Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 19, 2026

Terry Draper

Terry Edward Draper was a Canadian musician who was the drummer and one of three members of the 1970s rock band Klaatu.

Last revised
Jun 19, 2026
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Terry Draper
Draper, c. mid–late 1970s
Draper, c. mid–late 1970s
Background information
Born
Terry Edward Draper

(1951-09-22)September 22, 1951
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedMay 15, 2025(2025-05-15) (aged 73)
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Instruments
  • Drums
  • vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards1
Years active
  • 1973–1982
  • 1988
  • 1997–2025
Labels
Formerly ofKlaatu
Websiteterrydraper.com

Terry Edward Draper (September 22, 1951 – May 15, 2025) was a Canadian musician who was the drummer and one of three members of the 1970s rock band Klaatu.2

Career

Draper co-wrote the song "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft", which was not only successful with his band Klaatu, but also became a Top-40 hit for the Carpenters when they covered it in 1977.3 Draper also co-wrote the Klaatu songs "Prelude" in 1977 and "December Dream" in 1981, the latter being a tribute to John Lennon.

He went on to record several solo albums in his home studio in Oak Ridges, Ontario, after the break-up of the band in 1981. His former Klaatu bandmates Dee Long and John Woloschuk made appearances on his album Light Years Later in 1997.4

Personal life and death

Before becoming a successful musician, Draper had a construction business with a speciality in roofing.2

Later on in the 1980s he returned to his roofing business and then developed a career as a restaurateur alongside his continued music work.2

Draper died in Newmarket, Ontario on May 15, 2025, at the age of 73, from leukemia.567

Solo releases

  • Light Years Later (1997)
  • Terry & The Twilight Zone: Live... Years Later (1997)
  • Terrytoons Presents: Can You Pretend? (1999)
  • Civil War (And Other Love Songs) (2001)
  • Civil War (Not Very) (2001)
  • Furzall Family (2002)
  • Aria 52 - A Five Year Mission (2004)
  • Stranded (2010)
  • When The World Was Young (2014)
  • Searching (2016)
  • Window On The World (2016)
  • Remarkable Women (2017)
  • A Very Terry Christmas (2017)
  • Once Upon A Memory (2018)
  • In My Garden (2019)
  • Sunset on Mars (2020)
  • Lost (2020)
  • The Other Side (2021)
  • Bread and Cirkus (2022)
  • In the Beginning (2023)
  • Infinity (2025)
References

References

  1. "The Bands – Terry Draper". terrydraper.com. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  2. Brown, Dan (April 4, 2000). "When the music's over: Rock and roll is a vicious game, but not half as rough as what comes next – as a handful of Canada's former rock gods can attest", National Post, p. B10.
  3. Feniak, Peter (November 21, 1995). "The band Beatlemania made, then crushed", The Globe and Mail, p. D1.
  4. Ankeny, Jason. "Terry Draper: Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  5. Wheeler, Brad (June 17, 2025). "Klaatu drummer Terry Draper and his bandmates were mistakenly believed to be the Beatles". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  6. Vernon, Jamie (May 29, 2025). "With heavy hearts, we share this message on behalf of our family…". Facebook: Terry Draper. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  7. Cashmere, Paul (31 May 2025). "Terry Draper of Klaatu Dies At Age 73". Noise11. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
External links