Terry Tolkin — a veteran A&R executive for Elektra Records, Touch and Go Records and his own No. 6 label, who signed or worked closely with such acts as Luna, Afghan Whigs, Stereolab, Scrawl and Nada Surf — has died, a rep for his family confirmed to Variety. He was 62 years old. The cause of his death was not revealed, but he had been suffering from serious illness for many years.
A pivotal figure during the alternative era, Tolkin had a multifaceted early career: working in New York’s legendary 99 Records store, writing for the trade publication Rockpool and working as a DJ and booker for such New York clubs as Danceteria, CBGB and the Limelight. At Touch & Go he signed the Butthole Surfers and the Virgin Prunes, and over the course of several years running No. 6, he released records by the Tindersticks, Unrest, Luna’s Dean Wareham and others.
Tolkin is often credited with inventing the term. “alternative rock” in an article for Rockpool — which he did not necessarily dispute — the accuracy of that claim is uncertain.
In 1988 he curated and produced one of the first — and certainly one of the best — modern major tribute albums, “The Bridge: A Tribute To Neil Young,” the lineup of which spoke to his reach and importance to the indie-rock scene of the time: the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., the Flaming Lips, Soul Asylum, Nick Cave, Psychic TV, Victoria Williams and others contributed tracks (with Sonic Youth characteristically covering a song from Young’s controversial “Trans”Album); most of the profits went to the Bridge School, which Young and Pegi established for children with cerebral palsy.
Tolkin, who left Elektra 1996, returned to Kansas and settled in New Orleans. Wareham posted several early Luna demos via Bandcamp in order to raise funds for his treatment. He later fell on hard times and was diagnosed with a serious illness. Teenbeat Records released a compilation of the entire No.6 Records 7″ singles discography in 2009 called “Speed Dating: The No.6 Records Compendium.”
Tolkin was charismatic, lively, and well-liked. He is also known for his generosity and high spirit.
“Terry was a wonderful storyteller and bon vivant, and people loved being around him,”Wareham tells Variety. “We were the musical artists, but he was the one who lived like a rock star, running up hotel and restaurant tabs, riding in limos, getting in trouble, and sharing everything he had.”