Clark Terry

Career overview

Clark Virgil Terry Jr. was born on December 14, 1920, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and worked as a composer, educator, writer, and teacher. His career in jazz spanned more than seventy years, making him one of the most recorded jazz musicians, with appearances on over 900 recordings. Throughout his career, Terry performed for eight United States Presidents and served as a Jazz Ambassador for State Department tours in the Middle East and Africa, earning recognition as an NEA Jazz Master.

Terry played with several prominent musicians and ensembles, including Charlie Barnet in 1947, Count Basie from 1948 to 1951, Duke Ellington from 1951 to 1959, Quincy Jones in 1960, and Oscar Peterson from 1964 to 1996. He was also a member of The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1972. In addition to his performance work, Terry mentored many notable artists, including Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Dianne Reeves, and Terri Lyne Carrington.

In the film and television industry, Terry worked as an actor and composer. His work in media included contributions to the films The Hot Rock in 1972, Criminal in 2004, and On the Rocks in 2020. Terry was married to Gwen Terry, Pauline Reddon, and Mayola Robinson. He passed away on February 21, 2015, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.