Terry Wilkinson (1931–2013) was an Australian jazz pianist.

Career

Terry Wilkinson was taught piano from age six and began playing piano professionally aged 11, when he would appear on the radio as a regular guest. He began leading

big bands A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

while he was still at school, aged 16. He studied piano, theory and the history of music at the NSW Conservatorium, and supported American artists when they toured Australia, such as

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, Nancy Wilson, and

Sammy Davis Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which tou ...

. Wilkinson was a member of the Australian All Stars, who recorded two albums, and had a residency at the Sky Lounge in Sydney. The group also had their own

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

in 1959. In 1970, Wilkinson left Australia for two years to tour the US. When he returned, he moved into commercial work. Wilkinson was married three times, and had two children when died in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Terry 1931 births 2013 deaths Australian jazz pianists