Terry Kirkman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Terry Kirkman
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Terry Kirkman in 1966.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Terry Robert Kirkman |
| Born | December 12, 1939 Salina, Kansas, U.S. |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 23, 2023 (aged 83) Montclair, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk rock, sunshine pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, woodwind |
| Years active | 1960s–1984 |
Terry Robert Kirkman (December 12, 1939 – September 23, 2023) was an American musician 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.
Contents
Early life
Terry Robert Kirkman was born in Salina, Kansas, and was raised in Chino, California. He first learned how to play brass instruments as a child, during the Second World War. He attended Chaffey College as a music major.
The Association
As a salesman visiting Hawaii in 1962, Kirkman met Jules Alexander, who was in the U.S. Navy at the time, and the two resolved to meet when Alexander would be discharged from his military duties.
Kirkman moved to Los Angeles with Alexander in 1963 and played with Frank Zappa before Zappa formed the Mothers of Invention. Kirkman and Alexander founded the folk group the Inner Tubes, which at one time included both Cass Elliott and David Crosby. The Inner Tubes slowly merged from a small group into a 13-piece band called the Men.
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. The Association quickly gained fame with their songs “Cherish” and “Along Comes Mary” from their 1966 debut album And Then... Along Comes the Association.
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. His "Requiem for the Masses", a song written about the war in Vietnam, featured requiem-style vocals.
The Association were nominated for a Grammy Award six times, three times each in the 9th (1967) and 10th Annual Grammy Awards (1968).
In August 1969, a collection of poems penned by the seven members of the Association was released as the book Crank Your Spreaders.
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 and when the band were recipients of the Rock Justice Awards on January 18, 2019, at Village Studios in Los Angeles.
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.
Personal life and death
Kirkman lived in Montclair, California with his wife Heidi. He died from congestive heart failure on September 23, 2023, at the age of 83, following a long illness.
Discography
Albums
| 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 |
Singles
| Year | Titles | US | USCashbox | AUS | UK | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"
b/w "Baby, Can't You Hear Me Call Your Name" |
— | — | — | — | |
| "One Too Many Mornings"
b/w "Forty Times" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Along Comes Mary"
b/w "Your Own Love" |
7 | 9 | — | 52 | |
| "Cherish"
b/w "Don't Blame It on Me" (titled "Don't Blame the Rain" on non-U.S. 45s) |
1 | 1 | 33 | — | US: Gold | |
| "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies"
b/w "Standing Still" (from And Then...Along Comes the Association) |
35 | 26 | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "No Fair at All" /
"Looking Glass" |
51
113 |
53 | — | — | |
| "Windy"
b/w "Sometime" |
1 | 1 | 34 | 53 | US: Platinum | |
| "Never My Love" /
"Requiem for the Masses" |
2
100 |
1 | — | — | US: Platinum | |
| 1968 | "Everything That Touches You"
b/w "We Love Us" (from Insight Out) |
10 | 11 | — | — | |
| "Time for Livin'"
b/w "Birthday Morning" |
39 | 22 | — | 23 | ||
| "Six Man Band"
b/w "Like Always" (from Birthday) |
47 | 29 | — | — | ||
| 1969 | "The Time It Is Today"
b/w "Enter the Young" (from And Then...Along Comes the Association) |
— | — | — | — | |
| "Goodbye, Columbus"
b/w "The Time It Is Today" (from Birthday) |
80 | 78 | — | — | ||
| "Under Branches"
b/w "Hear in Here" (from Birthday) |
117 | — | — | — | ||
| 1970 | "Yes, I Will"
b/w "I Am Up for Europe" |
120 | — | — | ||
| "Dubuque Blues"
b/w "Are You Ready" |
— | 84 | — | — | ||
| "Just About the Same"
b/w "Look at Me, Look at You" (from The Association) |
106 | 91 | — | — | ||
| "Along the Way"
b/w "Traveler's Guide" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "P.F. Sloan"
b/w "Traveler's Guide" |
— | — | — | — | |
| "Bring Yourself Home"
b/w "It's Gotta Be Real" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| "That's Racin'"
b/w "Makes Me Cry" (alternate title for "Funny Kind of Song") |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1972 | "Darlin' Be Home Soon"
b/w "Indian Wells Woman" |
104 | 90 | — | — | |
| "Come the Fall"
b/w "Kicking the Gong Around" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Names, Tags, Numbers and Labels"
b/w "Rainbows Bent" (from Waterbeds in Trinidad!) |
91 | 85 | — | — | |
| 1975 | "One Sunday Morning"
b/w "Life Is a Carnival" |
— | — | — | — | |
| "Sleepy Eyes"
b/w "Take Me to the Pilot" |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Dreamer"
b/w "You Turn the Light On" |
66 | — | — | — | |
| "Small Town Lovers"
b/w "Across the Persian Gulf" |
— | — | — | — |
Nominations
As a member of the Association, he has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times, three times each in the 9th and 10th Annual Grammy Awards:
9th Annual Grammy Awards (1967)
| Category | Song | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Best Contemporary Group Performance | Cherish | |
| Best Contemporary Recording | Cherish | |
| Best Performance By A Vocal Group | Cherish |
10th Annual Grammy Awards (1968)
| Category | Song/Album | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Best Contemporary Group Performance | Windy | |
| Best Contemporary Album | Insight Out | |
| Best Performance By A Vocal Group | Never My Love |
See also
In Spanish: Terry Kirkman para niños
