Terri Gibbs
Encyclopedia
Teresa Fay "Terri" Gibbs (born June 15, 1954) is an American country music
artist who was born blind
. Between 1980 and 1990, she recorded seven studio album
s, including four for MCA Records
and one for Warner Bros. Records
. She also charted thirteen singles
on the Billboard
country singles charts in that timespan, including her debut single "Somebody's Knockin'", which reached #8 on the country charts, #13 on the pop charts and #3 on the Adult Contemporary charts. She also entered the country top 20 with "Rich Man", "Mis'ry River", "Ashes to Ashes" and "Anybody Else's Heart but Mine."
but raised in the Augusta, Georgia
suburb of Grovetown
. Born blind
, she learned to play piano
at age three. As a child, she sang in the church choir
and at talent contests, and at age seventeen, she opened for Bill Anderson. Eventually, she met Chet Atkins
, who advised her to move to Nashville, Tennessee
to pursue a country music career, which she did at age eighteen. After failing to find a record deal, she returned to Miami and joined a band called Sound Dimension. She continued to perform locally, later forming a band called the Terri Gibbs Trio, which performed at a Steak & Ale in Augusta, Georgia
. Gibbs then sent a demo
tape to record producer
Ed Penney of MCA Records
, signing to the label in 1980.
and #3 on the Adult Contemporary charts. It was followed by "Rich Man", a #19 country hit which also entered the pop charts. Her debut album won her the Academy of Country Music
's Top Female Vocalist award. She was also the first winner of the Country Music Association
's Horizon Award (which is awarded to emerging artists), and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song
for "Somebody's Knockin'." Gibbs performed on the Grand Ole Opry
as well.
MCA released her second album, I'm a Lady, later in 1981. This album was less successful, although it produced a #12 hit in "Mis'ry River," its second and final single. 1982's Some Days It Rains All Night Long produced a Top 20 hit in "Ashes to Ashes" and a #45 in its title track. Also in 1981 and 1982, Gibbs toured with George Jones
and sang duets with him onstage. Her final MCA album, Over Easy, also produced a minor hit in "Anybody Else's Heart but Mine", and after releasing a compilation called The Best of Terri Gibbs, she left the label.
Gibbs switched to Warner Bros. Records
for her fifth album, 1985's Old Friends. All three of this album's singles — "A Few Good Men" (which featured Kathy Mattea
on backing vocals
) "Rockin' in a Brand New Cradle" and "Someone Must Be Missing You Tonight" — missed the country Top 40.
Gibbs later shifted her focus to Contemporary Christian music
, recording Turn Around and Comfort the People in 1987 and 1988, respectively, on Canaan Records. The former gave Gibbs her second Grammy nomination. What a Great Day, her third Christian album, followed in 1990 on the Morning Gate label. Gibbs then retired from the music industry.
city councilman David Daughtry on April 28, 1988, and remained married to him until his death in February 2008. They had one son, David Wayne Daughtry II, born October 20, 1989.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist who was born blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. Between 1980 and 1990, she recorded seven studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s, including four for MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
and one for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. She also charted thirteen singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country singles charts in that timespan, including her debut single "Somebody's Knockin'", which reached #8 on the country charts, #13 on the pop charts and #3 on the Adult Contemporary charts. She also entered the country top 20 with "Rich Man", "Mis'ry River", "Ashes to Ashes" and "Anybody Else's Heart but Mine."
Biography
Teresa Fay Gibbs was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
but raised in the Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
suburb of Grovetown
Grovetown, Georgia
Grovetown, Georgia is a city in Columbia County, in the United States state of Georgia. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area as well as the Central Savannah River Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,216. The mayor of Grovetown is George W...
