Born: in Greens Corners, near Simcoe, Ontario, in 1949.
Terry Danko is the youngest of four brothers, including The Band’s Rick Danko, Terry was born into a musical family.
Encouraged by the music that surrounded him, both at home at family get-togethers in which “everybody sang or played an instrument,” and in the close-knit, familial community of Simcoe, he began performing as a child and had a local radio show by the age of 12, when he also began playing regularly in nearby Turkey Point on Lake Erie.
Though a natural performer and musician, Terry Danko's first love has always been songwriting and, in 1967, together with guitarist and fellow songwriter Jim Atkinson, they formed the group Tin Pan Alley, whose name was taken from the collection of New York City-based music publishers and songwriters who dominated US popular music in the late 19th/early 20th century.
It was that year at The Graham Bell Hotel in Brantford, where Tin Pan Alley was playing to full houses and drawing a university crowd, that Ronnie Hawkins, who had recruited Danko's brother Rick for his band, The Hawks, seven years earlier, spotted Terry and his band.
Lured by Hawkins' built-in audience and the promise of being able to play their own songs, Danko and Atkinson joined Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks. After less than two grueling years of non-stop, rigorous playing—and with little time or energy left to write songs, Danko began to feel creatively stifled, and left Hawkins. Together with Atkinson and keyboardist Dwayne Ford, he formed Atkinson, Danko and Ford and, in 1972, signed with Columbia Records, which released the group’s eponymous debut album and the single 'Right On'.
In 1973, the group changed its name to Bearfoot and released the album Friends with Bearfoot. In the mid 70s, Danko moved to California, where he continued to write, perform, and record, and became a sought-after session musician, working with everyone from Eric Clapton to George Harrison to Stephen Stills to the Rolling Stones. He played on Clapton's star-studded 'No Reason To Cry' in 1976, on his brother Rick’s acclaimed self-titled debut album in 1977, and on numerous other releases in the ensuing years. He toured with Rick Danko in 1978.
In 1980 Danko teamed up with Marty Grebb (The Buckinghams/Chicago) and together they wrote, recorded and produced an album together in California. The cast of players on the album were guitarist Chris Pinnick (Chicago), drummer Ricky Fataar, brass player James Pankow (Chicago), and percussionist Joe LaLa. Most of the tracks were recorded at the Beach Boys' Studio in Van Nuys, Calfornia and engineered by by Earle Mankey. One additional song, "First Love Affair" was recorded at The Band's Shangra La Studio and included Terry Danko, Marty Grebb, Michael DeTemple, Eric Clapton (guitar), Rick Belky (guitar), ex-Wings drummer Denny Seiwell and ex-Tractors piano playuer Walt Richmond
Danko was, unfortunately, in a serious car accident, and the album was shelved. Worse still, a fire later destroyed the master tapes.
Having recovered from his injuries, he rejoined Ronnie Hawkins in 1983, with whom he toured and performed for several years. In 1985 he took a break to reform Bearfoot with Jim Atkinson and Gerry Baird before returning to work with Ronnie Hawkins.
In 1999 Danko released the solo album 'The Fossils'. And after a self-imposed, multi-year hiatus from the music business, Terry began writing again in 2006.
In 2008 Danko found a cassette mix of the California album with Marty Grebb from 1980 and has re-issued it on CD through his Cobalt Blue label.
Since then, he has amassed a collection of 50 new songs. An album is expected in Spring 2010 with Danko and Jim Atkinson playing all the instruments.
with notes from Carol Caffin and Terry Danko. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Singles
with ATKINSON, DANKO AND FORD (With BROCKIE AND HILTON)
1972 Right On/Holy, Holy, Holy (Columbia) 3076
with BEARFOOT
1973 Only A Soldier/Life Goes Too Fast (Columbia) 3106
1973 Molly/St. Augustine (Columbia) 4027
with DWAYNE FORD AND BEARFOOT
1974 Passing Time/She Comes To Me (CBS/Columbia) 4065
1975 Cable To Carol (CBS/Columbia)
as TERRY DANKO
2009 Christmas Eve (Cobalt Blue)
Albums
as TERRY DANKO
1999 The Fossils
2009 Terry Danko Live - Outside Looking In (Cobalt Blue)
with ATKINSON, DANKO AND FORD
1972 Atkinson, Danko And Ford (With BROCKIE AND HILTON) (Columbia) ES 90134
with BEARFOOT
1973 Friends With Bearfoot (Columbia) KE 32653
with TERRY DANKO, MARTY GREBB, AND FRIENDS
2009 The Lost California Tapes/The Pencil (Cobalt Blue)
Video
Compilation Tracks
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