Biography

Terry Klein is a performing songwriter from Austin, Texas with an unshakable faith in the power of songs to heal, connect, and inspire. His debut record, Great Northern, was produced by Walt Wilkins and came out in April 2017. Songs from Great Northern have appeared on Folk and Americana radio stations across the United States and internationally. Terry was selected as a Regional New Folk Ballad Tree Performer at the 2017 Kerrville Folk Festival and awarded an official showcase at the 2017 Southwest Regional Folk Alliance conference. His song “Dull Women Keep Immaculate Homes” was a Publisher’s Pick at the 2017 Austin Songwriters Group Annual Symposium and the Nashville Songwriters Association International designated him as a "Writer on the Rise" in June 2017. In addition to his recent performance at Kerrville, Terry has played shows at renowned singer-songwriter venues like Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Cactus Cafe and the Saxon Pub in Austin, the Blue Door in Oklahoma City, Poor David's Pub in Dallas, and McGonigel's Mucky Duck in Houston. And during AmericanaFest 2017, master songwriter Mary Gauthier invited Terry to the stage at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville to perform his song "Better Luck Next Time."

Terry's songs straddle the boundaries of Americana, folk, and country music and draw on the genius of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Mary Gauthier, and Hayes Carll. But he also looks to prose writers such as Chekhov, Flannery O'Connor, David Foster Wallace, filmmakers like Wes Anderson, and painters like Edward Hopper for inspiration. "I want to explore the places where we all feel vulnerable," Terry says. "That shared vulnerability kindles connection, which in turn kindles something approaching actual happiness."

Great Northern rewards listeners with one indelible line after another. In “Everywhere but Here,” Terry sings of a couple that can only manage to stay in love when they’re apart: “Like a picture painted by Seurat/Perfect from a distance but a tempest the closer we got.” In “Dull Women Keep Immaculate Homes”, it’s everyone’s favorite grandmother who says “Oh, I’ve been so blessed/There’s joy in this life if you’re willing to make a mess.” And in “Wasted on the Living”, Terry sings the story of a convict doomed to a life sentence based on the testimony of a waitress who served him “a burnt-up cup of bitter midnight coffee.” Wrought with care and recorded with compassion, the songs on Great Northern will stick with you.

Terry is a recovering lawyer and former political operative who didn’t write his first song until he was forty. He’s lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Charlotte, Washington, DC, and San Francisco. Now he, his wife, Lindsay, and their daughters, Zoe and Beatrice call Austin, Texas home. They got here as fast as they could.

Here's what folks are saying about Terry and Great Northern:

"Terry Klein has the poet’s heart and it's very much in evidence on his brand new collection of songs."
--Rodney Crowell

"Terry Klein’s songs bring me into his world, they make the crossing from one heart to another with ease. 'Better Luck Next Time' could have been written by Springsteen, Van Zandt, or Earle. But, no, this amazing song came from the guitar of a wonderful new voice in songwriting -- Terry Klein. Close your eyes, give a listen, and let his songs take you on a ride. It’s a beautiful journey."
--Mary Gauthier

"When I heard the songs on Great Northern for the first time, I was floored. I knew I was hearing a true songwriter, and a true craftsman. These songs deal with real moments, elements, depths of the human spirit. The songs here still move me. Welcome a strong collection of songs and a new clear, bold voice.”
--Walt Wilkins