Terry Pascoe joined The Wurzels as keyboard player and backing vocalist in the mids 1980s, leaving a few years later.

Terry was born in Totnes, South Devon and educated at Redworth Secondary Modern School in the 1960s. He left school with a modest 6 GCE '0' levels and embarked on a career in banking. After three years, at the age 19, he quit to become a rock star - 40 years later he is still trying!

Terry's first band was the semi-pro outfit The Grit in the late 1960s. From there, he joined the progressive rock band Adolphus Rebirth. After his band played a support gig to pop band Mud at Tavistock Town Hall in the late 1960s, he was offered a job as keyboard player with the band. After waiting a couple of weeks with no contact from them, he decided to sign a contract with local pop band The Graded Grains (pictured right) and tour Europe; one week into this job and he received a telegram from home saying that Mud had called at his family's house in Totnes to take him to London... Deciding to see out his contract, he stayed with The Graded Grains for a few years touring Germany, Italy and France and was even based in Paris for 6 months. During this time he was also playing with a heavy rock band called Blue Blood.

In 1974, art-rock band Curved Air were forced to reform to pay an enormous unpaid VAT bill! Terry was given an hour-long audition by the band (then consisting of Tony Reeves, Daryl Way, Mickey Jacques, Sonja Chirstina and Stewart Copeland - later of The Police) to replace Eddie Jobson as keyboard/vocalist. Although he was offered the job, he had to refuse the offer for personal reasons. Curved Air would continue shedding and replacing band members, splitting and reforming to this day - so it would never have been a steady job anyway!

Terry was however making a name for himself on the nightclub circuit with various residencies on the English Riviera of Torbay, before moving up to Exeter where he had a residency at the Riverside Club. It was during this time that he worked with Jai Howe, and met John Morgan.

By the mid-1970s, Terry's trio had a residency at the influential Rainbow Variety Club in Swansea, and was playing gigs at nightclubs and social clubs across South Wales, and moonlighted at Swansea Sound radio station writing and performing jingles. During this time, he was approached by the management of Bonnie Tyler who had just had her first hit single Lost In France. Terry was offered the job as keyboard player but again, he declined the offer for personal reasons.

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Terry with residencies around the country including The Cadbury Court Country Club in Congresbury near Bristol, and various seasons in Pontins Jersey, and St. Peter Port, Guernsey.

During the mid-1980s, Terry joined The Wurzels. He spent two or three years with the band as keyboard player and backing vocalist. Dates are hard to come by, but we suspect that he joined after Jai Howe (1985) and left before Jai quit, so we're probably talking 1985/86 to 1988/89 (or thereabouts!) Although he never recorded with the band, he made TV appearances on Westward Television and HTV, and recorded for BBC Radio at Bristol - and of course playing numerous gigs with the band. The picture (right) shows Terry with the rest of the band (including Jai sporting a beard and looking not unlike Pete Budd!).

Since leaving The Wurzels, Terry's career has continued down the same route. the late 1980s saw summer seasons at Somerwest World in Minehead, Pontins in Jersey and Sand Bay in Weston-Super-Mare. In the late 1980s he opened Lanzarote's premier nightclub Moonlight Bay working at co-manager of the venue.

In the early 1990's he joined pop band Spangle as keyboard/vocalist for a three-month residency on board the QE2. This was followed by a six-month season on the Spanish Island of Menorca, now as bandleader of Spangle. Terry then left Spangle to front his own duo Oceanaire cruising the world on the Royal Cruise Line ship Crown Oddyssey (and being paid for it!). He also played on board Cunard's prestigious Sea Goddess II where guests are charged $1000 per day! Rejoining Spangle, he spent most of the late 1990s with the American cruise company Holland America. The early 2000's finds Terry working for Saga, performing as guitarist / vocalist on Rhine cruises interspersed with various short contract Caribbean cruises on board Saga Rose and P&O's Aurora as cocktail pianist.

In 2005, Terry finally went into the studio and recorded and produced an album of original songs entitled 'Lay Back Easy' which garners critical acclaim and local radio play. Most recently he did some musical arrangements and recording for Dave Prowse MBE, better known as Darth Vader. Although primarily known for his body building and acting - Dave has a fine singing voice.

Terry is currently bandleader and musical director at Lyme Bay Holiday Village, Seaton in South Devon.

Links

Terry Pascoe's Lay Back Easy website

Terry Pascoe, Germany 1969

Terry (right) with The Graded Grains in 1969

Terry (far left) with The Wurzels in the mid-1980s