Terry Parrish was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 1954. He initially had years of piano lessons but it wasn't until 8th grade that he was "bitten by the ragtime bug". He restored a player piano around the same time and discovered rags on rolls and sheet music, and from there the die was cast. He has been playing, researching, and collecting ragtime in all forms since 1968. In the early 1980s, Terry met three other rag enthusiasts and together they formed the Elite Syncopators, who have since 1985 played many major ragtime venues, including the West Coast Ragtime, Scott Joplin, and Classic Ragtime Society festivals. Terry has played many solo appearances, most recently being a performer at the Trebor Tichenor Memorial in St. Louis in August of this year. Terry is delighted to perform at this years West Coast Ragtime Festival and is looking forward to seeing many friends there!