Terry Groff
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Terry Groff

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The best kept secret in music

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"Terry Montgomery-Groff"


You might know him as Terry Montgomery. You may know him as Terry Groff. Or perhaps you've seen a guy with a classic hollow body bass and a beret, looking cool and casual as he thumps out some of the most solid, rock-steady lines in the local blues scene. No matter how you know him, Terry Montgomery is a musician's musician, a true professional, and a long-time contributor to some of the best blues bands that DFW has to offer.

His path to being a professional musician began in Oklahoma in the early 50's. For whatever reason, our neighbor across the Red River has produced a number of world-class artists, from Charlie Christian and Barney Kessel to Leon Russell, Jimmy Webb, Carl Radle, and more recently the late acoustic guitar legend Michael Hedges. It was into this stew that Terry Groff was born in December of 1951 in Oklahoma City. Growing up in Tulsa, he discovered a love for music during his elementary school years.-He was surrounded by music at home, his father Louis was an amateur musician and his mother Shirley played piano and organ at Church. His uncle had played and recorded with Western Swing legend Bob Wills. Terry absorbed the music he heard all around him and began to play guitar around age 10. The folk music scene was exploding and one of the first songs that caught his attention was the infamously innocent "Puff The Magic Dragon".

In his teens he heard the Beatles, and from that point on he began to focus on Rock & Roll. By the mid-60's he was playing guitar in local Tulsa bands. Moving from the garage to clubs was a natural progression, and by the early 70's he was playing in a Tulsa-based band called Family Tree. Their music was adventurous enough to keep Terry interested, and they toured throughout Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi with a repertoire that leaned heavily toward the art-rock excursions of King Crimson, the Moody blues and Pink Floyd. This set his band apart from the heavier, yet more popular, blues rock scene that had exploded in the south and southwest in the late 60's.

Thinking that there might be greener pastures and a more receptive audience elsewhere, the band relocated to Seattle, Washington in 1973. Their music began to move toward the edges of convention, more exploratory and free form. The band performed a rock opera, and Terry composed his first major work, "He-Wolf, She Wolf', which also provided him with his non de plume, "Herbert Edgar Wolfe." The band began to play jazz around the area, with Terry still performing on guitar. He learned the rudiments of reading charts and honed his knowledge of music theory. Unfortunately the move to Seattle had coincided with a downturn in the local economy, and the band began to drift apart.

Terry found himself living in Dallas in the late 70's, married and with a steady job. Like so many of us, music had to take a back seat for a while. Yet Terry knew that music was in his blood; it was his life force. Upon the dissolution of his marriage, he bought a new guitar and began to work off the rust. By the mid-80's he began to hang around blues jams, meeting and talking to the dedicated bunch that were keeping the blues alive through the hard times. In 1988 he could be found at TJ's Court Six playing with such powerful local artists as Marc Benno, former Bugs Henderson bassist Bobby Chitwood, Rocky Athas and an occasional Bramhall or two. Realizing that the area had an overabundance of top-notch blues guitarists, Terry made the momentous decision to switch to bass. It was on bass that he began to make his mark on the blues scene, jamming with the myriad of artists working the clubs and jams.

Perhaps it was his keen understanding of music, possibly it was his easy going and even temper, but Terry Caught the attention of Brian "Hash Brown" Calway. He joined Hash's band in 1990 and began a long partnership, anchoring the bottom end throughout countless blues jams at the legendary Schooners club. Work came fast and furious as they played four jams a week in addition to other gigs throughout the area. He acquired his trademark Harmony bass, a '66 H-22. It is his signature sound, with a smooth, full bottom. "It's the closet to a standup bass that I've ever found" he remarks asked why such an unusual choice.

Ironically, the years he spent as a guitarist have made him the bass player that he is today. Playing adventurous, free form music honed his ears to a razor-shat degree. He learned to listen to the other musicians the band, playing upon their strengths and anticipating their moves. One musician whom Terry enjoys with above most others is the outstanding
Bobby Baranowski, another veteran of the Hash Brown Band.. We've played together so long, we know how each other think," says Montgomery. Truly, a rhythm that contains these two fine musicians is bound to be solid, funky and dynamic.

The list of local musicians that Terry has shared a stage with is long and impressive. Bob Margo - Southwest Blues Magizine


Discography

He-Wolf, She-Wolf
Le Strade Di Parma - Documentary Soundtrack

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

I have played Rock, Jazz and Blues on a professional level since 1965. I recently finished the film score for the independent film "Bobby Speaking" and the documentary "Le Strade Di Parma"