Terry Balsamo American musician (guitarist). Date of Birth: 09.10.1973 Country: USA

1. Biography of Terry Balsamo
2. Early Life and Career
3. Overcoming Adversity
4. Discography and Contributions
5. Bands and Influences
6. Nicknames

Biography of Terry Balsamo

Terry Balsamo, born on October 9, 1973, in Tampa, Florida, is an American musician and guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the band Evanescence and as the author of some songs from the group's latest album, The Open Door. Balsamo is also a guitarist for the reunited band Cold. He has previously been a member of the band Limp Bizkit.

Early Life and Career

Terry Balsamo first became interested in guitars at the age of 13 and learned the theory and how to play scales by the time he was 16. In 1994, he began his journey in the music industry as an early member of the now-famous band Limp Bizkit. However, he left the group before spending a year with them, as Wes Borland took his place.

In late 1999, Balsamo joined the rock band Cold, where he contributed to their albums "13 Ways to Bleed on Stage" (2000) and "Year of the Spider" (2003). When his time with Cold was coming to an end, the band started performing as the opening act for Evanescence on the Nintendo Fusion Tour. Following Ben Moody's sudden departure, Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence, called Balsamo and invited him to fill in for Moody on stage. He accepted the offer, and when the future of Cold was uncertain, Balsamo officially joined Evanescence as their permanent guitarist in January 2004. He became Amy's main collaborator in the band and participated in writing most of the songs for their new album, including their first single "Call Me When You're Sober."

Overcoming Adversity

In late 2005, after finishing recording the guitar parts for Evanescence's album, Balsamo suffered a stroke, which left him hospitalized for some time. Despite his critical condition, Balsamo remained concerned about the future of Evanescence and asked for a guitar to be brought to him. While his hand was paralyzed, doctors told him he would never be able to play again. However, Balsamo refused to accept defeat. Over the course of a year, he worked tirelessly with physiotherapists and showed incredible determination. The results were remarkable, and although his hand does not function as it did before his illness, Balsamo made an almost complete recovery. He embarked on an extensive tour in support of the album "The Open Door," proving his resilience and dedication. The other band members admire his comeback and continue to perform with him.

Discography and Contributions

Balsamo's guitar playing can be heard on the live CD/DVD "Anywhere But Home" (2004) and the album "The Open Door" (2006), where he played guitar on all tracks except for "All That I'm Living For."

Amy Lee's thoughts on Terry: "Terry is a big cynic; he's like a grumpy old man. But all those dark, negative things about him are just for fun."

Bands and Influences

Balsamo has been a part of several bands throughout his career, including Limp Bizkit as a guitarist in 1994, Cold as a guitarist from 1999 to 2003, and Evanescence as a guitarist from 2003 to the present. Some of his favorite musical groups include Rush, The Police, A Perfect Circle, and Full Devil Jacket.

Nicknames

Within the band, Balsamo goes by several nicknames, including Terry, Sweet T, T-Bags, T-Baggins, Frodo Baggins (from "The Lord of the Rings"), and Banana Baggins.