Terry & The Pirates

Terry & the Pirates revolved around guitarist and vocalist Terry Dolan, who grew up in Connecticut before moving to San Francisco amid the Summer of Love in 1965. During those years he performed regularly at local coffeehouses, clubs, and festivals, sharing bills with Elvin Bishop, B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Blue Cheer, and other national acts. Dolan’s blend of folk and rock often left listeners uncertain how to categorize him, since he declined to limit himself to either style alone. He formed a lasting connection with the band Country Weather, frequently drawing on its members for his own sessions and shows; guitarist Greg Douglass eventually departed the group to work exclusively with Dolan. In the summer of 1970, Country Weather supported Dolan on a set of demos that received airplay on KSAN and KMPX.

Those recordings secured a Warner Bros. deal two years later, enlisting an all-star cast that featured John Cipollina, Douglass, David Weber, Spencer Dryden, Lonnie Turner, Neal Schon, Prairie Prince, Kathi McDonald, Mic Gillette, and the Pointer Sisters, with one side produced by Rolling Stones associate Nicky Hopkins. The completed album was nevertheless shelved for reasons that remain unclear. Undeterred, Dolan assembled Terry & the Pirates in the summer of 1973. The lineup fluctuated over time, yet Cipollina and Douglass stayed constant companions. Between the late 1970s and early 1980s the band issued Too Close for Comfort (1979), The Doubtful Handshake (1980), Wind Dancer (1981), and Rising of the Moon (1982). The group continued until 1989, when Cipollina’s death brought activities to a halt. Dolan revived the name in 1994 with an entirely new roster, which yielded the 1998 album Still a Pirate. In 2001 he released the “vaults compilation” Comanche Boots along with an expanded reissue of Too Close for Comfort. A further reissue of Return to Silverado, augmented by a bonus disc of rare, live, and previously unreleased tracks, appeared in 2007.