Terry Wollman: The Art of Showing Up

Guitarist, producer, arranger and musical director Terry Wollman has spent decades working alongside some of music’s most recognizable artists. In his conversation with Paula Atherton on The Paula Atherton Show, Wollman tells that story personally—not simply through accomplishments, but through the experiences, relationships and lessons that have shaped the way he approaches music and life.

Terry Wollman knew early what he wanted to do. Growing up in Miami, he was exposed to music from around the world, something he says eventually found its way into his own music. Guitar became his focus when he was 15, but his interests were already broader. “I always knew I wanted to be a record producer,” Wollman told Atherton. “I loved arranging and songwriting and, of course, playing guitar.”

His path to Berklee grew out of that clarity. Wollman had become acquainted with Albhy Galuten, producer and engineer for the Bee Gees, and had opportunities to visit Miami’s Criteria Studios and observe the recording process. Wollman asked Galuten about the path he had taken to his career. Galuten told him he had gone to Berklee to learn arranging and suggested Wollman do the same. “That’s all I needed to hear,” Wollman recalled. He applied to only one college. “I’ve never been really big on a B plan.”

That determination took him to Los Angeles and, in 1981, onto his first major tour playing guitar for Billy Preston. For Wollman, it was the realization of something he had imagined for himself. “It was literally living something that you dreamt about,” he said. But his reflection on reaching that point was less about luck than preparation. “It’s really about just envisioning something for your life and then just preparing yourself and training for it and being the best magnificent version of yourself you can be as a musician and as a person.”

The Preston tour quickly taught him lessons no classroom could provide. During one performance, Wollman reached the moment for a featured guitar solo on “Get Back.” The spotlight hit him—and his amplifier stopped working. He had no sound. “What do you do in a situation like that?” Wollman remembered thinking. His answer was immediate: “Well, play.” He was the guitar player, there was a light shining on him and the audience was watching. So he played the solo even though nobody could hear it while the technical problem was addressed.

The lesson stayed with him. “I’m going to do my job,” he told Atherton. You don’t stand there blaming someone else. You continue. As Wollman and Atherton discussed the realities of touring, they arrived at a shared conclusion: sometimes you simply have to make it happen. For Wollman, that also means doing it “with a positive attitude.”

That perspective would follow him into television. Wollman became a music director for late-night television, including The Byron Allen Show. There, he was not only an artist but a music director, bandleader, composer and arranger working with musicians who were often established artists and bandleaders themselves. Wollman told Atherton that the experience reinforced something he believes about leadership: “Great leaders make great followers.”

The television band backed major artists from across R&B, jazz, pop, soul, hip-hop, country and other genres. With limited rehearsal time, Wollman believed in being over-prepared. The charts needed to be clear. Musicians received recordings in advance. Everyone needed to understand the music before the artist arrived.

More importantly, Wollman wanted the performance to belong to the artist.

He explained that an artist may have spent a year creating a record, from conception and writing through recording, mixing and mastering. When that artist came onto his stage, Wollman did not believe it was his role to reinterpret that work simply to showcase his own band. “I want to honor what they did,” he said. “I don’t want to do my version of this. I want to do their version of this.”

That meant paying attention to details. If the recording had a particular guitar sound, Wollman wanted to find that sound. If there was a specific electronic hand clap, he wanted percussionist Luis Conte to recreate that particular sound rather than substitute something generic. “Everybody…cared,” Wollman recalled.

One of the most memorable examples of trust came while working with Al Jarreau. Wollman was directing the band as they performed Jarreau’s version of “Take Five,” which included multiple modulations. When Wollman asked when the modulations would happen, Jarreau essentially told him to watch and he would know.

Near the end of the performance, Wollman saw the cue: an eyebrow went up and Jarreau gave him a particular smile. Wollman realized that was it. He signaled the band, and everyone moved together. Wollman compared it to a school of fish or birds turning together in flight. It happened on live national television.

What stayed with him was the trust. It was their first time working together. Wollman told Atherton that reputation grows out of the things they had been discussing throughout the interview: “showing up and being a good person,” caring, bringing your best, maintaining a positive attitude and continuing to improve your craft—not only as an artist, but “as a person, as a human being.”

His story about Joan Baez reveals the same instinct from another perspective. Baez was scheduled to appear on a television program to discuss a new book, but she wasn’t expected to perform. Wollman heard that and thought, “Well, we got to have her play something. It’s Joan Baez.”

He offered to learn whatever song she wanted, arrange for the specific Martin guitar she preferred and meet with her privately before the show. If she was comfortable after they played together, they could perform. If she wasn’t, she didn’t have to. They met in her dressing room, played together and ultimately performed. Wollman said he wanted to “create a space where she could do that.”