. Born blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, she learned to play piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at age three. As a child, she sang in the church choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
and at talent contests, and at age seventeen, she opened for Bill Anderson. Eventually, she met Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, who advised her to move to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to pursue a country music career, which she did at age eighteen. After failing to find a record deal, she returned to Miami and joined a band called Sound Dimension. She continued to perform locally, later forming a band called the Terri Gibbs Trio, which performed at a Steak & Ale in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. Gibbs then sent a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape to record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Ed Penney of MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, signing to the label in 1980.
Musical career
Gibbs' first single release was "Somebody's Knockin'", which was also the title of her debut album. This song was a crossover hit upon its 1981 release, reaching #8 on the U.S. country charts, #13 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #3 on the Adult Contemporary charts. It was followed by "Rich Man", a #19 country hit which also entered the pop charts. Her debut album won her the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
's Top Female Vocalist award. She was also the first winner of the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
's Horizon Award (which is awarded to emerging artists), and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song
Grammy Award for Best Country Song
The Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the writer of the song.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
for "Somebody's Knockin'." Gibbs performed on the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
as well.
MCA released her second album, I'm a Lady, later in 1981. This album was less successful, although it produced a #12 hit in "Mis'ry River," its second and final single. 1982's Some Days It Rains All Night Long produced a Top 20 hit in "Ashes to Ashes" and a #45 in its title track. Also in 1981 and 1982, Gibbs toured with George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
and sang duets with him onstage. Her final MCA album, Over Easy, also produced a minor hit in "Anybody Else's Heart but Mine", and after releasing a compilation called The Best of Terri Gibbs, she left the label.
Gibbs switched to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
for her fifth album, 1985's Old Friends. All three of this album's singles — "A Few Good Men" (which featured Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea
Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
on backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
) "Rockin' in a Brand New Cradle" and "Someone Must Be Missing You Tonight" — missed the country Top 40.
Gibbs later shifted her focus to Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
, recording Turn Around and Comfort the People in 1987 and 1988, respectively, on Canaan Records. The former gave Gibbs her second Grammy nomination. What a Great Day, her third Christian album, followed in 1990 on the Morning Gate label. Gibbs then retired from the music industry.
Personal life
Gibbs married Grovetown, GeorgiaGrovetown, Georgia
Grovetown, Georgia is a city in Columbia County, in the United States state of Georgia. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area as well as the Central Savannah River Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,216. The mayor of Grovetown is George W...
city councilman David Daughtry on April 28, 1988, and remained married to him until his death in February 2008. They had one son, David Wayne Daughtry II, born October 20, 1989.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1981 | Somebody's Knockin | 6 | 53 | MCA |
| I'm a Lady | 40 | — | ||
| 1982 | Some Days It Rains All Night Long | 33 | — | |
| 1983 | Over Easy | 32 | — | |
| 1985 | The Best of Terri Gibbs | — | — | |
| Old Friends | 58 | — | Warner Bros. | |
| 1987 | Turn Around | — | — | Canaan |
| 1988 | Comfort the People | — | — | |
| 1990 | What a Great Day | — | — | Morning Gate |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1980 | "Somebody's Knockin'" | 8 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 14 | Somebody's Knockin |
| 1981 | "Rich Man" | 19 | 89 | — | 29 | — | — | |
| "I Wanna Be Around" | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | I'm a Lady | |
| "Mis'ry River" | 12 | — | — | 7 | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "Ashes to Ashes" | 19 | — | — | 19 | — | — | Some Days It Rains All Night Long |
| "Some Days It Rains All Night Long" | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983 | "Baby I'm Gone" | 33 | — | — | 29 | — | — | |
| "Anybody Else's Heart but Mine" | 17 | — | — | 17 | — | — | Over Easy | |
| "Tell Mama" | 65 | — | — | 28 | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "A Few Good Men" | 43 | — | — | 41 | — | — | Old Friends |
| "Rockin' in a Brand New Cradle" | 70 | — | — | 53 | — | — | ||
| "Someone Must Be Missing You Tonight" | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Turn Around" | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | Turn Around |