What Happened to Tony Terry and Why Was He Blacklisted?

If you’ve been keeping up with the community tab on our YouTube channel, you know that we had to delete our Tony Terry video. Thankfully, Tony and his team have been kind enough to allow us to post the entire script from our video right here on our blog.

Be sure to follow Mr. Terry on Instagram @mrtonyterry to keep up with his latest projects, and give his record label and management company @songsourcemusicgroup a follow as well for more updates on Mr. Terry’s shows and touring schedule! We also have to give special thanks to our friends over at Halftime Chat for their amazing interview with Mr. Terry. Please check out their channel and be sure to subscribe!

Antonio “Tony” Terry was raised in North Carolina and grew up in the church. From an early age, he knew he wanted to be a singer. As a junior, he got accepted to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C., which was co-founded by the late Mike Malone.

In 1984, two years after graduating high school, he heard that Mike was holding auditions for a production at Crossroads Theater in New Jersey. Tony and his cousin auditioned, and they both were cast in the show.

From there, everything else pertaining to his career fell right into his lap. After appearing in the off-broadway production of Mama I Wanna Sing, he was discovered by New York radio pioneer and producer, Ted Currier — the man behind hits, like “Atomic Dog.” Ted took Tony under his wing and began producing most of his music. 

With his sweet and sensual voice, his red hair, and amazing physique, Tony’s presence signaled a new vibe for R&B music. Sadly, his career was derailed in the blink of an eye.

Here’s what happened to Tony Terry.

Capitol, Epic, gifts, and trips

During a studio session with Ted, Ted’s then-wife called Tony into a room to sing for a group of people. Tony performed “Ribbon in the Sky,” and after he was done, the people at the table offered him a 7-album record deal with Capitol Records. Tony couldn’t believe he went from not even knowing he was auditioning, to being signed to a major label just like that.

But the guy who signed him to Capitol Records got fired, and the person who replaced him wasn’t too interested in Tony. 

Thankfully, the man who got fired was hired at Epic Records, and he convinced them to purchase Tony’s contract from Capitol. Once that transaction was completed, Tony got started on his first album with some help from Ted and his team.

Tony was only 23 at the time, and being young and naive meant he was taken advantage of from the jump. He said that people on Ted’s team started to treat him like family, which gave Tony a false sense of comfort. They also showered him with gifts…lots and lots of gifts.

He was the recipient of the first dual-sided Sony walkman, and he was given one of the biggest boom boxes he had ever seen. He was whisked away on vacations, like fishing trips in upstate New York. Little did Tony know, all of the gifts and trips were being paid for by him. Tony said as he became more aware that he was being used, and the more he learned about the industry, the less interested they were in him. 

This is how Tony Terry took control of his career

His debut album, Forever Yours, was released in 1987 and was a Top 40 hit. That same year, his single, “She’s Fly“, peaked at number #10 on the Billboard R&B singles chart. The follow-up single, “Lovey Dovey“, reached number #4, and “Forever Yours” climbed into the R&B Top 20. 

For his second album, he headed back to the studio with Ted and the rest of the team. He recorded the song, “With You,” which was written by Raymond Dominic Reeder. In an interview with Sister Circle TV, Tony said during the time he was recording the song, he drew inspiration from his real-life — in particular, the custody battle he was facing with his daughter’s mother.

His self-titled sophomore album dropped in 1990 and spent 68 weeks on the Billboard charts, and peaked at number 35. It was jam-packed with hits, including “Everlasting Love.” The remix of the song features background vocals by the R&B groups Ex-Girlfriend and Jodeci. 

Tony quickly realized his label wasn’t really interested in him. It was difficult for him to get the executives’ attention, including the head of A&R, Hank Caldwell, who just so happened to be Johnny Gill’s godfather. Tony told Halftime Chat, “He was working with me but talked about Johnny all the time.”

So Tony took matters into his own hands to promote the album. He called every record store in the U.S. and thanked them for their support. He also called every radio station to personally thank them for playing his music. And he took the time to record personalized medleys for each station, which was about 200 in total.

The song “Head Over Heels” was the first single, and when it came time to choose the second single, Tony was adamant that the label release “With You.”

Fighting for ‘With You’

The president of Epic called him in for a meeting and told him that “With You” wasn’t a good idea and he should pick another song instead. But Tony wasn’t about to change his mind. He knew “With You” was a hit.

The label finally gave in, but they made Tony pay for his decision.

His label presented “With You” to radio stations with a blank cover and handwritten information on the label. Apparently, they thought the bland cover wouldn’t catch the attention of radio programmers, and the song wouldn’t get played. In other words, they were setting Tony up to fail.

But their plan backfired because the blank cover actually piqued everyone’s interest. Once program directors started playing the song, it became a radio hit and its popularity increased like crazy.

