He is a singer-songwriter and producer born in Detroit, Michigan who gained his first recording contract in the duo Terry Teens while he was at Florence State College.
He became a radio DJ for a while but then returned to singing under the name Terry Nelson. His song “The Ballad of Lt. Calley” sold nearly 2 million copies but he still didn’t find stardom.
He began to write songs for other artists in the 1970s under the name Skinner, often in collaboration with J.L. Wallace and Ken Bell. He wrote No. 1 hits for The Carpenters, Alabama, Air Supply and the Forester Sisters as well as other chart songs for artists such as Narvel Felts, Sammy Kershaw and Billy “Crash” Craddock. He also recorded and co-wrote as a member of the group Bama.
He has won 11 BMI awards including two for songs that have over one million air plays.
Randy Barlow Recordings
Dixie Man (J.L. Wallace/Terry Skinner/Ken Bell)
Source: