Terry Pollard

{{Short description|American jazz musician (1931–2009)}}

Terry Pollard (August 15, 1931 – December 16, 2009) was an American jazz pianist and vibraphonist active in the Detroit jazz scene of the 1940s and 1950s. She has been described as a "major player who was inexplicably overlooked."{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27309|title=Terry Gibbs: Terry Gibbs Quartet Featuring Terry Pollard (2007)|last=Chell|first=Samuel|date=23 October 2007|publisher=All About Jazz|accessdate=26 June 2011}}

Pollard began her career by collaborating with other Detroit musicians, such as Billy Mitchell (and Elvin Jones, in the house band at the Blue Bird Inn),[https://books.google.com/books?id=K11GJ-xaEcoC&dq=phil+hill+jazz&pg=PA124 Björn, Lars Olof (2001) Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-60, p. 126. University of Michigan Press] At Google Books. Retrieved 9 July 2013. Johnny Hill, and the Emmitt Slay Trio.{{cite web|title =Terry Pollard: Biography |first=Scott|last=Yanow |publisher=Allmusic| url ={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=terry-pollard-p7348|pure_url=yes}} |accessdate =26 June 2011}} She was discovered by Terry Gibbs and toured with him in the early 1950s, playing piano and vibraphone. They recorded several albums, including Terry Gibbs Quartet - Featuring Terry Pollard.{{cite web|url=http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/terry_gibbs_quartet_-_featuring_terry_pollard-cd-4790.html |title=Terry Gibbs Quartet - Featuring Terry Pollard - Terry Gibbs - Blues Sounds |publisher=Freshsoundrecords.com |date= |accessdate=September 5, 2013}} Pollard appeared with Gibbs on an episode of The Tonight Show hosted by Steve Allen.{{cite web|last=Everett |first=Aubrey |url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/25540-jazz-pianist-terry-pollard-dies-at-78 |title=Jazz Articles: Jazz Pianist Terry Pollard Dies at 78 - By Aubrey Everett — Jazz Articles |publisher=Jazztimes.com |date=1931-08-15 |accessdate=2013-09-05}} Her collaborations with Gibbs from 1953 to 1957 marked the height of her career.Cotterrell, Roger. ‘Terry Pollard: Vibe Virtuoso’ Jazz Journal, vol 71, no 5 (May 2018), 40.

Pollard also performed with John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

Pollard recorded a self-titled solo album for Bethlehem Records in 1955 and won DownBeat magazine's New Artist award in 1956. Pollard retired from her full-time music career shortly thereafter in order to raise a family, but she continued to play locally in Detroit and performed with artists including Diana Ross and The Supremes. She was inducted into the Michigan Jazz Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=Terry Pollard, Detroit-born jazz pianist succumbs to long illness|url=http://michigancitizen.com/terry-pollard-detroitborn-jazz-pianist-succumbs-to-long-illness-p8177-79.htm|website=The Michigan Citizen|accessdate=June 26, 2011|archivedate=March 22, 2012|date=March 22, 2012|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322065440/http://michigancitizen.com/terry-pollard-detroitborn-jazz-pianist-succumbs-to-long-illness-p8177-79.htm}}

Her contributions to the mid-century Detroit jazz scene were recognized in the book Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit 1920-1960, by Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert.