“It began with a tiny violin presented to my oldest son James, then 3 1⁄2 years old,” recalls Jim Terry. It wasn’t long before Jim, a guitarist himself, began playing along with his three sons, teaching them lyrics to popular songs. “Our favorite song was ‘Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road’ which we sang at our first official gig at the UC Alumni Camp Lair of the Bear,” says Jim with a smile.

Now, years later, the Terry Family Band is comprised of Jim and sons Clark and Graham (son James lives in Atlanta and joins when the stars align). The music comes from the complex experiences of life, the country, and the world. While the roots of American folk music are prevalent in their playing style, the music is fresh and unique, reflective of the family from which the music originates. Clark and Graham are multi-instrumentalists (violin, mandolin, bouzouki, guitar, vocals) while Jim writes the music and handles lead vocals while keeping the rhythm pulsing in the background with his acoustic guitar. Graham toured nationally as the bass player for Tornado Rider, a power rock group featuring Grammy nominated Rushad Eggleston on cello. Graham and Clark are also members of the Bay Area based Indie Folk group Middlesleep. Bass player Rob Wright is a versatile musician with jazz, classical, and deep bluegrass roots having shared the stage with the likes of David Grisman and Tony Rice.

Terry Family has won 29 West Coast Songwriters awards, including the 2018 Napa chapter Song of the Year “Fire in the Wind” and the overall winner of the 2019 Grand Finals competition at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley for “The Walls Stand On and On,” a stirring account of the story of Emmett Till.
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