Terry Thompson

US rockabilly/country guitar player and songwriter. Born in July 30, 1941 in Amory, Mississippi, USA - Died 10 November 1965.
Often associated to Fame (5) / Fame (5) / Fame (5) / Fame (5).
Member of the first Fame (5) studio band with David Briggs (piano), Norbert Putnam (bass), Jerry Carrigan (drums) and Dan Penn (pre-'64).

2010 Alabama Music Hall of Fame Inductee
Terry Thompson, of Florence, Alabama, was one of the early pioneers in the music business in the Shoals area. He hung out, writing and playing songs with Arthur Alexander, Donnie Fritts, Jerry Carrigan, Norbert Putnam, and Rick Hall at the old Spar Music building in Florence, AL. He traded his Fender Stratocaster guitar in on a Gretch in 1961, playing it on many of the sessions that followed at Rick Hall’s Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals.

During the late 1950s and early 60s, Terry played with a number of local bands both on the road and in recording studios. The Fairlanes, one such group, was made up of Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, Charles Senn, Randy Allen and Terry Thompson. The group recorded also under the name of The Rainbows. Other groups included the Rockets, Moon Man, and the Velvatones.

The Muscle Shoals sound was characterized by magnificent black vocalists weaving their gospel magic over fluid, relaxed, vaguely blues-tinged country music backdrops provided by a succession of brilliant white studio musicians. The first Fame studio band comprised David Briggs (piano), Norbert Putnam (bass), Jerry Carrigan (drums), Terry Thompson (guitar) and Dan Penn. After 1964, when Briggs, Putnam and Carrigan headed to Nashville, a second white studio band was assembled with Roger Hawkins (drums), Tommy Cogbill (bass), Jimmy Johnson (guitar) and Spooner Oldham (piano).

Terry played on the Arthur Alexander hit “You Better Move On” and wrote the Alexander song “A Shot of Rhythm And Blues” which was later covered by the Beatles. His guitar is heard on many of the early Fame hits including the Jimmy Hughes “Steal Away” in 1962.

Terry died to alcoholism in 1965 just as his talents were beginning to be appreciated by the recording world.

Terry Thompson played guitar at least on three Meteor singles.

Meteor 5028 Mason Dixon with the Redskins
Don't worry 'bout nuthin' / I'll never fall out of love with you (1956)
Recorded 1956 in the Meteor Studio, 1746 Chelsea Ave, Memphis Tn.
Mason Dixon is Merle 'Red' Taylor (vcl); Bill Cantrell (vln); Terry Thompson (gtr); Kenneth Herman (steel); Ronald Smith (gtr); Dexter Johnson (b)
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Meteor 5029 Junior Thompson with the Meteors
Raw deal / Mama's little baby (1956)
Recorded in January 1956 in the Meteor Studio, 1746 Chelsea Ave, Memphis Tn.
Jesse 'Junior' Thompson (vcl); Terry Thompson (gtr); Ray Lovelace (gtr); Don Moore (gtr); Quinton Claunch (gtr); Jimmy Lovelace (b); Monty Olive (pno)
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Meteor 5033 Bill Bowen with the Rockets
Have myself a ball / Don't shoot me baby (I'm not ready to die) (1956)
Recorded June 1956 in the Meteor Studio, 1746 Chelsea Ave, Memphis Tn.
Bill Bowen (vcl/gtr); Terry Thompson (gtr); unknown (b);