Terry Baucom Obituary: Duke of Drive, Singer & Banjo Player died

Terry Baucom Obituary: Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive, Singer, and Banjo Player died on December 7, 2023, at the age of 71.

Terry Baucom suffered complications from a severe and rapid form of Alzheimer’s, causing his death.

Terry Baucom was an American bluegrass singer, banjo player, and band leader. He is nicknamed “The Duke of Drive” for his propelling banjo style. He leads his band, The Dukes of Drive, and was a founding member of Boone Creek, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and IIIrd Tyme Out.

Terry Baucom, a truly and deeply beloved figure in the world of bluegrass banjo, has died following a brief but debilitating illness. He was 71 years of age.

Though as a teen he wanted to be a fiddler, Baucom had originally warmed to the five-string and exploded onto the bluegrass scene with Boone Creek, a short-lived band that helped define contemporary grass for the next generation. Members included Ricky Skaggs on mandolin and fiddle, Wes Golding on guitar, and Jerry Douglas on reso-guitar. Bauc was 22 years old when he joined the group on banjo.

Their two recordings, Boone Creek and One Way Track, were extremely popular when they were released in 1977 and ’78, and followed nicely after the classic J.D. Crowe & The New South album (Rounder 0044) from 1975. The band had a newly muscular style, powered in large part by Baucom’s banjo which was intense and aggressive in its approach.

His style primarily employed the vocabulary that Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe had introduced, but with a right-hand attack that produced an even more staccato effect, punctuating the beat with his impeccable note placement and powerfully driving the band.

Funeral arrangements will be handled by Johnson Funeral Home in Elkin, NC.