Throughout the interview, Wollman speaks about remarkable artists without treating those encounters as trophies. He remembers the people.

He recalled Little Richard asking to meet him before a performance and the private conversation that followed. They talked about history, culture, music and Richard’s experiences. What Wollman remembered was his authenticity. “He was just so authentic,” Wollman said. He described Richard as uniquely himself and fearless—or, if fear was present, courageous enough to move through it. Wollman said he loves being around that kind of energy.

Wollman’s work eventually extended further into film. He served as music producer for the HBO documentary If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, a film about people in their 90s and older continuing to live active, joyful and meaningful lives. Dick Van Dyke was among those featured. Because Van Dyke would spontaneously sing and dance during filming, director Danny Gold approached Wollman about producing a musical performance for him.

Wollman met Van Dyke, they selected “Young at Heart,” and Wollman wrote the arrangement. They went to Capitol Studios with Nathan East on bass, J.R. Robinson on drums, Bill Cantos on piano, Eric Marienthal on saxophone and Wollman on guitar. Wollman described Van Dyke simply as “a really lovely, lovely person.”

The project also led Wollman to produce Tony Bennett in New York and later work at Capitol Studios with Alan Bergman and Dave Grusin. Producing Bennett, Wollman said, “was a dream.” Working with Grusin carried particular significance because Wollman identified Dave Grusin, Quincy Jones and Bob James among the people who influenced him not simply as a guitarist or composer, but as an artist, arranger and producer.

For all of the extraordinary names associated with his career, Wollman repeatedly returned to gratitude. “I don’t take any one of those performances for granted,” he told Atherton. “I know I was qualified to do the job, but I was also fortunate to be considered.” He said he always tried to give the most he could to the song, the artist, his band, his arrangements and every performance.

That curiosity and appreciation continue to create new opportunities. During the pandemic, Wollman interviewed Bob James for his podcast, Making It with Terry Wollman. As they discussed how James was spending his time creatively, Wollman mentioned that he was making a record remotely. James told him, “Well, I’ll play on it.” Wollman later followed up and sent James the song he believed was the best fit, ultimately leading to their recording together on Wollman’s album Surface.

For Wollman, the experience reflected a larger way of approaching life. “I’m a big believer in just being open to what’s presented in front of you when opportunities open up,” he told Atherton. “Don’t limit yourself. Say yes to things if they seem like there’s going to be something positive coming from it.”

Through the many conversations he has hosted on Making It with Terry Wollman, Wollman says he has heard versions of that idea repeatedly. When he asks successful people how their careers and lives developed, the answers frequently move beyond money. An opportunity might provide the chance to work with someone, explore something new, follow a curiosity, become inspired or discover where an unexpected experience might lead. Wollman told Atherton, “That’s how I’ve lived my life, too, and continue to.”

There is also a sense of community behind that philosophy. “I believe in artists doing things to lift each other,” Wollman said. “I love our community.” Later, discussing the importance of generosity and relationships, he described “leading with kindness” and taking care of the people around you as a form of currency.

And Wollman is still growing.

During the interview, he talked about continuing to move across styles and refusing to artificially limit himself. “It’s still me, whatever the style is,” he said. “It’s all about growth your whole life.” He even described recently recording his first harmonica solo after casually picking up the instrument during a pre-production session. When artist David Pomerantz heard him play and wanted the harmonica on the record, Wollman began practicing so he could prepare himself to do the job properly.

Perhaps the most revealing statement in the conversation, however, is not about one of the famous people Wollman has worked with. It is about the people listening.

Wollman encouraged audiences to listen to artists they enjoy, subscribe and share their work. Then he explained why.

“We make music for you,” he said. “As well as for ourselves, it’s a collaboration. It’s not just the creator, it’s the listener that makes it complete.”

For Wollman, the intention behind creating music is equally clear: “to spread joy, or to move people and touch people.”

That may be the thread connecting Terry Wollman’s many roles—as guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, musical director, bandleader and interviewer. The career has taken him into rooms with extraordinary people, but he continues to describe the work in fundamentally human terms: prepare, care, remain curious, respect the people around you, stay open to opportunity and give everything you can when it is your turn to contribute.

After decades of making music, Terry Wollman is still listening, still learning and still creating.

And when the opportunity arrives, he still shows up.

Watch Terry Wollman’s full conversation with Paula Atherton on The Paula Atherton Show on Keymark Television Network. For Terry’s music, Making It with Terry Wollman, videos and current projects, visit TerryWollman.com.

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