Terry Katzman could brag about his early involvement in the careers of many of the Twin Cities' biggest bands, including Hüsker Dü, the Replacements and the Suburbs. If you ran into him, though, the veteran sound engineer, record label operator, store owner and all-around music fanatic would be more likely to talk up the newer groups he was helping.
A common thread between bands and part of the fabric of the music scene for four decades, Katzman died suddenly Friday at 64. The cause of death is still unknown.
Friends said he was visiting his longtime pal Peter Jesperson in Los Angeles — no surprise, the two former record-store clerks went record shopping — when he fell ill, went to lie down and died in bed before an ambulance could arrive.
In 1985, Katzman opened Garage D'Or Records on Nicollet Avenue south of downtown and started a record label of the same name. More recently, he ran the record store half of HiFi Hair & Records near Loring Park and was still issuing albums by young bands.
"It was always about boosterism with him, and never about Terry," said Chris Osgood of pioneering punk band the Suicide Commandos. It was one of the first bands to benefit from their fellow Minnetonka High grad's enthusiasm.
HiFi owner Jon Clifford said Katzman "led the rest of us by the nose" in discovering new bands. "He always could recognize the good stuff. But he was good at staying up on what everyone else liked, too."
His most high-profile music contributions were born of his years running sound for Hüsker Dü and the Replacements, recording some of their earliest performances.
"Without Terry, much of what we called 'our scene' would not have reached your eyes and ears," Hüsker Dü singer/guitarist Bob Mould said. "His passion for music was always on display, and I feel blessed to have known him."
