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Terry Melcher

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Terry Melcher
Melcher in 1969
Born
Terrence Paul Jorden

(1942-02-08)February 8, 1942
New York City,U.S.
DiedNovember 19, 2004(2004-11-19)(aged 62)
Beverly Hills, California,U.S.
Other namesTerry Day
Spouse(s)Melissa E. Brown (M. 1974–1977)
Jacqueline Carlin (M.?–1997)
Terese Edwards (M. 1998–2004)
RelativesDoris Day(mother)
Al Jorden (father)
Musical career
Genres
Occupation(s)Record producer, songwriter, singer

Terrence Paul Melcher(néJorden;February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American record producer who was instrumental in shaping the mid-to-late 1960sCalifornia Soundandfolk rockmovements. His best-known contributions were producingthe Byrds' first two albumsMr. Tambourine Man(1965) andTurn! Turn! Turn!(1965), as well as most of the hit recordings ofPaul Revere & the RaidersandGentle Soul.He is also known for his collaborations withBruce Johnstonand for his association with theManson Family.

Melcher was the only child of actress/singerDoris Day;his father was Day's first husband Al Jorden, and he was adopted by her third husbandMartin Melcher.Most of his early recordings were with thevocal surfactsthe Rip ChordsandBruce & Terry.In the 1960s, Melcher was acquainted withthe Beach Boysand later produced several singles for the group in the 1980s and the 1990s, including "Kokomo"(1988), which topped U.S. record charts.

Background[edit]

Terrence Paul Jorden was born in New York City to singer-actressDoris Dayand her first husband, trombonist Al Jorden. Known as "Terry",[1]the boy was named by his mother after the hero of her favorite childhood comic strip,Terry and the Pirates.[2]

Before his birth, Day was planning to divorce Al Jorden because of his violent temper and alleged physical abuse. Jorden responded to his wife's pregnancy by demanding that she get an abortion. Shortly after giving birth, Day filed for divorce and left the infant with her mother inOhiowhile she went back to touring withbig bandleaderLes Brown.After the divorce, Jorden visited his son infrequently and had little presence in his life.[citation needed]

After divorcing her second husband, saxophonistGeorge Weidler,Day marriedMartin Melcher,who would become her manager and produce many of her films. Melcher adopted Terry and gave him his surname. In his freshman and sophomore high-school years, Terry attended theLoomis Chaffee Schoolin Connecticut, then returned to California for his junior and senior years atBeverly Hills High School.He subsequently attendedPrincipia Collegein Illinois for a short time. After Martin Melcher's death in 1968, Day discovered that he had mismanaged or embezzled $20 million from her, while Terry claimed that his stepfather had mistreated him as a child.[1]

Early career[edit]

Melcher (left) in the studio with the Byrds'Gene Clark(center) andDavid Crosbyin 1965

Melcher has been credited with helping to shape the sound of 1960ssurf musicin California.[3][4][5]In the early 1960s, Melcher andBruce Johnstonformed the vocal duetBruce & Terry.The duo had hits like "Custom Machine" and "Summer Means Fun". Melcher and Johnston also created another group,The Rip Chords,which had a top 10 hit with "Hey Little Cobra".Later, Johnston would jointhe Beach Boys.[6]

By the mid-1960s, Melcher had joined the staff ofColumbia Recordsand went on to work withthe Byrds.He produced their hitcover versionsofBob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man"andPete Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn!",as well as the corresponding albumsMr. Tambourine ManandTurn! Turn! Turn![6]

Following conflicts with the band and their manager, Melcher was replaced as producer byAllen Stantonand thenGary Usher,although he would work with the Byrds again on theirBallad of Easy Rider,(Untitled)andByrdmaniaxalbums. Melcher also worked withPaul Revere & the Raiders,Wayne Newton,Frankie Laine,Jimmy Boyd,Pat Boone,Glen Campbell,Mark Lindsayandthe Mamas & the Papas.He was instrumental in signing Los Angeles band theRising Sons,led byTaj MahalandRy Cooder.[7]

Melcher (center) withBruce Johnston(left),Brian Wilson(right), andTony Asher(back) in early 1966

Melcher performed on the Beach Boys' albumPet Sounds,playing tambourine on "That's Not Me","Good Vibrations"and"God Only Knows",[citation needed]and was a board member of the Monterey Pop Foundation and a producer of theMonterey Pop Festivalin 1967.[8]

Manson Family[edit]

Main article:Manson Family

In 1968, Beach BoyDennis Wilsonintroduced Melcher to ex-con and aspiring musicianCharles Manson.Manson and his "family" had been living in Wilson's house at 14400Sunset Boulevardafter Wilson had picked up hitchhiking Manson family membersPatricia Krenwinkeland Ella Jo Bailey. Wilson expressed interest in Manson's music and also recorded two of Manson's songs with the Beach Boys.[9]For a time, Melcher was interested in recording Manson's music, as well as making a film about the family and their hippie commune existence. Manson met Melcher at10050 Cielo Drive,the home that Melcher shared with his girlfriend, actressCandice Bergen,and musicianMark Lindsay.[10]

