Terri Hendrix

Terri Hendrix works as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose contemporary folk sound draws in country, pop, blues, and further elements. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas, then moved away to study at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene after earning a vocal scholarship, later switching to Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. There she met local philanthropist Marion Williamson, owner of Wilory Farm in Hye, Texas; in return for labor on the property, Williamson provided Hendrix with voice and guitar instruction, and the two remained close until Williamson died of cancer in 1997. Hendrix marked that bond by renaming her label from Tycoon Cowgirl Records to Wilory Records and releasing the album Wilory Farm in 1998. By then her earlier release Two Dollar Shoes had earned strong reviews and established her as a regional favorite. Her adaptable, roots-oriented approach also appeared on a live set from 1999 and on the 2000 album Places in Between. The Ring came out in 2002, the same year she played major festivals nationwide while the Dixie Chicks received a Grammy for “Lil’ Jack Slade,” which she had co-written for their album Home. The Art of Removing Wallpaper followed in summer 2004, and Celebrate the Difference appeared the next year. Continuing to issue recordings on Wilory Records, she brought out Spiritual Kind and its companion Spiritual Kind on the Road in 2007, Left Over Alls in 2009, and Cry ’til You Laugh in 2010, each displaying her incisive songwriting and frequently lighthearted vocal style. Over the following years she assembled what she termed “Project 5,” a set of four albums plus a book linked by shared themes and slated for staggered release across 2016. Love You Strong, the opening album, reached stores in February and was scheduled to precede Slaughterhouse Sessions, Who Is Ann?, Talk to a Human, and an autobiography she had begun writing in 2003.