Terence Curtin Boylan (born 1946) is an American singer-songwriter.[1]
Brought up in Buffalo, New York, Terence Boylan first appeared on local radio in the late 1950s performing a song he had written at the age of 11.[2] While still in his mid teens, in the early 1960s, he performed in Greenwich Village and, following a chance meeting with Bob Dylan, was encouraged to pursue a solo music career in upstate New York.[2] He attended Bard College in New York and, with his older brother John, formed a band, the Ginger Men.[2] By 1967, they had both signed with Verve Records, for whom they then recorded an experimental concept album, Playback, issued in the name of the Appletree Theatre.[3]
After John Boylan moved to California, Terence stayed in New York City, returned to college, and played with classmates Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. With them, he cut a solo LP, Alias Boona in 1969, the title referring to his nickname.[3] He then moved to California, working again with his brother. After a few years he was signed to Asylum Records, and he recorded his self-titled second album in 1977.[3] Like his previous record, this was well received by critics but was never more than a cult success.[3] However, Boylan did enjoy some success as a songwriter when Iain Matthews turned his song "Shake It" into a top five hit.[2]
Following a third album, Suzy,[3] Boylan has principally involved himself with songwriting and soundtrack work, and his own record label and publishing company, Spinnaker Records.[2]
At the age of nine, Boylan sent a letter to the U.S. National Institutes of Health requesting a $10 "grant" to build a rocket ship. The peer review panel was so impressed with the young boy's initiative that they each contributed money to total $10 to send to Boylan.[4] He has since been a big supporter of science, science education, and medical research. He is executive director of the John Boylan Medical Research Foundation which supports research and international scientist exchange fellowships[5] and serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Desert Island Biological Lab.[6] Boylan has also supported children's educational programs at the Center for Scientific Review at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.