left our manager, Clyde Stevers and Frijid Pink, we
picked up a great drummer from Saginaw, Rich King. We re-named the group to
Outer Drive and continued to play until it’s ultimate demise in 1979. If you
did not have a disco sound, you were not getting the good jobs or a recording
deal.
Bob Gilbert and Ray Knapp, moved to Florida where they hooked up with many
semi-retired pros and had a nice run until the 80’s. One of which was Bonnie
Bramlet of Delany and Bonnie with Eric Clapton.
I was married in 1979 and had children in 1980 and 82. During those times,
work and family were my first priority, but music was always tugging at my
heart. I would never turn down an opportunity to fill in for people and play a
job here and there just to keep up my chops.
In 1980, I was asked to join what was being called a “Detroit Super Group”
that included Craig Frost (Segars keyboarist), Don Brewer (Grand Funk
Railroad) and others, but the project broke down before it got off the ground.
In 1984, I was asked to join a local traveling orchestra called, “The Ed
Zelenak Orchestra” to play standards, oldies and calypso music. We would play
many political events that included a rally for President Clinton that was
played Live on CNN.
Having enough of that, I joined with a long time friend Gary “Bubba” Michels
and Jim Alexander to form a cover group called “Trilogy” This band was a local
group that played shows, clubs and events of about 60-70 a year part time. We
did some writing and recording, and one of our songs was used as a theme song
for a local community police television program.
I left Trilogy due to a promotion at work eventually became the bassist for
the 50-60’s Doo-Wop group The Reflections.
I have played a year and a half with the Reflections doing concerts, TV, live
radio and many shows. The Reflections are best known for their best hit “Just
Like Romeo and Juliett” and from their PBS television specials.
After leaving the Reflections I joined with Dynasty Recording Artist
"Gunslinger" which included veterans Randy Mac & Fate Dodson. We recorded a
commercial soundtrack for International Harvester. I am currently a member of
the Country Music Association. Due to numerous issues and unknowns I left
Gunslinger and as things have gone full circle, I have rejoined Trilogy.
I recently got a phone call from the Drifters and sat in for a show at the
Motor City Casino