For me, the best gig in all of Negril is wherever these guys are playing that particular night: Terry Gillespie the singer & guitar/harmonica player, Owen Brown on bass and Stix as you might imagine on drums but for this song tambourine while he stepped aside and allowed Al 'Baby-FAce' Webster, from the Toronto area to play drums... also for this show is special guest on Lead Guitar Brant Parker from the Toronto area in Canada... Half Moon Beach is their home-stage. These guys are life-long musicians that have played everywhere and with many famous musicians. Check them out! Whether it's a blues tune or a reggae classic or best of all: an original tune.
Terry Gillespie is definitely one of the 'great' musicians to grace any stage and perform. He's a great singer, song-writer, guitar player & harp man. Owen Brown is the most focussed 'bass' player I've ever seen......He leads the beat & the rhythm with amazing energy ...I've watched and filmed Stix over the years and now know he's the finest drummer in this town. ..All together they are absolutely the best show in town.
When Terry Gillespie was young he experienced first hand the music of Miles Davis, Howling Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and The Rolling Stones. A question he asks himself every day is: if I was one of my heroes, how would he do it? Terry doesn't play 'covers' so much as he plays interpretations, allowing the original to be his first influence. His music is Blues based. You could quote Willy Dixon "the blues is the root and the rest is the fruit'. In his case the rest is a mix of jazz, R&B, Reggae, Soul and African rhythms, music that caught the popular ear, reinterpreted for the now.
He also writes his own songs. There is already tonnes of music out there. Given that, the first thing he does is look for a space in what is out-there already, a gab that he can fill with one of his tunes. Terry loves to lead bands. It is probably what he is most good at. As a band leader he was influenced by performing in orchestras in his early years. He watched his heroes work with their bands. Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus and Howling Wolf all brought out the best in their bands, and he tries to do the same.
Terry Gillespie earned his musical chops in the USA as a young up and comer. He played the Grande Ballroom in Detroit at the age of 20 yers old opening for Ginger Baker and Cream. He was a student of Howlin’ Wolf and played with a myriad of American Blues Stars, including Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters.
He has opened for Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, Jimmy Cliff, and played guitar in the opening band for the last Toots concert in Negril. He has 9 CDs to his credit.
