Terry Callier, an influential folk-soul singer, was reportedly found dead in his home on Sunday. He was 67.
Callier started his music career at the age of 17 when he signed to Chess Records in 1962. His influential blend of jazz, soul and folk was seen in his early works of three famous albums—1972’s Occasional Rain, 1973’s What Color Is Love and 1974’s I Just Can’t Help Myself. Despite praise from critics, his work never truly broke into the commercial spotlight.
Then, Callier decided to retire from music between 1982 and 1996. During this time, he studied computer programming and got a job at the University of Chicago. He was also pursuing a sociology degree. His cult following continued to grow in popularity thanks to the UK’s Acid Jazz label re-releasing his 1983 single “I Don’t Want To See Myself (Without You).” He would eventually return to recording and performing gigs in 1997 with his first contribution to Beth Orton’s Best Bit EP.
The following year, he released Timepeace through jazz label Verve, which was his first major label project in 20 years. His final album was 2009’s Hidden Conversations that was written and co-produced by Massive Attack.
Callier touched a younger generation, notably up-and-coming British soul artist Michael Kiwanuka.
