Filmmaker seeks funds to finish Terry Kath movie

The daughter of former Chicago guitarist Terry Kath has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to complete a documentary about her father, who died from an accidental gunshot wound in 1978.

Terry Kath was the larger-than-life lead guitarist, vocalist and founding member of Illinois jazz-rockers Chicago. Kath played on the group’s early hits 25 or 6 to 4 and Saturday In The Park and blazed a trail on albums such as 1969’s Chicago Transit Authority and 71’s Chicago III. Such was Terry Kath’s musical prowess that Jimi Hendrix declared him “better than me.” However, tragedy struck in January 1978, when he shot himself with a pistol he erroneously believed to be loaded.

Kath’s daughter, Michelle Sinclair, now a leading DJ in the Los Angeles music scene, was two years old when he passed away, and is currently directing an independent documentary film about her father, entitled Searching For Terry. “I wanted to give my father the recognition he deserves as a musician, but also to discover who he was a person, as I never got to know him,” Michelle tells Classic Rock.

Searching For Terry has been in production for the two years, funded by contributions from an initial Kickstarter campaign. It currently includes interviews with Kath’s wife and Michelle’s mother, Camelia, several of his Chicago bandmates, and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh. Michelle and her team have now launched a second campaign, which closes on August 21. They hope to raise sufficient funds to complete the film and enable them to submit it to the 2015 film festival circuit.

To help fund the film, visit Kickstarter.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.