Terry Adams (musician) - Composing and Songwriting

Composing and Songwriting

Terry Adams writes songs and instrumental compositions in a variety of styles, including skewed blues forms and clever pop and country songs. He skillfully embeds odd chord changes and unexpected turns into accessible pop forms. His lyrics can be extremely humorous (or downright silly at times), and he is also capable of being oddly poetic. He has collaborated on a number of songs with bandmate Spampinato, who is known for his ability to craft beautiful, sometimes Beatlesque tunes. A number of Adams' songs have been covered by other pop artists, including Dave Edmunds and Bonnie Raitt.

Adams, like his bandmates, has a fondness for a variety of musical styles and for unusual or historically notable artists. These interests have led to an interesting set of other artists' material being covered by NRBQ, including Thelonious Monk, Sun Ra, Tin Pan Alley songs, and various theme songs from television and cartoons ("Batman," "The Chipmunks," etc.). His vast knowledge of many song catalogues and his ability to exhort his band, his semi-regular horn section, including his brother Donn on trombone, and an array of luminaries as guest stars (John Sebastian and Raitt being particular kindred spirits) to higher peaks of weirdness, jolliness and celebratory froth are the linchpins of a legendary yet obscure American music original.