RIP: Forest Terry Jr.

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.

Forest Terry - Branch In Out (45 Version)

Forest Terry - Satellite Love (45 Version)

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:

Forest Terry - Live On Galactic Fractures

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.

Forest Terry - Branch In Out (12 Inch Mix)

Forest Terry - Satellite Love (Extended Mix)

Rest In Peace, Forest Terry Jr. Inventor of the Keytar!