Manson eventually auditioned for Melcher, but Melcher declined to sign him. There was still talk of a documentary being made about Manson's music, but Melcher abandoned the project after witnessing Manson fighting with a drunken stuntman atSpahn Ranch.[1]Wilson and Melcher severed their ties with Manson, a move that angered Manson.[11]Soon after, Melcher and Bergen moved out of the Cielo Drive home. The house's owner, Rudi Altobelli, then leased it to film directorRoman Polanskiand his wife, actressSharon Tate.Manson was reported to have visited the house on more than one occasion asking for Melcher, but was told that Melcher had moved.[1]

On August 8–9, 1969, the house was the site ofthe murders of Tate(who was eight months pregnant at the time), coffee heiressAbigail Folger,hairdresserJay Sebring,writerWojciech FrykowskiandSteven Parentby members ofManson's "family".Some authors and law enforcement personnel[who?]have theorized that the Cielo Drive house was targeted by Manson as revenge for Melcher's rejection and that Manson was unaware that he and Bergen had moved out. However, family memberCharles "Tex" Watsonstated that Manson and company did, in fact, know that Melcher was no longer living there,[12]and Melcher's former roommate Mark Lindsay stated, "Terry and I talked about it later and Terry said Manson knew (Melcher had moved) because Manson or someone from his organization left a note on Terry's porch in Malibu."[10]

At that time, Melcher was producing singerJimmy Boyd's music forA&M Records.After initial tracks were recorded, the Manson murders occurred, reportedly prompting Melcher to go into seclusion, and the session was never completed. When Manson was arrested, it was widely reported that he had sent his followers to the house to kill Melcher and Bergen. Manson family memberSusan Atkins,who admitted her part in the murders, stated to police and before agrand jurythat the house was chosen as the scene for the murders "to instill fear into Terry Melcher because Terry had given us his word on a few things and never came through with them".[1]Melcher took to employing a bodyguard and told Manson prosecutorVincent Bugliosithat his fear was so great he had been undergoing psychiatric treatment. Melcher was described as the most frightened of the witnesses at the trial, even though Bugliosi assured him that "Manson knew you were no longer living [on Cielo Drive]".[1]

In his 2019 bookCHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties,Tom O'Neill reexamined the Manson case and found evidence Melcher may have been more closely involved with the Manson family than he admitted at trial.[13]In reviewing police files and other data, O'Neill found evidence Melcher was associating with Manson in the four month period after the Tate-Labianca murders but before Manson's arrest. These documents, seemingly hidden by Bugliosi, undermined claims the Tate murders were intended to frighten Melcher in revenge for his refusal to record Manson's music. O'Neill also found documents indicating Melcher was having sex with 15-year-old Manson family memberRuth Ann Moorehouse.[14]Dean Moorehouse, Ruth Ann's father and a Manson Family member, also had resided at 10050 Cielo Drive with Melcher.Tex Watsonwould frequently visit the residence.[15]

Later years[edit]

Melcher again acted as producer forthe ByrdsonBallad of Easy Rider,their eighth album, released in November1969.[16]The album peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard charts. At the time it was met with mixed reviews but is today regarded as one of the band's stronger albums from the latter half of their career.[17]

In the early 1970s, Melcher produced the Byrds' 9th and 10th albums,(Untitled)andByrdmaniax.However,Byrdmaniaxwas not well-received; band memberGene Parsonsreferred to the album as "Melcher's Folly" because of its heavy overdubs of horns and strings, which were done without the band's knowledge. During this time, Melcher dabbled in real estate and served as the executive producer of his mother's CBS series,The Doris Day Show.He later recorded two solo albums,Terry MelcherandRoyal Flush.[18]Writing of the former inChristgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies(1981),Robert Christgausaid:

Most will find this producer's daydream sterile at best and noxious at worst, but I like the song about his shrink and am fascinated by his compulsion to defend his Manson connections. With the requisite show of wealth and taste, he insists that he's only a spectator — why, he wouldn't even know about thehand jiveif it weren't forSoul Train.Alternate title:It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Watching.[19]

In 1985, Melcher co-produced the cable showDoris Day's Best Friendsand worked as the director and vice president of the Doris Day Animal Foundation. He and his mother, to whom he remained close throughout his life, also co-owned the Cypress Inn, a small hotel inCarmel-by-the-Sea, California.[18]

In 1988, Melcher earned aGolden Globenomination for co-writing the song "Kokomo"withJohn Phillips,Scott McKenzieandMike Love.Recorded by the Beach Boys, the song was featured in the 1988Tom CruisefilmCocktailand hit No. 1 (the band's career fourth overall) on theBillboardHot 100.The single was certified gold with U.S. sales of more than one million copies.[18]Melcher went on to co-write and produce the band's disastrous 1992 studio albumSummer in Paradise,which was the first record produced digitally onPro Tools.[20][21]

Death[edit]

On November 19, 2004, Melcher died at his home inBeverly Hills, Californiaafter a long battle withmelanoma.[1][22][23]

Discography[edit]

