Tammi Terrell

Tammi Terrell ( born April 29, 1945 in Philadelphia, † March 16, 1970 ibid; actually Thomasina Winifred Montgomery ) was an African-American soul and R & B singer. She had her biggest success as a singing partner of Marvin Gaye 1967-1969.

  • 2.2.1 with Marvin Gaye
  • 2.2.2 Solo

Biography

Tammi Terrell was the daughter of the politician Thomas Harper Montgomery (1907-1980) and his wife Jennie Bearian Graham ( 1917-1983 ). After winning several talent competitions as a student, the young Tammy Montgomery took from 1961 plates at Scepter / Wall Records on. James Brown produced in 1963 with her ​​song I Cried and If You Do not Think. Both appeared on the album James Brown 's Original Funky Divas. With the James Brown Revue, she was a year go. In this case, a relationship between her and James Brown developed. After Brown had the 17 -year-old severely beaten, she fled to her parents.

1965 Berry Gordy discovered Tammy Montgomery for Motown, where she served as Tammi Terrell recorded her songs. The new name was shorter and easier to remember, for an alleged marriage to boxer Ernie Terrell, there is no verifiable evidence. However, they had soon after the beginning of Motown commitment an intimate relationship with the Temptations singer David Ruffin. Although this was her massively violent towards frequently - among other things, he is said to have seriously injured several times on the head or the face - Tammi Terrell ended the relationship until she learned that Ruffin was married in another state.

Terrell had at Motown first two minor solo hits with I Can not Believe You Love Me and Come On And See Me For breakthrough in her career, she should but help to work with Marvin Gaye in 1967. After Mary Wells and Kim Weston she became his third duet partner. With him, she took such classics as "Is not No Mountain High Enough " (produced by Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol, first taken from her solo, and shortly afterwards supplemented by Marvin Gaye's vocals ) and Your Precious Love on. It was considered the ideal duet partner for Gaye, and between the two developed a close friendship private, but not a love relationship. In the summer of 1967, Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye went to a large, successful tour.

But in October of the same year, the success of the duo was overshadowed by Terrell's serious illness, the common appearances came to an abrupt end. For a long time she complained of frequent severe headaches, but they were incorrectly recognized as a result of stress and ill-treatment by David Ruffin. Tammi Terrell's reportedly occurred massive headache attacks from 1966, about the time when she ended her relationship with David Ruffin. Consequently, she was at that time, the headaches are due to psychological illness. During the year 1967 their complaints increased. On October 14, 1967 Tammi Terrell collapsed during a performance by the duo in Hampden - Sydney, Virginia on stage together. As in Terrell for their next appearance in Chicago paralysis and impaired vision, the tour was canceled, and Terrell went to the hospital in Philadelphia investigations. Only with their second stay there, in January 1968, a brain tumor was diagnosed in the area of the thalamus as the true cause of their complaints. On January 13, 1968, she underwent a difficult and risky brain surgery. Although Tammi Terrell had lost much weight, she began work as a singer - against the advice of their doctors - two months later with a few appearances in Philadelphia again.

Soon, however, came again to massive health problems. Spinal fluid could not be sufficiently absorbed in the skull, because one or more ventricles were affected. A total of five operations within a few months her therefore were inter alia Drainage and a shunt inserted, which should remedy the situation, but at first did not work. Meanwhile, some songs of Terrell's previous solo recordings were sung in the studio by Marvin Gaye. Duets were artificially made ​​it through overdubbing. Among others are produced in this way six tracks on the album You're All I Need.

Although Tammi Terrell survived the surgery, but recovered only slowly. She suffered as a result of a right-sided paresis - her right arm was paralyzed, severely limited mobility of her right leg - and forgetfulness. In the spring of 1969, it came to pass, sitting in a wheelchair, the Motown studio in Detroit. Since she was still physically very weak and had problems to remember lyrics, but it was probably soon sent back home. In the following months, Tammi Terrell focused entirely on reducing by physiotherapy their physical limitations. In the fall of 1969, her condition seemed to have improved significantly: they had overcome some of the paralysis, trained the performance of their memory and planned to be a full recovery again active as a singer nor take up studies again, which she before her career at Motown had begun.

Whether Tammi Terrell sang all the songs on the last duet album with Marvin Gaye Easy 1969 even as her sister says, or her singing part was taken over by Valerie Simpson in most songs, such as Marvin Gaye has claimed, according to a biography is an open question. The only certainty is that with More, More, More and I Can not Believe You Love Me Tammi Terrell singing, as it is in this case of older solo recordings, which Gaye's vocals were added.

Tammi Terrell became engaged in her last year with the doctor Ernest Garrett. To a marriage however did not come because her health deteriorated again. End of December 1969 to 18 January 1970, she was again treated in the hospital in the neurological ward. Then her parents went with her to the Bahamas. On March 16, 1970 Tammi Terrell died at the Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia at the age of 24 years, after a further operation. The exact cause of death was not initially announced later rumored that she died of an inoperable brain tumor. Their duet partner Marvin Gaye gave a moving, tearful speech at Terrell's grave burial.

Music

Albums

With Marvin Gaye

Solo

Singles

With Marvin Gaye

^ - In these songs probably took Valerie Simpson female vocals and Tammi Terrell's voice imitated, as Terrell has probably not taken these songs because of their poor health status.

Solo

(*) As Tammy Montgomery

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