Terri Lynn Sauson, known professionally as Terri Clark, born August 5, 1968, is a Canadian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that year. Both it and its two follow-ups, 1996's '' Just the Same'' and 1998's '' How I Feel'', were certified platinum in both countries, and produced several Top Ten country hits. Her fourth album, 2000's ''

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

'', though certified gold in Canada, was not as successful in the U.S., producing no Top 10 hits. '' Pain to Kill'' from 2003 restored her chart momentum in the U.S. with " I Just Wanna Be Mad" and " I Wanna Do It All", while a 2004 greatest hits album produced the Number One "

Girls Lie Too "Girls Lie Too" is a song written by Tim Nichols, Kelley Lovelace and Connie Harrington, and recorded by Canadian country music singer Terri Clark. It was released in April 2004 as the first single from her '' Greatest Hits 1994-2004'' compilatio ...

". A non-album single, "The World Needs a Drink", and the 2005 album '' Life Goes On'' were her last releases for Mercury before she signed to

BNA Records BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, was a label group that shared ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, ...

in 2007. There, she released the singles " Dirty Girl" and "

In My Next Life "In My Next Life" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Terri Clark. It was released in October 2007 as the second single from her unreleased album ''My Next Life''. The song was written by Clark, Tom Shapiro and Jim ...

". Although the latter went to Number One in Canada, she has not released an album for BNA. Clark's albums have accounted for more than twenty singles, including six Number Ones. " If I Were You", " Poor Poor Pitiful Me", "

Emotional Girl "Emotional Girl" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Terri Clark. It was released in January 1997 as the second single from Clark's album '' Just the Same''. The song reached number 1 on the ''RPM'' Country Tracks ch ...

" and "

" all topped the country charts in Canada (the former three were also U.S. Top Ten singles), "Girls Lie Too" reached number one only in the U.S., and "

You're Easy on the Eyes "You're Easy on the Eyes" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Terri Clark. It was released in August 1998 as the second single from her CD, '' How I Feel'', it spent three weeks at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Co ...

" was number one in both countries.

Biography

Early life

Clark was born Terri Lynn Sauson on August 5, 1968, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, Quebec, Canada. Her family eventually settled in

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are wit ...

, Alberta, where she was raised. She is the second of four children: she has a younger brother, Peter, an older sister, Kim, and younger sister, Tina. Clark's grandparents, Ray and Betty Gauthier, were both noted Canadian country musicians, having opened for artists such as

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

. Clark's mother, Linda, had belonged to the Canadian folk scene. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mother remarried, with Terri taking on her stepfather's last name. By high school, Clark had grown to love country music and worked at a local Chinese restaurant to save money to move to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. After graduating from Crescent Heights High School in 1987, she moved to Nashville where she got her start playing at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, a honky-tonk bar across the alley from Nashville's iconic

Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (also known as Grand Ole Opry House and Union Gospel Tabernacle) is a 2,362-seat live-performance venue located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in Nashville, Tennessee. It is best known as the home of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' fr ...

. At that time, country music executives were largely uninterested in traditional country, but record producer and singer

Keith Stegall Robert Keith Stegall (born November 1, 1955) is an American country music recording artist and record producer. Active since 1980, Stegall has recorded two major-label studio albums: 1985's ''Keith Stegall'' and 1996's ''Passages'', although he ...

gave Clark advice and encouragement to not give up. In 1994, Stegall became an executive at

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

in Nashville and promptly signed Clark to a record deal.

