[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E72]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO TOM TERRELL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ANTHONY D. WEINER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 23, 2008

  Mr. WEINER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Tom Terrell, a 
versatile music journalist, promoter and DJ, who was among the first 
industry insiders to focus attention on reggae and world music. Tom was 
a cornerstone of the New York music community for 16 years before 
returning to his native Washington, DC, where he passed away on 
November 29, 2007, after a brave battle with prostate cancer. He was 57 
years old.
  Mr. Terrell, who was ubiquitous in Washington music circles in the 
1970s and 1980s, seemed to know everyone and to be ahead of every 
trend. After beginning his journalistic career at Howard University, he 
worked as a disc jockey at local stations and wrote about music for the 
Unicorn Times, the Washington City Paper, and other publications. As 
the house DJ at d.c. space and the 9:30 Club, he introduced audiences 
to an eclectic selection of records reflecting his interest in soul, 
jazz, New Wave, reggae, and African music.
  Mr. Terrell's unique, humorous, insightful, and always honest voice 
was ubiquitious in places such as Vibe, Essence, JazzTimes, the Village 
Voice and National Public Radio. Mr. Terrell's journalism was often a 
spirited blend of autobiography and musicology, leavened with slang, 
profanity, and the knowledge of every trend in popular music for the 
past half-century. He wrote about virtually every form of music from 
Africa and the Americas.
  Between his DJ work and writing, he promoted concerts for artists as 
diverse as Cab Calloway, the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Mali's Salif 
Keita. After moving to New York in 1990, he worked in marketing for 
Island Records, Gee Street Records, and Verve, wrote for magazines and 
served as the DJ for jazz giant Ornette Coleman's 70th birthday party. 
Mr. Terrell was also an accomplished photographer who photographed 
hundreds of musicians in performance.
  Back in Washington, one of his final projects was to write liner 
notes and record video interviews for a six-CD box set of Miles Davis's 
``On the Corner'' recordings of the early 1970s.
  Mr. Terrell was much more than a talented writer and musicologist 
with a gift for discovering artists and musical developments. He was a 
radiant, joyful presence, whose enthusiasm and appreciation for life, 
music, and a good joke will continue to inspire those who were 
fortunate enough to know him. Above all, his life represented the ideal 
that music could be a beneficial force in the world, uniting people 
across racial, social and geographical boundaries. This was his magic.
  As his sister Bevadine Z. Terrell says, ``He loved bringing new music 
to people. He loved bringing people together, not just African 
Americans, but white people, Asian people, African people.''
  Mr. Terrell set a great example of community for artists to follow. 
``How can I help you?'' was a question Tom was always asking. May his 
memory serve as a reminder to all of us to keep asking that question.

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