Biography
Born in the closing years of the 1940s, Terence Boylan spent his childhood in Buffalo, New York, where he entered music before reaching thirteen as a member of the PreTeens. The group performed on local station WBNY, presenting “Playing Hard to Get,” a composition Boylan had completed at age eleven. In his early teens he reached New York City and Greenwich Village, crossing paths with Bob Dylan before the singer’s first recordings and with Ramblin’ Jack Elliot; their support prompted Boylan to launch a solo career in upstate New York and to attend the Newport Folk Festivals of 1963 and 1964.
He later enrolled at Bard College in New York and formed the Ginger Men with his brother John. Occasional Village dates brought them into contact with the Blues Project and the Lovin’ Spoonful during the mid-sixties. By 1967 several New York labels had taken notice, leading to a Verve contract; there the brothers recorded the experimental music-and-comedy set Appletree Theatre, which developed a cult following chiefly among fellow musicians, including John Lennon. John Boylan then moved to California, establishing himself first as a session guitarist and subsequently as a producer, while Terence remained in New York. Returning to Bard in 1968, Terence became close friends with classmates Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who were already writing songs though their Beatles-influenced style had not yet found commercial favor, and he performed alongside them. With Becker and Fagen participating, he cut his debut solo album, Alias Boona, a nod to his nickname, for Verve Forecast, the label’s progressive and experimental rock subsidiary. Like its predecessor, the record drew attention mainly from other musicians, among them Bob Dylan, whose “Subterranean Homesick Blues” received a striking reinterpretation. Rather than remain in New York, Boylan relocated to California, where his brother was then working with Linda Ronstadt; he joined John’s production company and established a base on the West Coast.
Asylum Records later signed him, and in 1977 he released his self-titled second album, a characteristically West Coast production in both sound and texture. Critics responded favorably, yet the record achieved only cult status. As a songwriter, however, Boylan enjoyed wider success when Ian Matthews took “Shake It” into the Top Five. He toured nationally behind the album with Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat, then returned to New York to record what became a combined third-and-fourth album, issued as Suzy; again the critical response was strong while sales remained modest. In subsequent years Boylan has concentrated on songwriting, soundtrack contributions, and the operation of his own Spinnaker Records label and publishing company.
He later enrolled at Bard College in New York and formed the Ginger Men with his brother John. Occasional Village dates brought them into contact with the Blues Project and the Lovin’ Spoonful during the mid-sixties. By 1967 several New York labels had taken notice, leading to a Verve contract; there the brothers recorded the experimental music-and-comedy set Appletree Theatre, which developed a cult following chiefly among fellow musicians, including John Lennon. John Boylan then moved to California, establishing himself first as a session guitarist and subsequently as a producer, while Terence remained in New York. Returning to Bard in 1968, Terence became close friends with classmates Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who were already writing songs though their Beatles-influenced style had not yet found commercial favor, and he performed alongside them. With Becker and Fagen participating, he cut his debut solo album, Alias Boona, a nod to his nickname, for Verve Forecast, the label’s progressive and experimental rock subsidiary. Like its predecessor, the record drew attention mainly from other musicians, among them Bob Dylan, whose “Subterranean Homesick Blues” received a striking reinterpretation. Rather than remain in New York, Boylan relocated to California, where his brother was then working with Linda Ronstadt; he joined John’s production company and established a base on the West Coast.
Asylum Records later signed him, and in 1977 he released his self-titled second album, a characteristically West Coast production in both sound and texture. Critics responded favorably, yet the record achieved only cult status. As a songwriter, however, Boylan enjoyed wider success when Ian Matthews took “Shake It” into the Top Five. He toured nationally behind the album with Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat, then returned to New York to record what became a combined third-and-fourth album, issued as Suzy; again the critical response was strong while sales remained modest. In subsequent years Boylan has concentrated on songwriting, soundtrack contributions, and the operation of his own Spinnaker Records label and publishing company.
Albums
