Spotted from the stage at St. Ninian's Parish Centre in Antigonish Nova Scotia doing a soggy Jagger impression, Terry Hatty did not yet know that his life was about to change. Recommended as someone 'who can actually sing' to bassist Peter Griffin (by his room-mate(!:possibly the only person on the campus of St. Francis Xavier University privy to this knowledge!)
Hatty was invited into Purple Splintered Night and his musical journey was begun...and immediately almost terminated as he found live performance 'too nervous-making'. Fortunately, he was dragged kicking and screaming into his second band 'Ruptured Duck Repair Service' by friend and musical cohort Pat Riley,who refused to take 'no'!! It was the 60's,the Beatles had changed the world and psychedelia was rearranging it. Ruptured Duck gave way to Boiler Putty and Rocky King and the Blockbusters, all in Hatty's home town of Saint John, New Bunswick.
After journeying to Montreal and Vancouver, B.C.via Woodstock (yes..that Woodstock)a cross-country train trip brought him, for the first time, to Prince Edward Island where he joined forces again with Pat Riley in a band called Storm,which also featured guitarist George Antoniak. A summer trip to Halifax,Nova Scotia in 1970 turned into two years and saw Hatty in various bands writing songs and seeking recording deals..bands like Turnpike,Pepper Tree and Oakley,Morris,Harris and Hatty. Halifax music fans of that era would particularly remember Turnpike and Pepper Tree.
Moving to Montreal,P.Q. with a young family ,the music kept flowing through bands like 'Hotspur' and 'Devotion'
(with a side trip to New Jersey and a terrible band called 'Dirty Dog Saloon' {ouch!} ) Devotion relocated to Toronto and became the darling of the Prog-rock crowd lasting two years and producing a much-talked-about demo...a brief sojourn in 'Songship' (he was replaced by Mary Margaret O'Hara) and it was back to Halifax by Dec. '76. Before leaving he 'happened' to see a film on the life of Gustav Mahler. One scene in particular stood out: the whole family is in one room...mother is cooking...sister is combing one brother's hair...another brother is playing piano. Mahler is reclining on a bed in the corner composing. A sister insists that brother stop playing but Gustav demurs saying "No no...let him play...it's interesting."..."...interesting is easy" says the sister "beautiful is
difficult!!" This observation, for Hatty, was one of a number of turning points and epiphanies ...like ending up in a band with one of his youthful idols : guitarist Fred Keeler ! ... which collectively culminated in a powerful spiritual conversion and a return to Halifax where his whole life changed for good
Hatty recorded his first album 'A Soundtrack For Pegasus One' in 1979 in Halifax,Toronto and New York with 'Ram'. Much critical acclaim ensued, but the record label ran adrift of the law and all albums were impounded :
end of story.
The 80's saw much experimentation with ska , reggae, and post-punk forms and music fans of that era would recall Terry Hatty in the 'Terry Hatty Band', The Quivering Bumpkins', 'Warning' and a reformation of 'Ram' whose 45 RPM single "The Strap' fluttered a few sails! A feature at 'The Palace', the 'Misty Moon' and 'The Middle Deck' until 1989 he returned to Toronto with his wife Cindy.
The 11-piece,6-horned band 'Men From U.N.C.L.E.' made some waves among musicians and artists in Toronto in the early 90's with James Brown , Sly Stone and Edgar Winter funky stuff and, notably, one Hatty original composition arranged by the late, great Earl Seymour 'How Can You Doubt My Love'. A double CD live set exists and has been ripped and shared many times from coast to coast. Many musical stalwarts passed through this band such as Bob Economou who played many years with Jaco Pastorious (notably on his first album); the afore-mentioned Seymour of 'Lincolns' and 'Arrows' fame; Gusevs,Boswell and Zorzi from the current album and far too many other prestigious gigs to mention; Terry Promane and Steve McDade from 'Boss Brass'; Dave Dunlap and the late 'Rick Tait' from 'Manteca' ; groove drummer Mike Sloski and Kevin Breit, Toronto guitar original.
Six years in Canada's first internationally successful rock band 'Guess Who' touring every corner of the U.S. and releasing two albums 'Lonely One' ('Liberty' in Canada) and 'The Spirit Lives On' brought Terry Hatty back to Toronto and into the realm of musical theatre. A co-written musical called 'Canada Rocks!' became, in 2006, the most successful 'second show' in the 42 year history of the Charlottetown Festival where 'Anne Of Green Gables' reigns supreme!!
The release of 'Dream Dogs' in the summer of '08 is the latest chapter in a musical life that continues to unfold.
