GEORGE TERRY

It turns out Eric Clapton's Seventies guitarist (and co-writer of "Lay Down Sally") also played on ABBA's "Voulez-Vous." Below, he looks back on a decade-plus of E.C., Bee Gees, Diana Ross and more

- Bill DeMain

ISLANDS IN THE Stream,” “Voulez-Vous,” “Guilty,” “Lay Down Sally.” What do these classic hits have in common? They all feature the tasteful guitar playing of George Terry.

Like an East Coast brother of L.A. cats Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather and Dean Parks, “Miami George” had genre-spanning chops, imagination and flair that allowed him to move easily from session to session. Working at Criteria Studios in Miami, mostly with the successful production team of Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson, Terry built a discography that cut a who’s-who swath through Seventies and Eighties pop and rock.

As if that didn’t keep him busy enough, Terry also was the second guitarist to Eric Clapton. From 1974 to 1978, he toured the world and played on five of Clapton’s studio albums while also contributing as a songwriter and backing vocalist.

Those were transitional years for Clapton, when he was redefining himself as a singer and bandleader, while trying to escape his “Clapton is God” guitar-hero rep.

“Singing and playing guitar is not an easy thing to do,” Terry says. “There’s a syncopation that gets complex while doing both at once. Not to mention getting the lyrics, phrasing and pitch right on the vocal. So in a live performance, I would cover whatever he had trouble doing.”

And Clapton was a generous band leader, letting Terry step out with solos on such tracks as “The Core,” “Next Time” and “Lay Down Sally.”

After parting ways with Clapton, Terry plugged back into the studio scene with high-profile work for Diana Ross, Air Supply and Barbra Streisand. He also released a muchoverlooked solo album, Guitar Drive, which includes the standout track “Let Me Stay,” originally written for Clapton’s 461 Ocean Boulevard.

These days, Terry, 74, lives in his native south Florida, where he makes music in his home studio. You can check out what he’s been up to on his website, georgeterry.​com.