Comments on: Rest In Peace Tom Terrell http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2007/12/03/rest-in-peace-tom-terrell/ 68.3 Square Miles of D.C. News and Opinion Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:05:00 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Michael Layne Heath http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2007/12/03/rest-in-peace-tom-terrell/comment-page-1/#comment-76210 Michael Layne Heath Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:11:26 +0000 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/index.php/2007/12/03/rest-in-peace-tom-terrell/#comment-76210 I was always a fan of the Clone Ranger/Tom T. reggae sets on WHFS in the 80's, and had the good fortune of getting to know Tom better when he and I worked for years at the Record and Tape Exchange in College Park, Md. Tom was a preternaturally energetic, opinionated, intelligent man of distinctly broad musical tastes who turned me on to so much good stuff. He was also a great spinner of tales : about everything from seeing brothers freaking the hell out at Betty Davis' first DC show at Howard U. (?), road stories of his globetrotting tours with Steel Pulse, hanging out with Marley and the Wailers during their awesome run of shows at the Apollo in NY...more besides. For my part, I could always count on cracking Tom up at work with a character I made up, based on all the bottomfeeding music industry locals who'd skulk in to RTX to sell promo LP's. I called him 'Sammy Sleazeball'; Sammy talked like the sprog of Damon Runyan and Tony Soprano, and was forever trying to con Tom into working for him at his record co., offering outrageous sums of money and perks, never forgetting to include in his per diem 'an extra ten per cent for the tootski' (Tom never indulged in that sort of thing, of course, but this was the 80's). Seeing Tom crumple up with laughter over the record bins made all the crap that came with working in such a place (sorry Anton) almost worthwhile. After that, our paths diverged, but even after moving to the Bay Area I'd on occasion spot his byline, and always be glad to read his thoughtful and articulate musings on music, culture, even mortality (a column he wrote for the GLOBAL RHYTHM ezine about the funeral of Shirley Horn, who I was surprised to discover was family, was an especially moving latterday TT gem). Though I was never able to come back East for any of the amazing benefit shows done in his honor, after some detective work I tracked down his sister's phone number, and I seriously cherish the brief chat he and I had one afternoon a few months back...even in his condition at that time, he was still optimistic about the future, cheery, and as he had been from the first, encouraging of my own lit.-crit. career, such as it is. Now Tom's gone, and I miss him terribly. And somewhere in his bling-encrusted high rise condo, even Sammy Sleazeball is shedding a few tears right now. I was always a fan of the Clone Ranger/Tom T. reggae sets on WHFS in the 80's, and had the good fortune of getting to know Tom better when he and I worked for years at the Record and Tape Exchange in College Park, Md. Tom was a preternaturally energetic, opinionated, intelligent man of distinctly broad musical tastes who turned me on to so much good stuff.

He was also a great spinner of tales : about everything from seeing brothers freaking the hell out at Betty Davis' first DC show at Howard U. (?), road stories of his globetrotting tours with Steel Pulse, hanging out with Marley and the Wailers during their awesome run of shows at the Apollo in NY...more besides.

For my part, I could always count on cracking Tom up at work with a character I made up, based on all the bottomfeeding music industry locals who'd skulk in to RTX to sell promo LP's. I called him 'Sammy Sleazeball'; Sammy talked like the sprog of Damon Runyan and Tony Soprano, and was forever trying to con Tom into working for him at his record co., offering outrageous sums of money and perks, never forgetting to include in his per diem 'an extra ten per cent for the tootski' (Tom never indulged in that sort of thing, of course, but this was the 80's). Seeing Tom crumple up with laughter over the record bins made all the crap that came with working in such a place (sorry Anton) almost worthwhile.

After that, our paths diverged, but even after moving to the Bay Area I'd on occasion spot his byline, and always be glad to read his thoughtful and articulate musings on music, culture, even mortality (a column he wrote for the GLOBAL RHYTHM ezine about the funeral of Shirley Horn, who I was surprised to discover was family, was an especially moving latterday TT gem).

Though I was never able to come back East for any of the amazing benefit shows done in his honor, after some detective work I tracked down his sister's phone number, and I seriously cherish the brief chat he and I had one afternoon a few months back...even in his condition at that time, he was still optimistic about the future, cheery, and as he had been from the first, encouraging of my own lit.-crit. career, such as it is.

Now Tom's gone, and I miss him terribly. And somewhere in his bling-encrusted high rise condo, even Sammy Sleazeball is shedding a few tears right now.

]]> By: curm http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2007/12/03/rest-in-peace-tom-terrell/comment-page-1/#comment-75815 curm Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:58:43 +0000 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/index.php/2007/12/03/rest-in-peace-tom-terrell/#comment-75815 Tom was an enthusiastic, fun guy. He also briefly dj'd at the University of Maryland's WMUC, was a tour manager for Steel Pulse and Thomas Mapfumo, and wrote liner notes for a recent Miles Davis box set. Celebration Of Life For Tom Terrell" Friday, December 7, 2007 "Wake" - 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Stewart Funeral Home, Inc., 4001 Benning Road, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20019 (202) 399-3600 Saturday, December 8, 2007 "Celebration of Life" 9:00 A.M. Viewing 11:00 A.M. Funeral Service Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University 6th Street and Howard Place, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20059 (202) 806-7280 Tom was an enthusiastic, fun guy. He also briefly dj'd at the University of Maryland's WMUC, was a tour manager for Steel Pulse and Thomas Mapfumo, and wrote liner notes for a recent Miles Davis box set.

Celebration Of Life For Tom Terrell"

Friday, December 7, 2007 "Wake" - 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
Stewart Funeral Home, Inc., 4001 Benning Road, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20019 (202) 399-3600

Saturday, December 8, 2007 "Celebration of Life"
9:00 A.M. Viewing 11:00 A.M. Funeral Service
Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University
6th Street and Howard Place, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20059
(202) 806-7280

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