In the tradition of Bernard Purdie is Shortt Dogg drummer Terry Knighten. Terry lays the foundation for the funk which is the essence of that driving Shortt Dogg groove. Terry was born in Oklahoma City in 1965 and is a graduate of Millwood High School.  He started playing drums at the age of nine and by his early teens was touring the country with a gospel group called the Gospel Truthettes.  The group became very popular. They were eventually successful in securing a record deal with Malaco Records and did numerous albums that sold world wide.  The group won many contest and trophies and was one of the top gospel groups in the country.  They toured with the Gospel Keynotes, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Shirley Caesar and many others.   In 1988 Terry found his sweetheart. Her name was Rose and they decided to get married on Valentine's Day.  They have three sons, Greg, Terrell, and Isaiah.  Terry says he is truly blessed to have such a loving family and three wonderful sons. On March 29, 1983, two months before graduating with honors Terry's life was forever changed by a life threatening experience. Upon returning home from school, Terry found a family friend at his house, crazed on PCP and armed with a gun.  The gunman subsequently fired at point-blank range with the bullet striking Terry in the head.  The gunman was eventually killed by a flurry of police gunfire.  As a result of the wound Terry lost all vision in his right eye.  Terry stated that he could truly say that God was in control that day. Terry is a multi-talented individual. In addition to his skills on the drums, Terry is also a gifted bass play and a talented guitarist. Given all Terry's attention to precision playing - terms such as "drive" and "groove" are definitely not missing from his vocabulary.