Terry Shimazu was born in 1972 in Kyoto, Japan. Terry started piano lessons when he was three. He came to Austin in 1989, where he attended the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired as an exchange student. He went back to Japan, finished college, and received a degree in English Literature. He then attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he received a Bachelor of Music in 2000. As a professional pianist and organist, he has played with a variety of artists, such as Walter Beasley, Manhattan Transfer, Kevin Mahogany, Larry Watson and Take Six. He returned to Austin in 2004 to pursue his career.