Terry Slater in a-ha: The Movie (2021)

Magne has shared the sad news that Terry Slater, a-ha’s first manager, has passed away. Sometimes referred to as the fourth member of a-ha, Terry managed the band from 1983 until the mid-90s.

Born in 1941, he started out as a bass player in the late 1950s, playing with acts like Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard on tour, before joining the backing band for The Everly Brothers in the 1960s and touring with them for years. He also wrote many songs together with Phil Everly. In the early 1970s he started working for EMI, becoming head of publishing, then head of A & R and eventually director of EMI in 1979, before turning to promotion and management on his own.

Morten and Terry in the 1980s

“terry is the singularly most important person in a-has music career. he was already a towering figure in music world when we first met, but more than just his business boldness, experience, knowhow, network etc, he became a kind of father figure and a good friend.
he really cared. about the band, and the three of us as people, guiding us with a steady hand through the many trappings and pitfalls of success. he is without a doubt the person with the greatest impact on our professional lives and, i dare say, the lives of all our families”, Magne writes in his Instagram post about Terry’s passing.

Magne, Terry and Paul on tour in 1991

Although a-ha went with a new management when they returned in the late 90s, Terry Slater continued to support the band through the years. At the final farewell concert in 2010 a-ha paid tribute to Terry, who was in the audience, by performing an acoustic version of “Bowling Green”, a song he once co-wrote for the Everly Brothers. Then in 2014 he was a special guest at the a-ha fan convention in Oslo, where he talked about his time with the band and answered questions from the audience. He also appears briefly in a-ha: The Movie (2021), where he visits the band backstage during one of their more recent tours.

Earlier this year, Magne also shared this photo of a-ha with Terry from the 1980s.