My Opera
TERRY BLAINE KNUTSON, MARCH 14, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012 3:47:35 AM
TERRY TEEN
On February 3, 1959 in a field near Clear Lake, Iowa, three rock legends died. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. ("Big Bopper") Richardson were tragically killed in a plane crash after previously playing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
Thousands of people, young and old, were devastated, but for "Terry Teene" that night really hit close to home. Terry was with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens the night before their deaths.
Terry Knutson or better known as "Terry Teene" is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kermit Knutson.
Terry's musical career started at the mere age of four when he began taking piano lessons. At the beginning of his junior year in high school, Terry was asked to try out for choir; he did and in doing so he changed the course of his life. He started singing regularly in church when a local disc jockey urged him to appear on a local television program. After appearing for eight straight weeks, Terry had his own band, Terry and the Pirates, and was on his way to stardom.
After graduating from EGHS in 1960, Terry headed for Minneapolis, MN, to make a record but the leader of the band didn't think the song material was good enough. That didn't make him give up. He then packed his bags once again and ventured to Clovis, NM where he recorded two songs, "Just Wait Til I Get You Alone" and "Orchids Mean Good-bye," under Norman Petty.
Since then, Terry has recorded over 300 songs, about 25 records were released when he was a major artist and about 75 records were released where he played a part. At his last count he believes he has recorded using 70 different names.
Some of his song titles are "Curse of the Hearse," "Pussy Galore," "Happiness is Coming," (which he recorded under the name of Blaine Bel Aire), and "We're Going to put Iowa on the Map." Terry's personal favorites are "Fun To Be With" and "Perfect 36."
"Terry Teene" appeared in concert with Alice Cooper, Nazereth, Flo and Kinks, Shs Na Na, Knack, Cheap Trick, Bobby Vee and many, many more.
He was the opening act for Kenny Rogers on New Year's Eve in 1981 and 1984 in Los Angeles Forum with 18,000 plus in attendance. Loretta Lynn, Larry Gatlin, Rick Dees, The Solid Gold Dancers and Dolly Parton were all the featured performers.
"Terry Teene" has performed private parties for such celebrities as Sonny and Cher, Helen Reddy, Jo Ann Flugg, Olivia Hussy, England Dan, Ray Ruff and Susie Allenson, and Jay Burnstein.
by Tiffini Riley
CLOWNING
Clowns - you see them at the circus, on television, in parades - but rarely do you meet the man behind the mask.
Terry Teene also has been earning a living since 1963 by performing professionally as Tobo the Clown - and appearing as a singer, entertainer, Santa, and stiltman.
He credits good luck, a few accidents, plus dilligent effort in seeking jobs with the fact that he is one of the few in the business that make a success of it fulltime with no need of an "ordinary" 8 to 5 job to make ends meet.
The Iowa native got into clowning by accident when the Fireballs, a rock group he was singing with, disbanded.
"My clown act includes a little magic, quite a lot with balloons, making them into animals, talking with the children," Teene said.
by Gayle Johnson
SOME OF TERRY'S ACTING CAREER APPEARANCES
Raging Bull
Die Laughin
Dempsy
The Trip
Psyched Out
4th Nework
On The Other Side of The Moon (Jim Carey)
I Love Basketball (Spike Lee)
Little Nickey (Adam Sandler)
In Living Color (Daymon Wayons, David Allen Geer, Jenifer Lopez, etc)
The Gong Show (3 times)
Jenny Jones
TV Special with Arsenio Hall, Woody Harrelson, Pat Boone and Andrew Stevens
Santa's Village (commercial)
Dodge (Latin America) (commercial)
Kodak (commercial)
Kids - TV (commercial)
INTERESTING FACTS
Terry is also a writer and a teacher. He has three unpublished books that he has written about Clowning, other views about the business and what he has learned over the years. He teaches "Clownology" at the Learning Tree in Canoga Park and The Business of Show Business in CA. Terry also holds seminars at UCLA each Spring.
He has performed at over 2500 private parties, over 500 night clubs and appeared at over 200 grand openings and company picnics. He was the President of Cavalcade of Clowns in 1978 - 1980. He appeared with Circus Vargas for six years, Big John Strong Circus, Mexican International Circus, the Safari Circus where he was Producing Clown, Emmet Kelly Jr. Circus and co-editor of Cavalcade of Clowns.
Posted February, 2006
The above article is posted at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and covers the highlights of the life of Terry Blaine Knutson, but I knew this man. He was actually the last man I dated.
And last week his life was ended when he was struck by a tow truck when he pulled out of a parking lot on his bicycle and into the middle lane at Shiloh and Rhones Quarter Rd. He had severe head trauma and never regained consciousness. He died Wednesday night, March 14, 2012 around 7p.m. I don't regret having known such an interesting person. He was a paradox and the way he died was a shock to me.
