SHS Choirs' Webpage - Terry Kirkman

Terry Kirkman - Requiem for the Masses

Recorded in 1967 by The Association, the composer now gives the SHS Concert Choir the backstory.

by Tim McGlynn, Schaumburg High School Choir Director tmcglynn@d211.org

Link to the Schaumburg High School Choirs site: http://www.shs.d211.org/music/choir.html

1100 West Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, IL 60194 847-755-4801





Members of The Association in 1967. Photo courtesy of VH1 at http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/association/bio.jhtml

Co-founder and a songwriter for the '60 super group The Association, Terry Kirkman was responsible for their smash hits Cherish, Enter the Young, Everything That Touches You and Six Man Band. A music education major from Salina, KS, Mr. Kirkman played guitar as well as all woodwind and brass instruments heard on the group's Warner Bros. recordings. He continued to perform as a member of The Association until the early '80s.

In addition to his musical talents, Kirkman was a writer for Name That Tune (one season, daytime) and one season for The Crosswits, a crossword puzzle game show with a celebrity panel.

Terry Kirkman served as vice-president of the Musicians' Assistance Program (MAP), an L.A. organization assisting musicians with substance abuse problems. After MAP merged with the MusiCares Foundation in 2004, Mr. Kirkman retired and now resides in Southern California.

Members of the The Association in 2003. Terry Kirkman is 5th from the right. Photo courtesy of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame at http://www.vocalhalloffame.com/

Terry Kirkman was gracious enough to provide Schaumburg High School Concert Choir students with a detailed history of his song Requiem for the Masses which we first performed as part of Schaumburg High School's That '70s Concert in February of 2003. Six years later it was our pleasure to perform this selection again at our Spring Choral Concert on May 21, 2009.

A recording of our version was sent to the writer after the 2003 concert along with a copy of the choral arrangement.   Mr. Kirkman inscribed the music and we had it framed along with an original 45 rpm record of Requiem by the Association. Scroll down to see photos of this display and the inscription, as well as the program from the concert.



Mr. Kirkman recalled that the initial draft of Requiem for the Masses was inspired by the group's rough charter flight during a Midwest snowstorm to a concert in Milwaukee, WI. Visions of another Buddy Holly catastrophe were running through the composer's mind as he considered combining pop song elements with a Renaissance style vocal piece. The anti-war sentiment then surfaced with the lament of a bullfighter who lay dying in the ring far away from his homeland.   The obvious analogy to the many young American soldiers killed in Viet Nam did not go unnoticed by the U.S. Government.

Photo courtesy of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame at http://www.vocalhalloffame.com/

Requiem for the Masses was the flip side of The Association's number one single Never My Love. In his description of Requiem Kirkman told the students: "Program directors and disc jockeys found it just a little more relevant to the times and turned the record over and started treating the song like an 'A' side. Before long about 12 significant markets had begun doing the same thing. That's when the Nixon White House made a phone call to Warner Bros. Records. They asked the label to ignore the market demand to treat the record like a hit single, meaning do nothing to promote the idea. Warner Bros., already having a success with 'Never My Love', complied with the government's wishes and that was that."

Mr. Kirkman's historical insight and performance notes made the Schaumburg Choir's presentation of this '60s classic a musical highlight of the school year.

Requiem for the Masses was released in 1967 on The Association's Warner Bros. album Insight Out. Terry Kirkman is pictured at bottom center.

The back of the LP jacket.

Album cover photos courtesy of Collectors Choice Music at http://www.ccmusic.com/index.cfm

Click on the link below for more information on The Association:

http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/association/bio.jhtml