Terry Cashman’s life has always been a choice between music and baseball – Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia

Terry Cashman was born in New York City, where the crack of a bat and the hum of a jukebox were the twin soundtracks of his childhood. In a family that loved baseball almost as much as they loved Sunday dinners, Terry grew up swapping baseball cards at recess and singing doo-wop on the front stoop. His mother might have preferred he become a doctor, but when he wasn’t sliding into second base, he was harmonizing in the hallway—and even she had to admit he had the voice of an angel (or at least a very talented shortstop).

In the late 1950s, he managed to pull off a rare double play: playing minor league ball for the Detroit Tigers organization in 1959 and 1960, and scoring hits as the lead singer of The Chevrons. When his group appeared on American Bandstand, Terry officially became the only guy on the team with a fan club and a hair routine. It was a preview of the unique career to come—one that would blend the grit of baseball with the groove of pop music.

By 1964, Terry hung up his cleats and stepped into the business side of music, joining ABC Records. He figured that if he couldn’t pitch in the big leagues, he could at least help pitch some hit records. He proved himself right by discovering chart-toppers like “Mary in the Morning” and “Cinnamon” while serving as the General Professional Manager of ABC’s publishing wing. His family, who once worried about his “music thing,” suddenly had bragging rights at every family gathering.

In 1966, he met Gene Pistilli, and the two clicked like a doubleheader in July. They wrote “Sunday Will Never Be the Same”, a #1 hit for Spanky & Our Gang in 1967. Soon after, they teamed up with Tommy West to form Cashman, Pistilli & West, cranking out hits like “Medicine Man”, “But For Love”, and “Sausalito”. Their songs were everywhere, and Terry’s mom finally stopped saying, “When are you going to get a real job?”

By 1971, Cashman & West were on their own and recorded the heartfelt “American City Suite”, earning respect as performers in their own right. But it was their work with a then-unknown artist named Jim Croce that defined the next chapter. After a few years of what Terry might call “character-building” struggle, they struck gold with “Don’t Mess Around with Jim.” That opened the door to timeless hits like “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, “Time in a Bottle”, and “I’ve Got a Name.” Croce’s success was a shared triumph—a blend of belief, sweat, and a few prayers from Terry’s extended family.

A short excerpt from one of his songs;

We’re talkin’ baseball!
Kluszewski, Campanella.
Talkin’ baseball!
The Man and Bobby Feller.
The Scooter, the Barber, and the Newc,
They knew ’em all from Boston to Dubuque.
Especially Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.

Those songs still play like memories, and Terry Cashman’s career stands as proof that you can love two things equally—baseball and music—and make a life out of both. He may not have made it to the majors, but in the world of songwriting, he hit it out of the park.