Terryl Lee

Born and raised in Harlem, New York City, Terryl Lee Elder, Jr. was destined to be a star. Being the son of a former band leader it seemed as if he was born in the world of music.

At the young age of six, Terryl Lee began to perform in talent shows as a member of a dance group, alongside his older sister, and younger cousin which they called, “New Faces.” Aside from dancing, Terryl wrote songs which he shared with his mother. While listening to his music she was amazed by the maturity in her young son’s lyrics. Afraid that his singing voice was not good enough to be heard, he limited his talent to just singing around the house. He realized he had a “voice” when a family member saw a home video and asked him if he would sing at her neighborhood’s annual talent show.

It wasn't until the age of 14 that Terryl began to share his singing voice with the public. He performed in many talent showcases, sang at weddings, funerals, memorial services, retirement parties, and night clubs. He continued to write about life experiences as he grew into young man. Influenced by singer/songwriters such as Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Neyo, and the late Bob Marley, Terryl found comfort in using writing as his outlet to life and letting it become the strength of his music. He had written lots of songs but realized it was not easy to find a producer who could create the sound he was looking for. He needed a different approach so he made the decision to learn an instrument. He needed to understand what he wanted to create before he could ask someone else to. That instrument became his acoustic guitar. With guitar in hand, Terryl now had an outline to the story he told.

In 2006, Terryl Lee was on a mission to turn his solo shows into a full band ensemble. He put an ad on craigslist looking for musicians to help turn his acoustic songs into, hot Hip Hop/R&B; masterpieces. From that ad, The Terryl Lee Band was formed.

The Terryl Lee Band began performing in the summer of 2007 and quickly developed not only into a versatile unit capable of making Terryl's musical ideas come to life, but a family of brothers who laugh, joke, and create memories on and off-stage.

Terryl Lee, occasionally referred to as Mr. Lee, has established himself as being a solo artist as well as the frontman of a band. He is comfortable with both, as he feels versatility is necessary when entertaining.

Now, his hopes and dreams of being an artist are stronger than ever. He is always in prayer, asking God for the chance to have his music heard and enjoyed by others. He often told people, "When you follow where your heart takes you, you'll realize your mind was there the whole time." He listened to his own advice and realized that if he followed his dream of becoming a musician he'll realize that he's already a musician, just waiting for his opportunity to be heard.