1995–1997: ''Terri Clark'' and ''Just the Same''

In 1995, Clark issued her first single, " Better Things to Do." The song managed to reach the top five in both the United States and Canada. Her debut album, '' Terri Clark,'' followed shortly after. Clark had a hand in writing or co-writing 11 of the album's 12 tracks. ''Terri Clark'' also featured the singles " When Boy Meets Girl," " If I Were You," and " Suddenly Single." "If I Were You" became Clark's first No. 1 in Canada in June 1996. The album was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

in the United States on April 5, 1996, and Platinum on July 29, 1997. In 1996, Clark's second studio album, '' Just the Same,'' was issued following the album's first single, "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," a cover of the 1976

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", " Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Th ...

song. The song and its second single, "

," reached number one in Canada with both songs reaching the top ten in the United States. During late 1996, Clark was awarded Single of the Year for "Better Things to Do" and Album of the Year for ''Terri Clark'' by the

Canadian Country Music Association The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3rd, 1973 when a gr ...

. By 1997 she would also be awarded the Fans' Choice Award, an award she would win six more times between 2001 and 2007, and Female Artist of the Year, and award she would also claim in 2004 and 2005. In March 1998, Clark visited

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

, Canada to film her first television special, ''Terri Clark: Coming Home'', which premiered March 27 on CBC in Canada. During the special Clark was visited by Canadian country singers

Paul Brandt Paul Rennée Belobersycky (born July 21, 1972), known professionally as Paul Brandt, is a Canadian country music artist. Growing up in Calgary, he was a pediatric RN at the time of his big break. In 1996, he made his mark on the country music c ...

and

George Fox George Fox (July 1624 – 13 January 1691) was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and ...

1998–2001: ''How I Feel'' and ''Fearless''

Clark's third studio album, '' How I Feel'', was issued in May 1998. The album's lead single, " Now That I Found You," reached the top five in both the United States and Canada. It was the album's second single, "

," that gave Clark's first American No. 1, the song also reached No. 1 in Canada. "You're Easy on the Eyes" became a minor Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. To promote the new album, Clark was added as the opening act for

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

and

Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were so ...

1998 tour. ''

'', Clark's fourth studio album, was issued in September 2000. During the album's production, Clark started writing more personal songs with a new team of co-writers and hired a new producer to deliver a set of songs with a more acoustic feel than that of her previous work. The album's first single, " A Little Gasoline", was a late addition to the album because Mercury executives felt Clark needed to balance her new material with something that had a more familiar feel to it. The song reached the top ten in Canada, however, only reaching No. 13 in the United States. On May 2, 2001, Clark was pulled over by police for speeding in Nashville. The officer, who pulled Clark over, had suspected that she had consumed alcohol and asked her to do sobriety test, after which Clark refused and was charged with a DUI and implied consent. Clark later apologized for the incident through a statement that was issued to press by her publicist. In August, Clark pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving and was fined $350 plus court costs, placed on six months' supervised probation and ordered to take an alcohol education course.

2002–2004: ''Pain to Kill'' and ''Greatest Hits 1994-2004''

After a management change in December 2001, Clark began work on her fifth studio album, '' Pain to Kill''. The album was issued in January 2003, followed after the release of the album's first single, " I Just Wanna Be Mad". The song, written by Kelley Lovelace and

Lee Thomas Miller Lee Thomas Miller (born in Nicholasville, Kentucky) is an American country music songwriter and occasional record producer. His credits include 7 number one country hits: "The Impossible" (Joe Nichols), "The World", "I'm Still a Guy" and "Perfect ...

, was initially intended to be recorded by

Sara Evans Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the ''Billboard'' country songs cha ...

, who passed on it. When released as a single the song became Clark's highest-charting single in the United States since 1998's "You're Easy on the Eyes" and is to date Clark's highest appearance on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 27. The album marked the first time Clark had worked with producer

Byron Gallimore Byron Gallimore (born in Puryear, Tennessee) is an American record producer known for more than two decades of work in the field of country music. He has worked with artists Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sugarland, Lee Ann Womack, and Jo Dee Messina. F ...

