Terry Hill

The vanguard musician is fondly remembered for his impact on Knoxville’s music scene

You don’t have to buy them clothes,
You don’t have to fix your nose.
Look inside and you will find
Something beautiful and perfectly designed.
— “Beauty,” by Terry Hill

Among the many individuals who have contributed to Knoxville’s rich musical tradition, there is perhaps no one as talented, unanimously loved and respected as Terry Hill, a local guitarist, experimentalist and producer who passed away in 2003. Those who knew him best paint a remarkably consistent portrait of a man who not only possessed an innate creative talent and passion for artistic expression, but also displayed a refreshing sense of optimism and humility, often a rare combination among artists.

That talent, says his younger sister Georgann Hill-Hickman, was glaringly obvious during his childhood.

“When Terry was little we didn’t know what perfect pitch was — we just knew that Terry could hum the dial tone of the telephone before he picked it up! And every time he had it right,” says Hill-Hickman.

As a teenager, Hill had yet to take any formal guitar lessons, but was already writing songs on the instrument. It only took a few lessons for his first guitar teacher to realize he was dealing with a rare talent.

“The teacher said, ‘I can’t take your money anymore; you already play better than I do. All you need to know is what the names of the chords are,’” recounts Hickman.

While attending Young High School in 1969, Hill joined Courageous Dong, a group from Clifton, N.J., whose members had just relocated to Knoxville to attend the University of Tennessee. The versatile eight-piece group was known for their impeccable musicianship, tight arrangements and ambitious cover sets.

Doug Klein says he came to the University of Tennessee in 1969 from Long Island, N.Y., to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War. He became fast friends with the group and was soon asked to replace the  original drummer, Bob Mater.

“When the horns kicked in during our medley of Chicago tunes I would look over in disbelief that I was playing in such a
powerful band,” says Klein.

Courageous Dong lasted about three years, disbanding after its members relocated to New Jersey to pursue success in the New York City club scene. Commercial success for Hill would always prove elusive, especially after he infamously turned down an invitation to audition for Paul McCartney’s then-newly formed band Wings. Instead, Hill joined established New Jersey cover band Godspeed.

Godspeed toured the northeast extensively, carving out a niche of enthusiastic fans along the Jersey shoreline. However, Hill was missing Knoxville.

“The New Jersey, New York scene of bars and concerts were getting really old for us and him, and he was a country boy at heart with strong family ties, and I believe he really missed home and his family and friends,” says Godspeed keyboardist Jack Ciminello.

After returning to Knoxville in 1978, Hill re-joined former bandmate Klein as a two-piece and began recording original songs, first at Hill’s mother’s house and then at Hill’s home and studio “Camel,” located behind the Pick ‘n’ Grin music store in West Knoxville.

The group soon added guitarist Hector Qirko, who had just relocated to Knoxville from Chicago, and bassist Richard Battaglia, who had previously been the group’s soundman. Now known as Balboa, the band was a southern echo of just about everything good happening musically at the time, a cutting-edge mishmash of prog rock, punk and pop that would eventually provide the spark igniting Knoxville’s previously non-existent
rock scene.

“Balboa, followed closely by Real Hostages, etc., were really the first guys to plant a flag of piracy in the middle of the Strip,” says Carl Snow, a local musician who was also one of Hill’s guitar students and close friends. “They played on their terms and not those of the record companies who ran corporate radio in the ’70s. They gave a lot of us geezers  — who were kids back then — the go-ahead, if you will.”