Biography
A contemporary folk artist, whose songs are so vivid and image-driven that they have been likened to ‘3-minute movies’. Singer-songwriter, Terry Penney has the ability to ‘put you there’ in his songs and for the past ten years, he’s done just that. His youthful face belies an old soul who’s always had a penchant for the past. As a testament, his new album, Town That Time Forgot, is a stroll through a place where the strains of doo-wop can still be heard on car radios, little boys dream of helping the Lone Ranger, and World War veterans still walk the streets as young men.
Growing up, Penney’s tastes were always a little different. “I was in to all things old. While my friends were buying the glossy new X-Men comics, I was rooting through dusty second-hand shops looking for a Billy the Kid with 10¢ in the corner. It was funny and sometimes confusing to my friends, but that was me, always more interested in Audie Murphy than Eddie Murphy.”
Not surprising, the first music Penney was drawn to as a child were records from his parents’ collection: Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits, Elvis, and The American Graffiti Sound Track. These discoveries started a lifelong appreciation for artists from that era. “There’s just something about the rawness and honesty of those early recordings that I’ve always been drawn to and those are elements that I strive for in my own music.”
While Penney loved the oldies, his tastes in music were broad and after picking up the guitar his interest in singer/songwriters began to emerge. “Somewhere in my early teens I was exposed to Chris De Burgh’s first recordings and I really appreciated his ability to spin a yarn and transport you to another time and place.” The folk sensibilities and storyteller’s approach of this early influence would certainly figure into Penney’s own songwriting years later.
From there he gravitated towards artists like Tom Cochrane, Steve Earle and John Prine, and it’s with the latter two that Penney aligns himself stylistically. “All my favorite artists today are mavericks who don’t neatly fit into one genre of music”.
While there are subtle shades of these musical heroes evident in his four albums of work, Terry’s sound is a unique blend of country, contemporary folk, and rock and roll with a dash of blue grass.
Ranging from major events like the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and the Canadian Country Music Awards , to the Canadian Corner tour of Ireland in February 2010, Penney has proven he is a versatile performer able to engage audiences of all types.
With his intriguing songwriting style and easy stage presence ,through the years Penney has found him both honored by his peers and supported by radio.
His new album, Town That Time Forgot (released in February 2009) is his best work to date which garnered the coveted Music NL SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award (2009). The gritty, stripped down production lays bare Penney’s songs and his empathy for haunted veterans, fugitives, long gone jukebox heroes, and blue collared strugglers. Nostalgia and imagery have always been the hallmarks of his work and the new record’s serves up both in spades. Songs like Benny Brown and F13327 highlight the sacrifices of soldiers who were lucky enough to make it home, as well as those who were not. The title track polishes off the past with such effect, you can almost feel the 1950’s sun on your face. My Best Friend and Me, a co-write with songwriting icon Ron Hynes, sweetly captures the world through Penney’s childhood eyes before his growing up spoiled the view. And Plan B is an amusing tongue in cheek glimpse into the life of an everyday working man whose bad luck has him looking skyward for help.
Awards / nominations
2009 • Music NL SOCAN Songwriter of the Year
2005 • ECMA Nominee Country Artist of the Year
2004 • Music NL Country Artist of the Year
2003 • ECMA Nominee Country Album of the Year
2002 • Music NL Male Artist of the Year
International Honors
Finalist- 2010 Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriting Competition
Second Place – 2009 Great Lakes Song writing Competition, Detroit Michigan {song – Benny Brown}
Finalist – 2009 New folk Kerrville Song writing Competition, Kerrville Texas{song-Benny Brown}
Finalist – 2009 UK Song writing Competition {song- Benny Brown}
