Terri Clark Bio
Like her contemporary, Shania Twain, Terri Clark came storming
out of Canada and captured the attention of America's country music
industry in the mid-'90s. Where Twain incorporated more rock & roll
into her music, Clark pretty much stayed close to her country roots,
even if those roots were more new country than hardcore honky tonk.
Raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Terri Clark (born in Montreal,
Canada, August 5, 1968) was born into a musical family. Her
grandparents, Ray and Betty Gauthier, were country stars in Canada,
opening shows for stars like George Jones and Little Jimmy Dickens,
while her mother sang folk songs in local coffeehouses. As a child,
Terri listened to her grandparents' country records and taught herself
how to play guitar. Throughout her adolescence, Clark sang, played, and
listened to country music; she was particularly inspired by female
artists like Reba McEntire, the Judds, and Linda Ronstadt.
Following her high-school graduation in 1987, she moved to Nashville.
Upon her arrival, she wandered into Tootsie's Orchid Lounge unannounced
and asked if she could sing. Surprisingly, she impressed the management
and landed a job as the club's house singer. Though her initial arrival
in Nashville was successful, it took Clark quite a long time to work
her way into the actual industry. For the next seven years, she sang at
clubs and worked odd jobs, all the while trying to land a record
contract. During this time, she met and married a fiddler named Ted
Stevenson.
In 1994, she landed an audition for Mercury Records. After seeing a
live performance by Clark, the label's president signed the singer.
Clark's eponymous debut album was released in the summer of 1995. Terri
Clark was a hit upon its release, spawning the Top Ten hits "Better
Things to Do," "When Boy Meets Girl," and "If I Were You," as well as
going gold. Clark supported the album with a tour opening for George
Strait.
In 1996, she was nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon
Award, as well as the Academy of Country Music Awards' Best New Female
Vocalist. She won a bevy of Canadian Country Music Awards in 1996,
including Album of the Year and Single of the Year; she was also named
the Top New Female Country Artist of 1995 by Billboard magazine. Her
second album, Just the Same, was released in the fall of 1996, preceded
by the hit single "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." How I Feel followed in 1998.
Fearless brought the country chart single "A Little Gasoline" in fall
2000, and Pain to Kill was released in 2003. Mercury unleashed Clark's
Greatest Hits 1994-2004 the next year, followed by Life Goes On in
2005. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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