Teri DeSario

Teri Lynn DeSario (born November 27, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from Miami, Florida.

DeSario worked within several music genres out of high school. She was vocalist, played recorder and harp from 1970–1977 with a Medieval and Renaissance music group, the Early Music Consort, headed by scholar and Pro Musica member Arnold Grayson. She began her career as a singer/songwriter in the folk genre and later expanded her love of folk music with her passion for jazz. After marrying horn player, arranger, and composer Bill Purse, they founded a pop-folk-jazz collaborative called Abacus. One night a long-haired man walked into the club where she was performing, claiming to be the producer of the Bee Gees; it turned out he actually was. Barry Gibb heard her demo of original music and was so inspired by DeSario’s vocals that he wrote a song for her called “Ain’t Nothing Gonna Keep Me from You” and helped her obtain a recording contract.

“Ain’t Nothing Gonna Keep Me from You” from 1978 was DeSario’s first hit single, written by Barry Gibb from her first album Pleasure Train, also released in 1978. Even though the first single from her debut, Pleasure Train, made #43 on the U.S. pop charts, she hadn’t really enjoyed the recording experience and wanted a new direction. It was then that she bumped into an old school mate she had as a teen, Harry Wayne Casey (KC) of KC and the Sunshine Band.

In the U.S., DeSario is mainly known for her duet with KC, lead singer of the R&B and funk group KC and the Sunshine Band of the Barbara Mason cover, “Yes, I’m Ready” from 1980 (#2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and certified gold, Adult Contemporary #1 for 2 weeks) from her second album Moonlight Madness, released in 1979. Follow-up singles (album title track) “Moonlight Madness” and a remake of “Dancin’ in the Streets” charted but didn’t make the Billboard Top 40.

By the end of 1980, her hit “Yes, I’m Ready” granted herself one-hit wonder status, with the disco-era making an exit, even though her duet with KC was a pop-fused remake of a slow-dancing ballad. She went on to record two more albums for Casablanca, Caught, an album which reflected her situation with the record company, and Relationships, which was shelved when the company itself changed directions. She recorded two contemporary Christian albums for Word Records, A Call to us All and Voices in the Wind, which were co-written with and produced by Bill Purse. In 1986, she was nominated for a Grammy in the gospel category for Best Female Performance. She also wrote for and appeared on various artists’ albums. During the same period, her music was popular in Japan and the Philippines. DeSario’s music became more introspective and increasingly challenged conservative Christianity. Finally in 1986, she requested that she be released from her contract at Word Records.

In 1989, DeSario also performed/recorded a version of “Lifeline” with The Maranatha! Singers on a compilation CD for Maranatha! Music.

DeSario took her talents to production for Emergence on 1993’s Laughing Medusa Theme Series, Vol. 1 release. DeSario was credited as executive producer, producer and vocalist and husband Bill took on the roles of synthesizer, piano, arranger, keyboards, vocals, producer, engineer, editing, executive producer and mixing. DeSario would also provide vocals on Chris Carter and Mark Snow’s 1996 album Truth & Light: Music from The X-Files.

In 2012, Gold Legion.com digitally remastered Pleasure Train and released it on CD. Though it does not contain bonus tracks of the 12 inch dance versions, it also comes with a 12-page booklet with liner notes that detail the story of this album as told by the producers involved in the album.

DeSario shares her life in Germany and Miami and from time to time she sings with The Marschfellows in Germany. She is also part of Christian music groups and performs with them.

Selected Discography

Voices In The Wind

Dayspring Records 1985

Tracks: Celebrate, Tapestry, Attitude Of Gratitude, Voices In The Wind, I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier, Truth, Ain't Givin' Up, No Way & All Day Thursday.

Musicians on the Voices In The Wind album: Teri DeSario and others.

Overnight Success with Joey Carbone & Richie Zito

Epic Records 1984

Tracks: Overnight Success, Ocean Of Love, Dance Of Love, All Of My Love, Let's Dance, Straight To The Heart, Reach For The Top & Just Loving You.

Musicians on the Overnight Success album: Teri DeSario, Joey Carbone, Richie Zito, George Doering, Arthur Barrow & Jon Joyce.

A Call To Us All

Dayspring Records 1983

Tracks: Thank You, Battleline, I Dedicate All My Love To You, Dig A Little Deeper, Clouds Without Water, All I Need, Jesus Call Your Lambs, I'll Carry On & A Call To Us All.

Musicians on the A Call To Us All album: Teri DeSario, John Chiodini, Kevin Clark, Dan Ratkovitch, Dennis Belfield, Kevin Clark, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Purse, Tony Lewis, Carlos Vega, Michael Fisher, Ron Wagner, Dave Boruff, Bill Alsup, Rosalina R. Sackstein & Amy Shulman.

Caught

Casablanca Records 1980

Tracks: Caught, Time After Time, I' With You Now, Standing On The Edge, Hittin' Below The Belt, I've Got A Secret, All I Wanna Do, I Hate You & I Should Have Known Better.

Musicians on the Caught album: Teri DeSario, Mitch Holder, Michael Landau, Steve Lukather, Richie Zito, Dennis Belfield, John Pierce, Michael Boddicker, David Foster, James Newton Howard, Steve Porcaro, Bill Purse, Michael Baird, Carlos Vega, Paulinho Da Costa, Joey Carbone, Bill Champlin, Jim Haas, Bruce Hornsby, Jon Joyce, Tom Kelly & Warren Salyer.

Moonlight Madness

Casablanca Records 1979

Tracks: Moonlight Madness, Heart Of Stone, With Your Love, Hold On Hold On, Dancin' In The Streets, Sell My Soul For You, Goin' Thru The Motions, Fallin',  Yes I'm Ready & You Got What It Takes.

Musicians on the Moonlight Madness album: Teri DeSario, Al Ciner, Mitch Holder, Snuffy Walden, Dennis Belfield, Michael Boddicker, HW Casey, Tom Hensley, Michael Lang, Bill Purse, Carlos Vega, Paulinho Da Costa, Alan Estes, Jim Haven, Gary Herbig, Kim Hutchcroft, Vince DeRose, Jerry Hey, Dick Hyde, Steve Madaio, Dalton Smith, Sid Sharp, Joey Carbone, Patricia Henderson, Julia Tillman Waters & Maxine Willard Waters.

Pleasure Train

Casablanca Records 1978

Tracks: The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, Back In Your Arms Again, Pleasure Train, It Takes A Man and A Woman, Save Me Save Me 6 - Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You, Song And Dance Man 8 - Some Kind Of Thing, Baby I Don't Want Your Love & Loving You The First Time.

Musicians on the Pleasure Train album: Teri DeSario, Ken Bell, Jimmy Johnson, Joey Murcia, David Hood, George Perry, George Bitzer, Albhy Galuten, Randy McCormick, Bill Pursell, Roger Hawkins, Stan Kipper, Mickey Buckins, Butch Polvermo, Neal Bonsanti, Chris Colessor, Kenneth Faulk, Peter Graves, Mike Lewis, Whit Sidener, Vinnie Tanno, Bobby Caldwell, Barry Gibb & Laura Taylor.