Terry Glaze Pantera Lord Tracy Interview – Talks Pantera Albums 1983,1984,1985 – Dimebag, Vinnie

Terry Glaze
Pantera/Lord Tracy

Originally published on August 1, 2005

full in bloom: What is new, what have you been up to lately and what is in the future?

Terry: I live in Maryland. Wife and two kids. I get to play music almost everyday. I’ve been very lucky. I still do lots of recording. I have a small studio here in my house. I put out cds with different musician friends. I have a band here in MD called The Crayfish, and Lord Tracy has been doing some reunion shows across the country. Hopefully we can keep it going.

FIB:  When you were just a teenager you played in a band called Pantera. What are your 3 most fond memories of being in that band?

Terry:  Playing with Darrell, Vince and Rex was a blast! Lots of great memories. Three of my favorite gigs were playing the Arlington Skating Rink, Six Flags and Tyler, Texas.

FIB:  How did Pantera form, what year and how old were you?

Terry:  1981? 11th grade. I was 15, I think. Originally it was me, Tommy Bradford on bass & Donnie Hart on vocals, Vinnie on drums and Darrell on guitar. Darrell had a Les Paul copy and a Sunn Beta amp that really rocked. Eventually I took over the singing and Rex Brown replaced Tommy on bass. This all happened by 1982.

FIB: In Texas, and especially in the DFW area, Pantera was very popular. How long did it take for that to happen?

Terry: We busted our ass practicing and playing out non-stop. Texas is so big, we would play Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, someplace else, and then start over again every month.

FIB: How many copies of Metal Magic were sold?

Terry: Who knows? As many as we could sell off the band stand. We did everything ourselves. It was great seeing record reviews of our albums in European rock magazines right alongside Iron Maiden & Metallica.

FIB: What was the most amount of money you received for playing a show with Pantera?

Terry: That’s funny.

FIB: How much were you making at the time you left the band, between album sales and shows? What was your cut for each record sold?

Terry: A full share, which has yet to be received. Again, funny stuff.

FIB: Why were you never signed to a major label during your time in Pantera?

Terry: No one was willing to take a chance back then.

FIB: I read a rumor online that Pantera came close to getting a deal?

Terry: That is news to me.

FIB: What is going on with the early Pantera cd releases on Ebay? Did someone sign a deal with a record company to release those, or are they bootlegs? 

Terry: Those are bootlegs. I bought a copy for myself off of Ebay a while back. i believe they are from Europe. Good stuff.

FIB: Where did you tour with Pantera?

Terry: We played all over Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. We played almost every weekend of every month from around 1981-1986, I think.

FIB: Out of the 3 releases you did with Pantera, which one is your favorite and why?

Terry: I like them all, but probably Projects in the Jungle, I just dig the tunes…especially “All Over Tonight.”

FIB: Why did you leave Pantera?

Terry: It wasn’t about the two hours a day we played together on stage. I loved playing with those guys. We were a great band.

FIB: Who was the Eldn’ & how much of a role did he play in the production of the records?

Terry: The Eldn’ (LD) is Jerry Abbott, Vince & Darrell’s father. He worked at a small recording studio in Pantego, Tx. We would go in and record our original tunes whenever the studio was not being used. We were able to get tons of experience in a recording studio before we even got out of high school. Jerry did a little bit of everything for the band. He booked us, financially backed us, was our recording engineer, he even wrote some of the song lyrics. He was a big reason for Pantera’s early success. I think he ended up moving to Nashville where he has a studio today.

FIB: Any memories stand out from some of the Pantera recording sessions?

Terry: We recorded our first three records there at Pantego, as well as all the demos. It was a great experience that helped me out so much in my later career. I wasn’t intimidated by the “red” lite when I got into other studios.

FIB: Who did all the artwork for those Pantera records? Who did the logo?

Terry: A friend of the band did the paintings for the album covers. We were into Iron Maiden. Not sure on the logo.

FIB: How did the songwriting process work in the band?

Terry: Usually Darrell & Vince wrote the music & then I wrote the lyrics. Sometimes I wrote the entire tune, or maybe Jerry would write lyrics to one of Vince & Darrell’s songs. We all helped each other out. We split everything equal.

FIB: Who ran Metal Magic Records?

Terry: That would be Jerry & Pantera. We were our own little record company.

FIB: What are your 3 most fond memories of being in Lord Tracy?

Terry: Seeing our video on MTV one night in Memphis while we were on stage doing a show. Touring with Ace Frehley and playing in Little Rock this past Memorial Day weekend opening for Reo Speedwagon.

FIB: Your debut Lord Tracy release, Deaf Gods of Babylon, achieved quite a bit of success. You had a hit on the radio and rotation on MTV with “Out with the Boys.” Why didn’t the band achieve more success?

Terry: Got lost in the shuffle. Typical Spinal Tap stuff. We had the “real” Marty Fluffkins working our record.

FIB: The band was originally called Tracy Lords. Did she force you to change it? Have you ever met her?

Terry: She wanted us to pay her, we changed the name so we wouldn’t have to. Never met her, but would have liked to.

FIB: Lord Tracy bassist Barney (Kinley Wolfe) has played with Black Oak Arkansas, The Cult and I even saw him with Jack Ingram. How did you meet him?

Terry: I met Barney when he was playing in lightning way back when. They actually opened for Pantera when we did a show at the Bronco Bowl. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. Any band would be lucky to have him as a member. I believe we all like playing intense passionate music. We’re trying to get a response from the audience.

FIB: Who were some of the bands Lord Tracy toured with?

Terry: Ace Frehley was the biggest, we did a show with Bad English in L.A. way back. Reo Speedwagon, this past spring.

FIB: How did the reunion with Lord Tracy come about and how has it been to play with those guys again?

Terry: We all had been talking to one another and it just kinda happened. It’s been better than I could have imagined. I think we appreciate it more this time around.

FIB: Whatever happened to Blowfish?

Terry: A great band, I loved playing with those guys, too. We did some recording and played out a little bit. We just never got signed.

FIB: Didn’t Blowfish feature one of the Goo Goo Dolls?

Terry: Mike Malinin, the best drummer I ever played with. Rob Cooper on bass, a killer player and a good friend. Dave Hineman on lead guitar, one of my best friends, awesome player….and me yelling and bashing guitar.

FIB: In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

Terry: I think I would only have tried to be more patient and not take things for granted. I got to play with some world class musicians, and I feel very lucky for that. We had great experiences traveling around and I learned so much that helped me along the way. I can’t complain though. Life has been very good to me.