Gordon Terry
Musician · b. 1931 · Decatur, Alabama
Best known for
Fiddle
Gordon Terry was an Alabama-born fiddler who debuted on the Grand Ole Opry at age nine, served two stints with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and became a busy Nashville session fiddler whose hot-rod novelty sides "Wild Honey" and "Drag Strip" sit alongside session credits with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Merle Haggard.
- Born October 7, 1931 in Decatur, Alabama; made his Grand Ole Opry debut at age nine.
- Joined the Grand Ole Opry roster in 1950 and within a year was performing and recording with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (tenures circa 1950–1951 and 1953–1954).
- Became a busy Nashville session fiddler, recording with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Faron Young, Wynn Stewart, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, and Neil Young.
- Cut hot-rod and novelty sides as a leader in the late 1950s and early 60s including "Wild Honey" and "Drag Strip."
- Played in Merle Haggard's backing band The Strangers and recorded a square-dance album with Flatt & Scruggs in November 1961.
- Charter inductee of the National Fiddler Hall of Fame (1981) and inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
- Decatur, Alabama named the Gordon Terry Parkway in his honor in the 1980s.
- Died April 9, 2006 in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
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Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass BoysPlayed on recordings with Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys
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Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys
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The Osborne Brothers and Red AllenPlayed on recordings with The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen