Terry Williams (drummer)

Terrence Williams (born 11 January 1948) is a retired Welsh rock drummer.[1] During the 1970s and early 1980s Williams was drummer with Dave Edmunds / Rockpile and Man. Rockpile split in 1981 and Williams joined Dire Straits from 1982 until 1988.[2][3]

Williams was born in Swansea. During the 1960s, he played in a number of Welsh bands, including Commancheros, The Smokeless Zone, Dream and Plum Crazy, before joining Dave Edmunds' band Love Sculpture.[4] In 1970, he joined the Welsh rock group Man, which included two former Dream and Smokeless Zone members, Deke Leonard and Martin Ace. With Man, he originally appeared on seven Studio albums, three Live albums and two Various artists, live albums, and has subsequently appeared on a number of retrospective releases. When Man split in 1976, Williams rejoined Edmunds in the band Rockpile with Nick Lowe and Billy Bremner, and continued working with Leonard.

Between 1981 and 1982, Williams was part of the Neverland Express band, backing Meat Loaf. In June 1982 Williams joined Dire Straits as the replacement for drummer Pick Withers, shortly after the release of their fourth studio album Love Over Gold. Williams played with them for the first time on the 1983 EP titled ExtendedancEPlay (featuring the hit single "Twisting by the Pool") and on the 1982–1983 Love over Gold Tour. The band's double live album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live was a recording of excerpts from the final two concerts from that tour at London's Hammersmith Odeon in July 1983, featuring Williams, and was released in March 1984.

During 1983 and 1984, Williams also contributed to several projects that Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler was involved in outside of the band. He contributed drums to Phil Everly´s and Cliff Richard´s UK hit single “She Means Nothing To Me”, released in early 1983, on which Knopfler also performed guitar, and contributed to Knopfler’s 1983 music score for film Local Hero, which was followed in 1984 by Cal and Comfort and Joy.

Williams remained with Dire Straits for the recording of their fifth studio album, 1985's Brothers in Arms, however according to a Sound on Sound magazine interview with co-producer Neil Dorfsman his drumming performance was considered to be unsuitable for the desired sound of the album during the first month of the recording sessions, and he was temporarily replaced by jazz session drummer Omar Hakim, who re-recorded the album's drum parts during a two-day stay and then left.[5] Both Hakim and Williams are credited on the album,[6] although Williams' sole contribution on the finished album was the improvised crescendo at the beginning of "Money for Nothing". According to another interview with Neil Dorsman, Williams played toms and tom fills throughout “Money for Nothing”, while Omar Hakim played drums on all the remaining tracks on the album.[7] According to Williams, he recorded all his drum parts to a click track which he felt hindered his ability to channel the rhythmic feel he wanted. During the recording sessions at Montserrat, Williams voiced his disappointment to Mark Knopfler over some of his playing so far after listening to a playback of what was recorded; shortly after this, he was dismissed from the sessions after about six weeks.[8] However, Williams featured in the music videos for all the hit singles from the album and was back in Dire Straits as a full time member for the hugely successful 1985–1986 Brothers in Arms world tour that followed.[6][9]

After a hiatus of almost two years, Dire Straits regrouped with Eric Clapton to perform at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert staged on 11 June 1988 at Wembley Stadium, in which they were the headline act. This was one of the final concerts in which Terry Williams played with Dire Straits. In September 1988 Mark Knopfler announced the official disbanding of Dire Straits and Williams then left the band.[10] The compilation album Money for Nothing was released in October 1988 and featured selections from Williams’ 1982-85 tenure with the band. Dire Straits did a charity concert in Newcastle in 1989 with Williams as drummer. This was his last concert with the band. Dire Straits regrouped in 1990 and again in 1991 without Williams as drummer.

In 1988, Williams played drums on albums by Graham Parker and Nick Lowe.[11]

In 1996, Williams briefly rejoined Man, after John Weathers left, but he departed the following year. He also played in concerts such as the 50th birthday tribute to John Lennon and the 60th birthday of Chuck Berry.[2]

Williams ran a blues club in Swansea from 2000 until 2007.