I met Terry Teene at church when I was 61 years old. I had just started going to church again after a hiatus of a couple years He was a nice looking guy and I was interested when I discovered he played guitar and sang. I've always been a sucker for guitar players. We struck up a friendship and even sang duets together at my church and at a local nursing home where we helped with the ministry of a mutual friend.
Terry didn't drive. I think he had lost his driver's license in California probably, and he rode a bicycle everywhere he went. You could spot him all over town. He had daily rounds he covered to pick up the day's newspaper (he refused to pay for a newspaper, one of his many idiosyncrasies). After we got acquainted, I would occasionally take him on his rounds in my car so he could take it a little easier. And I would take him on gigs that he couldn't reach on his bike.
In some ways he was a very straitlaced man. He never took a drink of alcohol in his life, nor ever smoked a cigarette, even in all his years in Hollywood. He rarely missed being in church on Sunday, wherever he happened to be. I always thought that side of him was amazing.
Terry appeared in a number of episodes of In Living Color a comedy show that lasted several seasons. He was in several movies with bit parts, and usually appeared in his clown persona. I saw one of these episodes. He told me that he had a role in the movie Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, but that his entire bit ended up on the cutting room floor. He was also in one of the Chucky movies. And he opened for or was in the band of some of the elite of the music world---Alice Cooper, Nazareth, Dion and the Belmonts (they were friends).
Dion and Terry Teene.
He was a personal friend of Will Hutchins, and till his death, still talked to him periodically. Some of you may remember Will Hutchins as the star of a Western TV series called Sugarfoot in, I think, the 60s. I was madly in love with Sugarfoot back then. He had the most beautiful blue eyes in the world. At least I thought so. He was also friends with Freddie Hart, a recording artist who had a couple of hits you might remember---Easy Lovin' and My Hangup Is You. Terry told me he and Freddy wrote many songs together.
And he was a friend of Ronald Reagan. Terry helped Reagan campaign when Reagan was running for president and performed at some of his appearances. They corresponded for years. I read one of the letters that Reagan had written him, and it was no form letter---it was a letter that showed a close acquaintance and respect for the man Terry was. The sad thing about it is that because of his nomadic life he lost the originals, along with all his records, newspaper articles about him, etc., and had only copies of most of his portfolio. What a shame that that documentation of a man's life was lost to him.
I hate that his life ended so abruptly and violently and I wanted to do this post as a memorial for him. Bye, Terry. You will most certainly not be a life forgotten. See ya on the flip side.
On February 3, 1959 in a field near Clear Lake, Iowa, three rock legends died. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. ("Big Bopper") Richardson were tragically killed in a plane crash after previously playing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
Thousands of people, young and old, were devastated, but for "Terry Teene" that night really hit close to home. Terry was with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens the night before their deaths.
Terry Knutson or better known as "Terry Teene" is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kermit Knutson.
Terry's musical career started at the mere age of four when he began taking piano lessons. At the beginning of his junior year in high school, Terry was asked to try out for choir; he did and in doing so he changed the course of his life. He started singing regularly in church when a local disc jockey urged him to appear on a local television program. After appearing for eight straight weeks, Terry had his own band, Terry and the Pirates, and was on his way to stardom.
After graduating from EGHS in 1960, Terry headed for Minneapolis, MN, to make a record but the leader of the band didn't think the song material was good enough. That didn't make him give up. He then packed his bags once again and ventured to Clovis, NM where he recorded two songs, "Just Wait Til I Get You Alone" and "Orchids Mean Good-bye," under Norman Petty.
Since then, Terry has recorded over 300 songs, about 25 records were released when he was a major artist and about 75 records were released where he played a part. At his last count he believes he has recorded using 70 different names.
Some of his song titles are "Curse of the Hearse," "Pussy Galore," "Happiness is Coming," (which he recorded under the name of Blaine Bel Aire), and "We're Going to put Iowa on the Map." Terry's personal favorites are "Fun To Be With" and "Perfect 36."
"Terry Teene" appeared in concert with Alice Cooper, Nazereth, Flo and Kinks, Shs Na Na, Knack, Cheap Trick, Bobby Vee and many, many more.
He was the opening act for Kenny Rogers on New Year's Eve in 1981 and 1984 in Los Angeles Forum with 18,000 plus in attendance. Loretta Lynn, Larry Gatlin, Rick Dees, The Solid Gold Dancers and Dolly Parton were all the featured performers.
"Terry Teene" has performed private parties for such celebrities as Sonny and Cher, Helen Reddy, Jo Ann Flugg, Olivia Hussy, England Dan, Ray Ruff and Susie Allenson, and Jay Burnstein.
by Tiffini Riley
CLOWNING
Clowns - you see them at the circus, on television, in parades - but rarely do you meet the man behind the mask.