A queen steps in

Tony walked into his manager’s office one day, and the phone was ringing at the front desk. Since no one was there to pick it up, he answered it, and a voice said:

“Hello, this is Anita Baker, and I’m looking for Tony Terry… I was asleep in my bed and awakened by one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in my life. Because I haven’t seen a music video for it, I need to know what’s going on? What’s going on at your record company, baby?”

Tony wasn’t sure if it was really Anita on the other end of the line, but he decided to play along. He explained to her that his label didn’t like the song, and that’s when Anita sprung into action. She said:

“I’m going to give you $50,000 dollars, and I want you to shoot a video. Then I’m calling my friend Blair Underwood so he can direct. Then I’m going to give you my publicist services for six months.”

Tony was stunned. He asked Anita, “Why are you doing this for me? How do I pay you back?” Anita told him don’t worry about it. All she wanted was for him to blow up.

The check came in the mail, and Tony flew to Los Angeles to meet with Blair. They filmed the video, which Anita executive produced.  When the video was released, the song gained even more traction. Tony’s label called him in and told him, “We knew this was a brilliant record!” Smh.

“With You” has gone on to become Tony’s biggest and most recognizable hit, and it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. He received two Soul Train Music Award nominations for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year, as well as an American Music Award Nomination. The track has been played at countless weddings and is now considered an R&B classic. 

Why Tony Terry got dropped from Virgin Records

It was time for him to get started on his third album, and someone from his team told the folks at Epic Records that they needed to step it up and start taking Tony seriously. The label responded: “If you think you can find a better situation for Tony, go get it. Make it happen.”

So he left and signed with Virgin Records, and things quickly took a turn. Conflict was brewing between a female member of his management team and a Virgin Records executive. At the time, Tony had no idea that the conflict between the two women would be detrimental to his career.

He still managed to crank out his third studio album, entitled Heart of a Man, which was released in October 1994 and peaked at #47 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and his single, “When a Man Cries,” was a Top 20 hit.

He took some time to work with other artists, including Yolanda Adams, before working on his fourth studio album. His label gave him a bigger budget, and Tony headed out to Los Angeles to start recording. While there, he received a phone call that it was a wrap. His contract had been canceled and he needed to pack up and go home.

So what the heck happened? According to Tony, things got so bad between the member of his management team and the Virgin Records exec, and they allegedly got into a physical altercation. Their final disagreement ended with the label deciding to part ways with Tony.

Going independent and finding love

For several years, his team tried to get him another deal, but there were no offers on the table. He was turned down time and time again, despite having a solid track record and good relationships in the industry. With no other options, he signed with an independent label called Golden Boy Records. 

By the time he finally released his fourth album, entitled My Best, in 2001, music had changed, and radio stations were more focused on rap. His album didn’t chart, although the song “In the Shower” became an underground hit.

Tony took some time off in 2004 to go on tour with Roberta Flack. The following year, on May 14, 2005, he married a woman named Larondra, and they now share a son together named Dyson.

In 2006, he felt compelled to reconnect with his spirituality, and he wanted to tell the world about the goodness of the Lord. He told Urban Bridgez website his label wasn’t interested in a gospel album, so they released him from his contract.

He signed with Koch Records and released his gospel album Changed in 2006. The single “Praise Him” peaked at #18 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart.

At took some time off from recording, up until 2015 when he released his sixth studio album, called I Tony 6.

The real reason Tony Terry got blacklisted

Now, let’s go back a little bit. Do you remember when we mentioned Tony couldn’t find a new label after he was dropped from Virgin Records? Well, 15 years later, he found out he had been blacklisted by the industry due to his problematic management company.

But that’s not all. Tony also found out his management company had been stealing from him.

A German producer reached out to him about using some of his acapellas on a project they were working on. Tony gave them permission to use his work but later realized he didn’t even own the publishing to the song. His managers owned his publishings and they had been sold three more times to other entities since then. Tony said that in total, his management company stole millions of dollars worth of publishing checks.

He reached out to Ted Currier because he was sure Ted must have been responsible for the missing money. But after speaking to Ted, they both realized that it was Ted’s ex-wife that was the alleged culprit. 

As of December 2021, Tony is battling it out to obtain ownership of his music, and the administrator of the royalty checks has frozen all payments until they can get things cleared up.

These days, Tony still performs across the globe and has appeared in several stage plays, including Sisterella, which was co-produced by the King of Pop, as well as the musical and Bravo TV reality show, Your Husband Is Cheating On Us.

He takes pride in his appearance and tries to hit the gym every day, all while going on casting calls, touring, and conducting interviews. He’s also a grandfather now. He told Rolling Out, “I’m Tony Terry, the singer when I’m out, but I’m daddy and Tonio when I get home.”

When asked if he had any advice for up and coming artists, Tony said it’s important for young artists to be aware that they’re entering a business, and you have to have some kind of business acumen because it’s not in anyone else’s favor to protect you…and that’s something he found out the hard way.

Let us know if you’re shocked by what happened to Tony Terry!