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Terri Gibbs

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For the male jazz artist, see Terry Gibbs.
Terri Gibbs
Birth nameTeresa Fay Gibbs[1]
Born (1954-06-15) June 15, 1954 (age 70)[1]
Miami, Florida, U.S.
OriginGrovetown, Georgia, U.S.
GenresCountry, Christian
OccupationSinger
Instrument(s)Vocals, keyboards[1]
Years active1980–present
LabelsMCA, Warner Bros., Canaan, Morning Gate

Teresa Fay Gibbs (born June 15, 1954)[2] is an American country music artist. Between 1980 and 2017, she recorded eleven studio albums, including four for MCA Records and one for Warner Bros. Records. She also charted 13 singles on the Billboard country singles charts in that timespan, including her debut single, "Somebody's Knockin'", which reached No. 8 on the country charts, No. 13 on the pop charts and No. 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." Gibbs has been blind since infancy.

Biography

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Gibbs was born in Miami, Florida, United States, but raised in the Augusta, Georgia, suburb of Grovetown.[1] Although initially having eyesight, she had been born premature and subsequently lost her eyesight in an incubator accident.[3] In her own words, "I was quite small (2 lbs., 11 ounces) and, so, they had to put me in an incubator. At that point in time, they did not know to cover the eyes and my retinas were damaged." At six months of age, Gibbs was diagnosed with retrolental fibroplasia and declared blind.[4] She learned to play piano at age three.[1] As a child, she sang in the church choir and at talent contests, and she opened for Bill Anderson at the age of 17.[5] Her parents wanted her to be treated no differently from sighted people, so she was sent to public school and graduated from Butler High School in Augusta in 1972.[6] She performed in and around the Augusta area and 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.[1] After failing to find a record deal, she moved to Miami and joined a band called Sound Dimension.[1] She continued to perform locally, later forming a band called the Terri Gibbs Trio, which performed at a Steak and Ale in Augusta, Georgia.[5] Gibbs then sent a demo tape to record producer Ed Penney of MCA Records, signing to the label in 1980.[1] Penney was a former Boston disc jockey and a long-time songwriter. He liked her voice on her demo, but he felt she needed stronger material. He co-wrote "Somebody's Knockin'" for her and also produced the song.[7]

Musical career

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Gibbs' first single release was "Somebody's Knockin'", which was also the title of her 1981 debut album. This song was a crossover hit upon its 1980 release, reaching No. 8 on the U.S. country charts, No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary charts.[8] It was followed by "Rich Man", a No. 19 country hit which also entered the pop charts.[8] Her debut album won her the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist award.[1] She was also the first winner of the Country Music Association's Horizon Award (which is awarded to emerging artists),[9] and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Somebody's Knockin'."[5] Gibbs performed on the Grand Ole Opry as well.[5]

MCA released her second album, I'm a Lady, later in 1981. This album was less successful,[1] although it produced a No. 12 hit in "Mis'ry River,"[8] 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 No. 45 in its title track.[10] Also in 1981 and 1982, Gibbs toured with George Jones and sang duets with him onstage.[1] 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.[11]

Gibbs switched to Warner Bros. Records for her fifth album, 1985's Old Friends.[12] All three of this album's singles — "A Few Good Men" (which featured Kathy Mattea on backing vocals[10]) "Rockin' in a Brand New Cradle" and "Someone Must Be Missing You Tonight" — missed the country Top 40.[10]

Gibbs later shifted her focus to Contemporary Christian music, recording Turn Around and Comfort the People in 1987 and 1988, respectively, on Canaan Records.[11] The former gave Gibbs her second Grammy nomination.[11] What a Great Day, her third Christian album, followed in 1990 on the Morning Gate label.[11] In 2002, Terri released the album, No Doubt About It, followed by the 2010 release of Your Grace Still Amazes Me. In 2014, The Best Of Terri Gibbs, featuring 10 of her best loved Country hits. In June 2017, Terri released her sixth Christian album, Sum It All Up.

Personal life

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Gibbs married Grovetown, Georgia, city councilman David Daughtry on April 28, 1988, and remained married to him until his death in February 2008.[11][13] They had one son, David Wayne Daughtry II, born October 20, 1989.[13]

Awards and honors

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Gibbs has won several industry awards. She won Academy of Country Music's Best New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's inaugural Horizon Award (for artists rising to new levels of prominence).[14] Gibbs performed during the Artists Music Guild's 2012 AMG Heritage Awards on November 10, 2012, and upon the completion of her performance she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her years of dedication to her craft without having any prior knowledge that she would be receiving such honors.[15]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Title Chart Positions Label
US Country US
1981 Somebody's Knockin 8 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
2002 No Doubt About It — — TGM
2010 Your Grace Still Amazes Me — —
2014 The Best Of Terri Gibbs — —
2017 Sum It All Up — —

Singles

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Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Country[10] US[10] US AC CAN Country CAN CAN AC
1980 "Somebody's Knockin'" 8 13 3 2 20 14 Somebody's Knockin'
1981 "Rich Man" 19 89 37 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
1991 "One to Grow On" — — — — — — What a Great Day

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Huey, Steve. "Terri Gibbs biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  2. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 158. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
  3. ^ "Terri Gibbs takes the stage in Athens this weekend | Online Athens". Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  4. ^ "Singer Terri Gibbs Always Had a Clear Vision for Music Despite Blindness". Ameridisability.com. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Miller, Zell (1996). They Heard Georgia Singing. Mercer University Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 0-86554-504-9. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  6. ^ Don Rhodes. "Groveton Singer Determined to Win a Place in Music." Augusta (GA) Chronicle, December 15, 1974, p. F5.
  7. ^ Nancy Bishop. "Terri Gibbs: At Last Fame Is Knockin' at Her Door." Dallas Morning News, November 23, 1981, p. C8.
  8. ^ a b c "Chart history for Terri Gibbs". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  9. ^ "CMA archives". CMT. Archived from the original on October 21, 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  10. ^ a b c d e Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  11. ^ a b c d e Kingsbury, Paul (2004). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Sourcebooks, Inc. pp. 198–199. ISBN 0-19-517608-1. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  12. ^ Hurst, Jack (1985-04-14). "Terri Gibbs - Old Friends". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  13. ^ a b "Biography". Terri Gibbs. Archived from the original on 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  14. ^ Gibbs, Terri. "Awards". CMT. Archived from the original on July 23, 2004. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  15. ^ Gibbs, Terri. "Gibbs given a Lifetime Achievement Award". Artists Music Guild. Retrieved 23 November 2012.[permanent dead link]
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