The Terry Family Band
about
It began with a tiny violin presented to oldest son James, then 3 ½ years old, a gift from father to son. The father began playing his guitar for the sons; teaching lyrics to popular songs and having them sing their favorite song "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road" by Loudon Wainwright III which they frequently sang at the UC Alumni Camp Lair of the Bear. Terry Family is comprised of father Jim and sons Clark and Graham, all former Music Directors at the Lair. The music is original and comes from the complex experiences of life on the home-front and in the world, delivering personal and societal messages with a wallop. While the roots of American folk music are prevalent in the 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) and Jim writes the songs, provides lead vocals and tries to keep the rhythm pulsing in the background with his acoustic guitar. In the last two years, Terry Family has won in West Coast Songwriters Best Song and Best Performance categories nine times and just won the Best Song of the Year award in Napa for their powerful song "Fire in the Wind", arising out of the family's personal experiences in the October, 2017 Atlas Fire. "The Pathway Home" is a stirring account of the Yountville Veteran's Home shooting that tragically killed three clinicians at the hands of a veteran with PTSD and shocked the Napa Valley in March, 2018. These songs reflect how the Terry Family has managed to create a voice reflecting the collective experiences of grief, hope and joy of a family and the community in which they live.