, who produced the first half of the album. The other half was produced by Clark's longtime producer Keith Stegall, who was brought in when Gallimore became unavailable. In early 2004, Clark was approached by ''Playboy'' magazine to pose—clothed—for the cover of the magazine's upcoming May issue. Clark, who came in second place behind fellow Canadian country singer

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

in a poll in the previous year, turned down the offer saying "I think of all the young girls who come to my shows, I think of those faces, I think of my mother, and I worry about the signal exsends to them ��If I’m sexy enough for Playboy to want me with my clothes on, then I hope the message can be that sexy is about what’s between your ears, in your heart and your smile." On May 15, 2004, during a performance of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a div ...

, Clark was surprised by

Steve Wariner Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late ...

and her mother Linda with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. Clark was officially inducted on June 12, 2004, and is currently the only female Canadian member of the Grand Ole Opry. Shortly after her induction, Clark's first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits 1994–2004'', was issued. The album's only single, "

", became Clark's first number one in the United States since 1998's "You're Easy on the Eyes". While the song did not reach number one in Canada, it was the named number one country song of 2004 in Canada by ''

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

''. A non-album single, "The World Needs a Drink" (which was co-written by a then-unknown

Eric Church Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...

), was released in late 2004, but was not included on any of Clark's studio albums.

2005–2010: ''Life Goes On'' and ''The Long Way Home''

In 2005, Clark's sixth studio album, '' Life Goes On'', was issued in November. The album's first single, " She Didn't Have Time", only managed to reach No. 25 in the United States and No. 15 in Canada. None of the album's other singles charted in the United States and Clark parted ways with Mercury Records in March 2006. In June 2006, Clark signed with

, a division of

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...

label group, now known as

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

. Clark's first single for the label, " Dirty Girl", was issued in early 2007. The song was then followed by "

", which was to be the title track to her debut BNA release. Clark, along with Canadian country band Emerson Drive, opened for

Big & Rich Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich, both of whom are songwriters, vocalists, and guitarists. Before the duo's foundation, Rich was bass guitarist in the country band Lonestar, while Kenny was a solo ...

in Canada, hoping to promote the new album. ''My Next Life'' was delayed several times and remained unreleased leaving Clark to part ways with BNA in November 2008, so she could concentrate more on her career in Canada and possibly launch her own record label. Clark released a live album, '' Terri Clark Live: Road Rage'', via Clark's own BareTrack Records label in July 2009 through digital retailers. Clark's seventh studio album, '' The Long Way Home'', was released shortly after to all retailers in Canada and digital retailers in the United States on September 1, 2009, via BareTrack/

Capitol Nashville Capitol Records Nashville is a major United States-based record label located in Nashville, Tennessee operating as part of the Universal Music Group Nashville. From 1991 to 1995, Capitol Nashville was known as Liberty Records, before returning ...

/ EMI Canada. The album was released to non-digital retailers in the United States on October 20, 2009. Terri Clark (4409221199)

The first single issued from the album was "Gypsy Boots", a song previously recorded for Clark's unreleased ''My Next Life'' album. The single was released to country radio in Canada on June 22, 2009, and country radio in the United States on July 20. The video for "Gypsy Boots," directed by

Margaret Malandruccolo Margaret Malandruccolo is a Canadian photographer and music video director primarily living in Los Angeles who specializes in portraiture, album photography, and fashion photography. She has directed over a hundred music videos and has won two Juno ...

, was released in Canada on August 6, 2009, and is available for online viewing at Clark's site. "If You Want Fire", "A Million Ways To Run" and "You Tell Me" have been issued as follow up singles in Canada.

2011–2013: ''Roots and Wings'' and ''Classic''

Clark released her eighth studio album, '' Roots and Wings'', on July 26, 2011. It includes "Smile", a song she wrote for her mom after her death due to a long battle with cancer. The album's lead off single, "Northern Girl," was released on April 18, 2011. "We're Here for a Good Time," "The One," and "Wrecking Ball," were all also released as singles from the album. Clark's ninth studio album, ''

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

'', was released on November 13, 2012, in Canada. The album includes classic country standards such as " Love Is a Rose", which was issued as the album's lead single, and features duets with

Jann Arden Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards; March 27, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress. She is famous for her signature ballads, " Could I Be Your Girl" and " Insensitive", which is her biggest hit to date. Early life and educa ...

