I decided to start off my new blog 'The Next Ball Game' with a tribute to a local Boston musician, inventor, and friend, Forest Terry Jr. Forest passed away February 7th, 2009.
I first heard about Forest Terry through another collector who sells records from Lotusland Records. I picked up the amazing 45 'Branch N Out' b/w 'Satellite Love', and played it many times. Here are the two sides, direct from the 45.
After buying the 45 I found out that Forest Terry was a local Boston artist, and was still around. A friend hooked me up with his number, and I got him to come in to my radio show for an interview. Take a listen for yourself:
That interview was incredible. Forest brought out a ton of treats and was full of stories. Forest Terry invented the Keytar! He was even awarded a patent, not an easy feat. Apparently, he worked with a local synth company, and a local guitar crafter to create his vision. Listen to the full interview for the details.
Also, Forest was a member of the local group Black Sheep Of The Family (I'll cover them in a future blog post). This interview was instrumental in tracking down Bili Sparrow, one of the founders of Black Sheep of the Family. Through this interview I tracked down Chip Allen also from Black Sheep, and he had some leads on tracking down Sparrow. Both Bili and Chip reconnected with Forest before his death, which I was proud to be able to help with.
Among the treats Forest brought out to the radio station during the interview were this video, which I uploaded to YouTube:
Also, and amazingly, he brought out some unreleased extended mixes of both sides of the 45.
Rest In Peace, Forest Terry Jr. Inventor of the Keytar!
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