Terry Teene also has been earning a living since 1963 by performing professionally as Tobo the Clown - and appearing as a singer, entertainer, Santa, and stiltman.
He credits good luck, a few accidents, plus dilligent effort in seeking jobs with the fact that he is one of the few in the business that make a success of it fulltime with no need of an "ordinary" 8 to 5 job to make ends meet.
The Iowa native got into clowning by accident when the Fireballs, a rock group he was singing with, disbanded.
"My clown act includes a little magic, quite a lot with balloons, making them into animals, talking with the children," Teene said.
by Gayle Johnson
SOME OF TERRY'S ACTING CAREER APPEARANCES
Raging Bull
Die Laughin
Dempsy
The Trip
Psyched Out
4th Nework
On The Other Side of The Moon (Jim Carey)
I Love Basketball (Spike Lee)
Little Nickey (Adam Sandler)
In Living Color (Daymon Wayons, David Allen Geer, Jenifer Lopez, etc)
The Gong Show (3 times)
Jenny Jones
TV Special with Arsenio Hall, Woody Harrelson, Pat Boone and Andrew Stevens
Santa's Village (commercial)
Dodge (Latin America) (commercial)
Kodak (commercial)
Kids - TV (commercial)
INTERESTING FACTS
Terry is also a writer and a teacher. He has three unpublished books that he has written about Clowning, other views about the business and what he has learned over the years. He teaches "Clownology" at the Learning Tree in Canoga Park and The Business of Show Business in CA. Terry also holds seminars at UCLA each Spring.
He has performed at over 2500 private parties, over 500 night clubs and appeared at over 200 grand openings and company picnics. He was the President of Cavalcade of Clowns in 1978 - 1980. He appeared with Circus Vargas for six years, Big John Strong Circus, Mexican International Circus, the Safari Circus where he was Producing Clown, Emmet Kelly Jr. Circus and co-editor of Cavalcade of Clowns.
Posted February, 2006
The above article is posted at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and covers the highlights of the life of Terry Blaine Knutson, but I knew this man. He was actually the last man I dated.
And last week his life was ended when he was struck by a tow truck when he pulled out of a parking lot on his bicycle and into the middle lane at Shiloh and Rhones Quarter Rd. He had severe head trauma and never regained consciousness. He died Wednesday night, March 14, 2012 around 7p.m. I don't regret having known such an interesting person. He was a paradox and the way he died was a shock to me.I met Terry Teene at church when I was 61 years old. I had just started going to church again after a hiatus of a couple years He was a nice looking guy and I was interested when I discovered he played guitar and sang. I've always been a sucker for guitar players. We struck up a friendship and even sang duets together at my church and at a local nursing home where we helped with the ministry of a mutual friend.
Terry didn't drive. I think he had lost his driver's license in California probably, and he rode a bicycle everywhere he went. You could spot him all over town. He had daily rounds he covered to pick up the day's newspaper (he refused to pay for a newspaper, one of his many idiosyncrasies). After we got acquainted, I would occasionally take him on his rounds in my car so he could take it a little easier. And I would take him on gigs that he couldn't reach on his bike.
In some ways he was a very straitlaced man. He never took a drink of alcohol in his life, nor ever smoked a cigarette, even in all his years in Hollywood. He rarely missed being in church on Sunday, wherever he happened to be. I always thought that side of him was amazing.
Terry appeared in a number of episodes of In Living Color a comedy show that lasted several seasons. He was in several movies with bit parts, and usually appeared in his clown persona. I saw one of these episodes. He told me that he had a role in the movie Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, but that his entire bit ended up on the cutting room floor. He was also in one of the Chucky movies. And he opened for or was in the band of some of the elite of the music world---Alice Cooper, Nazareth, Dion and the Belmonts (they were friends).
Dion and Terry Teene.He was a personal friend of Will Hutchins, and till his death, still talked to him periodically. Some of you may remember Will Hutchins as the star of a Western TV series called Sugarfoot in, I think, the 60s. I was madly in love with Sugarfoot back then. He had the most beautiful blue eyes in the world. At least I thought so. He was also friends with Freddie Hart, a recording artist who had a couple of hits you might remember---Easy Lovin' and My Hangup Is You. Terry told me he and Freddy wrote many songs together.
And he was a friend of Ronald Reagan. Terry helped Reagan campaign when Reagan was running for president and performed at some of his appearances. They corresponded for years. I read one of the letters that Reagan had written him, and it was no form letter---it was a letter that showed a close acquaintance and respect for the man Terry was. The sad thing about it is that because of his nomadic life he lost the originals, along with all his records, newspaper articles about him, etc., and had only copies of most of his portfolio. What a shame that that documentation of a man's life was lost to him.
I hate that his life ended so abruptly and violently and I wanted to do this post as a memorial for him. Bye, Terry. You will most certainly not be a life forgotten. See ya on the flip side.