Dierks Bentley Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Capitol Nashville and released his eponymous debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's '' Modern Day Drifter'', a ...

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, " Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature in ...

and

Dean Brody Dean Brody (born August 12, 1975) is a Canadian country music artist who has won 16 CCMA Awards and 2 JUNO Awards. Originally signed to Broken Bow Records in 2008, Brody made his debut later that year with the single " Brothers". This song, a Top ...

2014–present: ''Some Songs'' and ''Raising the Bar''

Clark's tenth studio album, '' Some Songs'', was produced by Michael Knox. It was released on September 2, 2014, and includes ten songs. The album was funded through

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

and was distributed by Clark's own BareTrack Records and Universal Music Canada. The album's first single, "Some Songs", shipped to Canadian country radio on May 26. Clark previously co-hosted ''America's Morning Show'' on

Nash FM Nash or NASH may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Nash, Buckinghamshire * Nash, London, a hamlet near Keston in the London Borough of Bromley *Nash, Newport, Wales * Nash, south Shropshire, a small village and parish in southern Shropshire * Nas ...

with

Blair Garner Blair Garner is an American radio personality best known for his work in country radio. Garner spent over two decades as a nationally syndicated overnight disc jockey, first hosting ''After Midnite'' for Premiere Networks and then ''The Blair Gar ...

and

Chuck Wicks Charles Elliott Wicks (born June 20, 1979) is an American country music artist and radio personality. He was one of the participants on the American reality series ''Nashville'', which aired on Fox for two episodes before its cancellation in m ...

. As of the April 9/10 weekend in 2016, Terri became the new hostess of the Saturday night classic country program ''Country Gold'', replacing

Randy Owen Randy Yeuell Owen (born December 13, 1949) is an American country music artist. He is best known for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band that saw tremendous mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Alabama became ...

. In 2018, Clark was inducted into the

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian country music artists, builders or broadcasters, living or deceased. The artifact collection includes extensive biographical information on the inductees. It is located in downtown Merritt, ...

. Clark's eleventh studio album, ''

Raising the Bar Raising the Bar may refer to: Film and television * ''Raising the Bar'' (2008 TV series), an American legal drama television series * ''Raising the Bar'' (2013 TV series), an American reality web series about barmaking * ''Raising the Bar'' (20 ...

'', was released on September 14, 2018. Clark's first holiday album, "It's Christmas...Cheers!" was released on September 25, 2020, by Mercury Nashville.

Personal life

Clark was previously married to fiddle player Ted Stevenson in 1991. The couple filed for divorce in 1996. Nine years later, Clark married her tour manager Greg Kaczor on September 17, 2005. The couple's wedding was documented on ''In the Moment'', a TV series broadcast on CMT in December 2005. The couple filed for divorce on February 16, 2007.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Terri Clark'' (1995) * '' Just the Same'' (1996) * '' How I Feel'' (1998) * ''

'' (2000) * '' Pain to Kill'' (2003) * '' Life Goes On'' (2005) * '' The Long Way Home'' (2009) * '' Roots and Wings'' (2011) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Some Songs'' (2014) * ''

'' (2018) * ''It's Christmas...Cheers!'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

Other honors

: inducted in 2004 *

: inducted in 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Terri 1968 births Anglophone Quebec people BNA Records artists Canadian women country singers Canadian women guitarists Capitol Records artists Grand Ole Opry members Living people Members of the Country Music Association Mercury Records artists Musicians from Alberta Singers from Montreal Canadian Country Music Association Fans' Choice Award winners Canadian Country Music Association Female Artist of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Rising Star Award winners Juno Award for Country Album of the Year winners Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners 20th-century Canadian women singers Canadian Country Music Association Single of the Year winners 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian Country Music Association Album of the Year winners