PARK RIDGE—PKRG-TV is shining a light on a remarkable chapter of local , valley, and national music history with its new special, In Conversation with Terre Roche.
The program profiles Roche — a founding member of the acclaimed vocal trio The Roches — who grew up in Park Ridge and went on to perform and record with artists including Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Robert Fripp, and Philip Glass.
With her sisters Maggie and Suzzy, Terre helped define a singular blend of folk, pop, and art-song that carried the family’s Park Ridge harmonies to international stages. The Roches signed with Columbia Records for their 1975 debut as a duo (Seductive Reasoning) and later with Warner Bros. Records, releasing their 1979 self-titled trio debut produced by Fripp.
The album — featuring songs such as “Hammond Song,” “Mr. Sellack,” and “The Married Men” — earned national acclaim for its intricate harmonies and wry storytelling.
Hosted by Lori Fredrics, In Conversation with Terre Roche pairs in-studio interviews with four musical performances and a tour of familiar Park Ridge locations.
Highlights include a never-before-recorded 1960s campaign song written about then-Council candidates Bob Graham and Howard Ford, rediscovered and performed for the program.
‘A remarkable town to grow up in’
During the interview, Roche lights up recalling her childhood.
“We moved here from Westchester when I was in fifth grade,” she tells Fredrics. “My best friend from back then, Jeannie Walsh, still gets mad when I say I’m from New Jersey. But Park Ridge — that’s where I really grew up, from fifth grade through high school. Those are the formative years, when you start becoming a wise guy.”
As the two women laugh, Roche describes the world they both knew as children — safe, wooded, and full of possibility.
“I look back on Park Ridge and it was a remarkable town to grow up in,” she says. “I thought the whole world was like that — beautiful and safe. The Glen, the Bear’s Nest, the Girl Scout cabins… Maggie and I would walk and dream about meeting Paul Simon. We lived right down the street from those woods. You just went out your front door — nature was right there.”
Fredrics, smiling, tells her, “Well, Park Ridge has to claim you,” before leading Roche back into more memories — their laughter blending with the music that underscores much of the program.
Maggie (1951–2017), Terre (born 1953), and Suzzy (born 1956) Roche began singing together at home in Park Ridge, where their father — a former Greenwich Village folk enthusiast — encouraged them to perform.
By the late 1960s, Maggie and Terre were appearing in local hootenannies before Paul Simon invited them to sing on his 1973 album There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.
In 1979, the sisters’ Warner Bros. debut, The Roches, brought their three-part harmonies and gently subversive humor to a national audience.
They appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Night with David Letterman, and PBS’s Soundstage, earning a loyal following and critical admiration.
Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, the trio released a string of albums — including Nurds (1980), Keep On Doing (1982), Another World (1985), Speak (1989), and We Three Kings (1990) — and contributed to projects by Philip Glass (Songs from Liquid Days, 1986) and to film soundtracks such as Crossing Delancey (1988).
Their music, blending wit, warmth, and vocal precision, became emblematic of a thoughtful, literate corner of American folk-pop.
After their 2007 album Moonswept, the sisters retired from touring but continued to perform individually. Maggie Roche died in 2017; Terre and Suzzy remain active in music.
Terre’s solo albums — The Sound of a Tree Falling (1998), Imprint (2015), and Inner Adult (2024) — reflect her enduring craftsmanship and connection to the creative community she helped shape.
In Conversation with Terre Roche is airing on PKRG-TV Optimum Channel 77 (Park Ridge) and Verizon Fios Channel 22 (Bergen County) and will soon be available on PKRG-TV’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/PKRGTVOnDemand.
For PKRG-TV’s current schedules, which offer a wealth of local news, views, and features, visit pkrgtv.com.