Terry Melcher

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Terry Melcher (February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American musician and record producer.

Doris Day was just 17 when she gave birth to Terence Jorden in New York City. His father was trombonist Al Jorden, whom she divorced when Terry was an infant. Day left Terry with her mother in Ohio as she toured as a big band singer. When she got a foothold in Hollywood, she sent for him. Terry was later adopted by Day's third husband, producer Marty Melcher (and thus took Martin's last name), although the two never got along.

Melcher got his start during the surf rock craze and became a producer at Columbia Records, where he recorded singles as Terry Day. With future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, they formed Bruce and Terry, and later the Rip Chords, the latter group responsible for the hit "Hey Little Cobra". He was assigned to a new band, The Byrds. He produced "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn", but conflicts with the band got him replaced. He later worked with Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gentle Soul and the Rising Sons. He performed on the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds and introduced Brian Wilson to Van Dyke Parks in February, 1966, beginning their partnership on the ill-fated SMiLE project. He was also a board member of the Monterey Pop Foundation and a producer of the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

In 1968, Charles Manson, who was living with his Family in Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's house, auditioned for Melcher, but Melcher declined to sign him. At the time, Melcher and his then-girlfriend actress Candice Bergen were living in a house on Cielo Drive in Los Angeles. They moved out, and Melcher's landlord, Rudy Altobelli, rented the house to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. A few months later the house was the site of the brutal murders of Tate and four others, coffee heiress Abigail Folger (known as Gibby to her friends), hairdresser Jay Sebring, writer Voytek Frykowski (Abigail Folger's lover), and Steven Parent, by members of Manson's Family.

After Manson was arrested it was widely reported that he had sent his followers to the house to kill Melcher. This was discounted as police established Manson knew Melcher's new address in Malibu. Manson Family member Susan Atkins who admitted her part in the murders, stated to police and before a Grand Jury that the house was chosen as the scene for the murders "to instill fear into Terry Melcher". In this aim, the Manson Family was quite successful. Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi described Melcher as the most frightened of the trial witnesses, although Bugliosi told him numerous times that he was not the intended victim.

In the 1970s Melcher again became a producer for the Byrds, but the results were not well received; one critic referred to the album Byrdmaniax as "Melcher's Folly". He also worked with the Beach Boys again, co-writing their 1988 hit "Kokomo" with ex-Papa John Phillips, and produced their final album Summer in Paradise.

Friends close to Melcher say he was loved for his unselfishness in donating his time and talent to help friends and any other performers when they needed it. And for his wonderful sense of humor.^{[citation needed]}

He also worked as a producer on his mother's CBS television series, The Doris Day Show and Doris Day's Best Friends, and helped to run the Doris Day Animal Foundation. Melcher volunteered one very hot summer day to babysit friend Jimmy Boyd's large German Shepherd dog. Boyd was shooting a film and couldn't take the dog on the set, and didn't want to leave leave him in the car in the hundred degree summer heat. Boyd finished early and while driving home down the Sunset Strip saw Terry's car parked on the street with the dog inside and all the windows rolled up. Boyd quickly parked and ran to Terry's car to find the doors locked, the car running with the air conditioning going full blast for the dog.^{[citation needed]}

Melcher died at his home in Beverly Hills of melanoma on November 19, 2004.