Terry Teachout nació el 6 de febrero de 1956 en Missouri, EE.UU.. Estuvo casado con Hilary Dyson y Liz Cullers. Murió el 13 de enero de 2022 en Nueva York, EE.UU..
(2015-2016 season) His play, "Satchmo at the Waldorf," was performed at the Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois with Barry Shabaka Henley (Louis Armstrong and others) in the cast.
He started out as a musician, playing bass in country bands and jazz groups in Missouri. He began writing classical music reviews while in college, then worked as a bank teller by day, a jazz musician at night and a writer on the side.