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Terry Kirkman

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Terry Kirkman
Kirkman in 1966
Background information
Birth nameTerry Robert Kirkman
Born(1939-12-12)December 12, 1939
Salina, Kansas, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 23, 2023(2023-09-23) (aged 83)
Montclair, California, U.S.
GenresFolk rock, sunshine pop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active
  • 1964-1984
  • 2019
Formerly ofThe Association

Terry Robert Kirkman (December 12, 1939 – September 23, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter best known as a vocalist for the pop group The Association and the writer of several of the band's hit songs such as "Cherish", "Everything That Touches You", and "Six Man Band". As a member of The Association, he was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Early life

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Terry Robert Kirkman was born in Salina, Kansas, on December 12, 1939, and was raised in Chino, California.[1][2] His parents both had a musical background. His father Gordon had performed in bands as a soprano saxophone player and singer, and his mother Lois played the organ and piano at church and in silent film theaters.[3] He first learned how to play brass instruments as a child, during the Second World War.[4][5] After graduating from Chino High School in 1957, he attended Chaffey College as a music major.[6][7] He met Frank Zappa in college and they performed together at local coffeehouses from 1959 to 1961.[6][8]

The Association

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Main article: The Association

As a salesman visiting Hawaii in 1962, Kirkman met Jules Alexander, who was in the United States Navy at the time, and the two resolved to meet when Alexander would be discharged from his military duties.[9]

Kirkman moved to Los Angeles with Alexander in 1963.[10] Kirkman and Alexander founded the folk group the Inner Tubes, which at one time included both Cass Elliot and David Crosby. The Inner Tubes slowly grew from a small group into a 13-piece band called the Men.[11]

The Men disbanded in February 1965 and Kirkman and five other members formed their own band. To find a new name, they perused a dictionary and chose "the Association" after it was suggested by Kirkman's fiancée.[12] The Association quickly gained fame with their songs "Cherish" and "Along Comes Mary" from their 1966 debut album And Then... Along Comes the Association.[13]

In 1966, a collection of poems penned by the six members of the Association was released as the book Crank Your Spreaders, this was reprinted in August 1969.[14]

Kirkman contributed vocals to many songs, including "Never My Love", "Cherish", and "Everything That Touches You". He performed with the group at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.[15] His "Requiem for the Masses", a song written about the war in Vietnam, featured requiem-style vocals.[16]

The Association were nominated for a Grammy Award six times, three times each in the 9th (1967) and 10th Annual Grammy Awards (1968).[17]

Kirkman left the Association at the end of 1972, and returned when the band was reformed in 1979, after previously splitting up the year before. After growing tired of touring, Kirkman left the band in 1984. Subsequently, on rare occasions he performed in guest appearances with the band. He was present when he and the Association's other surviving members were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003[18] and when the band were recipients of the Rock Justice Awards on January 19, 2019, at The Village in Los Angeles.[19]

A series of interviews that he and Jules Alexander took part in, in early 2023, were released in separate parts, starting on September 1, 2023. The fourth part of these interviews was released a day before his death.[20]

Personal life and death

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In the years following his departure from the Association, Kirkman retired from the music industry and worked in California as an addiction counselor.[21]

Kirkman lived in Montclair, California, with his wife Heidi. He died from congestive heart failure on September 23, 2023, at age 83, following a long illness.[1][22][23]

Discography

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Main article: The Association § Discography
Terry Kirkman (bottom right) with The Association in 1968.

Albums

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Title Year
And Then... Along Comes the Association 1966
Renaissance 1966
Insight Out 1967
Birthday 1968
The Association 1969
Stop Your Motor 1971
Waterbeds in Trinidad! 1972

Nominations

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As a member of the Association, he was nominated for a Grammy Award six times, three times each in the 9th and 10th Annual Grammy Awards:

9th Annual Grammy Awards (1967)

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Category Song Note
Best Contemporary Group Performance Cherish [17]
Best Contemporary Recording Cherish
Best Performance By A Vocal Group Cherish

10th Annual Grammy Awards (1968)

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Category Song/Album Note
Best Contemporary Group Performance Windy [17]
Best Contemporary Album Insight Out
Best Performance By A Vocal Group Never My Love

References

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  1. ^ a b Williams, Alex (September 26, 2023). "Terry Kirkman, Whose Band Was a Late-1960s Hit Machine, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (September 25, 2023). "The Association's Terry Kirkman Dies at 83". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Searles 2018, p. 5.
  4. ^ Searles 2018, p. 6.
  5. ^ Gebroe, Dave (September 1, 2023). "110. 1960S SOFT POP BAND THE ASSOCIATION'S 2 FOUNDING MEMBERS RATE EVERYTHING THEY EVER RELEASED IN AN UNPRECEDENTED, SHOCKING 13-HR INTERVIEW (W/ TERRY KIRKMAN & JULES ALEXANDER) – PART 1 (1962–1966)". Discograffiti.com (Podcast). Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Searles 2018, p. 7.
  7. ^ "1959-1961: Notes & Comments". Donlope.net. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  8. ^ Childs, Marti; March, Jeff (July 13, 2011). Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone? – Volume 1. EditPros LLC. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-937317-01-0. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  9. ^ Searles 2018, p. 1.
  10. ^ Searles 2018, pp. 7–8.
  11. ^ Searles 2018, pp. 17–18.
  12. ^ Searles 2018, pp. 38, 40.
  13. ^ Searles 2018, p. 82.
  14. ^ Giguere, Russ; Kirkman, Terry; Cole, Brian; Bluechel, Ted; Yester, Jim; Ramos, Larry (August 1969) [1966]. Crank Your Spreaders (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Price Stern Sloan. ASIN B000CBG22M.
  15. ^ "Monterey Pop Festival 1967 Setlists". Setlist.fm. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  16. ^ McGlynn, Tim. "Terry Kirkman – Requiem for the Masses". Schaumburg High School Choir. Schaumburg High School. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c "Terry Kirkman – Grammy". Grammy Awards. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Association – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame". Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "ROCK JUSTICE AWARD given to The Association" (Press release). Los Angeles, California: The Fourth Way World. PR Newswire. January 23, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  20. ^ Gebroe, Dave (September 22, 2023). "113. 1960S SOFT POP BAND THE ASSOCIATION'S 2 FOUNDING MEMBERS RATE EVERYTHING THEY EVER RELEASED IN AN UNPRECEDENTED, SHOCKING 13-HR INTERVIEW (W/ TERRY KIRKMAN & JULES ALEXANDER) – PART 4 (1971–2023)". Discograffiti.com (Podcast). Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  21. ^ "Terry Kirkman". LinkedIn. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  22. ^ "Terry Kirkman, Co-Founder of the Association, and Composer of 'Cherish,' Dies". Best Classic Bands. September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Carras, Christi (September 24, 2023). "Singer-songwriter Terry Kirkman, founding member of the Association, dies at 83". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  • Searles, Malcolm C. (October 5, 2018). The Association 'Cherish'. Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78901-361-0.
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