Bio
With his down-to-earth appeal and sharp songwriting ability, Jesse Terry plants himself firmly among the most promising singer/songwriters of his generation. His 2009 debut, The Runner, introduced him as an inspired prodigy with the potential to score big on the Americana scene. Michael McCall of Nashville Scene lauded Terry for offering "a sophisticated melodic touch to his tender musings about love and finding his place in the world." Indeed, while the sounds of popular music become increasingly inflated, Terry wades into the fray with graceful, understated arrangements that embrace his ambitious songs.
With a warm and precise baritone, Terry builds a kinship with the people he sings about---estranged lovers and lonesome drinkers, heartless women and hopeless romantics---and that special bond is always a sweet comfort. “I love how every day and every town is completely unique," he says. "I love how I can be in New York City one week and in Big Sky Country the next. As a writer, meeting all kinds of people from so many different walks of life inspires me and feeds my muse. Touring is truly an adventure for me and is something that I’ll never get out of my system.”
Born and raised in Connecticut, Terry spent his teenage years enthralled with the musical works of Jackson Browne and James Taylor, men who emptied their hearts for the sake of a song. He shares their careful devotion to avoiding emotional compromises. It would be tempting for Terry to merely mimic his idols, but he takes great pains to find fresh ways to speak his truths. His sensitive, touching portraits about busted hearts and broken dreams are drawn from his own life. Terry marvels at how the power of song gave him renewed resolve on his darkest days. "My parents split up when I was five," he shares. "I think that’s the major reason that I was compelled to write songs. I moved out of my parent’s house when I was twelve and never returned for longer than a stretch of a few months. I spent the rest of my high school years bouncing around from runaway shelters, to reform schools, to best friend’s houses, to my grandparent’s house in the country. It was a crazy, turbulent time. In a lot of ways I think I started experiencing childhood when I turned eighteen."
Terry used music as a refuge during that dark period, eventually graduating from Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music and gaining national notice as a charming, energetic performer. After moving to Nashville in 2004, Terry attracted a wealth of talent within his professional orbit, including steel guitar virtuoso Dan Dugmore and hit songwriter Mark Alan Springer, who signed him to his first publishing deal. They, too, have been drawn to the compelling nature of his songs and his unique story. "Music completely saved my life," he admits. "Writing and performing heals me like nothing else ever has, and when I'm able to connect with a perfect stranger because of one of my songs, that is the ultimate reward and compliment."
Over the last several years, Terry has won several songwriting competitions, including CMT/NSAI (2003), John Lennon Songwriting Contest (2007) and We Are Listening (2008). He has also toured relentlessly, including support slots for Darrell Scott (member of Robert Plant’s Band of Joy), Tony Lucca, Rachel Platten and Scott Sharrard (Gregg Allman Band); and has shared festival stages with Dar Williams, Mat Kearney, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Mullins, and Mary Gauthier. He has been a regular at some of the country’s finest listening rooms including Nashville’s Bluebird Café and The Bitter End in New York City. Terry and his band were also selected to perform for US and NATO troops at Thule Air Base in Greenland in July 2011.
In addition, a five-month performing stint in Australia and the South Pacific 2010 spurred a creative and spiritual rejuvenation for Terry. He quickly found love on the trip, which ultimately led him to marry New Zealand native Jessica in late 2010. He proposed to her in front of a sold-out crowd at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe, where he's been a regular for seven years.
Terry, who moved back to New England with his new bride in 2011, is currently finishing up the songs for his second album, scheduled for release in early 2012. The yet-to-be titled album is being recorded in Nashville with Neilson Hubbard (Kim Richey, Matthew Perryman Jones, Amy Speace, Glen Phillips).
For more information, please visit www.jesseterrymusic.com
Publicity:
Mike Farley
Michael J. Media Group
608-848-9707
