Teri Noel Towe, an art historian and music historian, was born in Connecticut in 1948 and grew up in a cultured and cultivated household, where he early on developed a passion for the arts, particularly painting. He majored in History of Art at Princeton, graduating with departmental honors and winning a prize in the History of Architecture.

A passionate lover and collector of classical music, particularly of the late Baroque period, he has been for many years active in radio, presenting a weekly classical music and talk show on WBAI-FM from 1974 to 1986. More recently, he hosts "Towe on Thursday" as a classical DJ at WPRB Princeton (see wprb.com), producing memorable programs about Bach, baroque music, and his favorite performers. His published work, other than record criticism and liner notes, includes critical discographies of compositions by Handel and Bach. His collection of Bach recordings is reputed to be the most complete in the world. He twice won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for significant writings in music and has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards.

A lawyer by profession, Towe graduated from the School of Law of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 1973.