Singles
Act Release Catalogue Year Notes #
Terry Day "That's All I Want" / "I Waited Too Long" Columbia4-42427 1962
Terry Day "Be A Soldier" / "I Love You, Betty" Columba 4-42678 1963 [24][25]
Terry Melcher &Bruce Johnston "Take It To Mexico (Tulsa County Blue)" / "Rebecca" RCA VictorNB-10238 1975 [26]
Terry Melcher "Fire In A Rainstorm" / "So Right Tonight" RCA Victor NB-10587 1976 [25]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefg"Obituaries: Terry Melcher".The Daily Telegraph.November 23, 2004.Archivedfrom the original on June 5, 2011.RetrievedAugust 23,2011.
  2. ^McKay, Robert (January 1983)."Two Faces of Cincinnati".Cincinnati.p. 94.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2021.RetrievedAugust 23,2011.
  3. ^Oliver, Myrna (November 22, 2004)."Terry Melcher; helped create surf music sound".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 1, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020– viaThe Boston Globe.
  4. ^"Surf music producer Terry Melcher dies".Australian Broadcasting CorporationNews.November 22, 2004.Archivedfrom the original on November 29, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
  5. ^"Terry Melcher, The son of Doris Day, Terry Melcher was a key player on the L.A."Spotify.Archivedfrom the original on June 2, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
  6. ^abGilliland, John."Show 33 – Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British invaders. [Part 1]".University of North Texas Libraries.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 5,2019.
  7. ^Raymond, Jean-Luc (November 21, 2004)."Terry Melcher dies, Terry Melcher passed away, legendary artist who worked with the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Ry Cooder".Westcoast Rendez-Vous.Archivedfrom the original on November 21, 2007.RetrievedAugust 25,2007.
  8. ^"The History - The Big Idea".Monterey International Pop Festival.Archivedfrom the original on November 28, 2020.RetrievedNovember 7,2020.A Board of Governors was established that consisted of: Donovan; Mick Jagger; Paul McCartney; Jim McGuinn; Terry Melcher; Andrew Loog Oldham; Alan Pariser; Johnny Rivers; Smokey Robinson; Brian Wilson, John Phillips and Lou Adler
  9. ^Dowd, Katie (November 20, 2017)."How the Beach Boys ended up recording a song written by Charles Manson".San Francisco Chronicle.Archivedfrom the original on August 9, 2020.RetrievedAugust 17,2020.
  10. ^abAdamson, Nancy (June 8, 2013)."Mark Lindsay talks about new music, cats and Charlie Manson".Midland Reporter-Telegram.Archivedfrom the original on July 3, 2013.RetrievedJune 12,2013.
  11. ^"Charles Manson".CieloDrive.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedMarch 17,2017.
  12. ^Watson, Charles D. (April 24, 1978). "Chapter 14: Helter Skelter I (August 8–9)". In Hoekstra, Chaplain Ray (ed.).Will You Die For Me?.Cross Roads Publications, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2010.
  13. ^Phillips, Steven (July 12, 2019)."What Really Happened in the Manson murders? 'Chaos' casts doubt on Helter Skelter theory".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 10, 2021.RetrievedMay 14,2021.
  14. ^O'Neill, Tom (2019).Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties.Little, Brown. pp. 119–139.ISBN978-0-316-47757-4.Archivedfrom the original on June 6, 2021.RetrievedJuly 18,2021.
  15. ^O'Neill 2019,pp. 117–119.
  16. ^Rogan, Johnny (1998).The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited(2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 542–547.ISBN978-0-9529-5401-9.
  17. ^"Ballad of Easy Rider review".Allmusic.RetrievedFebruary 6,2010.
  18. ^abcBlog of Death: Terry MelcherArchivedAugust 21, 2007, at theWayback Machine,blogofdeath; accessed March 17, 2017.
  19. ^Christgau, Robert(1981)."Consumer Guide '70s: M".Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.Ticknor & Fields.ISBN978-0-8991-9026-6.Archivedfrom the original on June 29, 2017.RetrievedMarch 7,2019– via robertchristgau.
  20. ^"Low Tide: The Beach Boys hit rock bottom in 1992 with 'Summer in Paradise'".DangerousMinds.August 30, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022.
  21. ^"Summer In Paradise".albumlinernotes.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022.
  22. ^Doris Day's beloved son Terry Melcher dies at 62...ArchivedMay 8, 2019, at theWayback Machine,dorisdaytribute, November 25, 2004.
  23. ^Devenish, Colin (November 22, 2004)."Terry Melcher Dead at 62".Rolling Stone.RetrievedNovember 26,2022.
  24. ^Cozzen, R. Duane (August 11, 2015)."BRUCE & TERRY, Bruce Johnston & Terry Melcher, Singles (45's)".Surf & Hot Rod Music of the 60's: Collectors Quick Reference.p. 32.ISBN978-1-3294-0033-7.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2021.RetrievedDecember 4,2020.
  25. ^abNeely, Tim (August 31, 2006).Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975.p.Page 815.ISBN9780896893078.Archived fromthe originalon July 20, 2021.
  26. ^Cash Box,May 17, 1975 -Page 23cash box/singles reviewsArchivedJuly 20, 2021, at theWayback Machine

External links[edit]

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