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Terry Blade
Musical artist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Terry Blade is an American singer-songwriter based in the Chicago metropolitan area and the Blues Category Winner of the 2023 American Songwriter Song Contest.[2][3]
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Early life
Blade was born and raised in Washington, DC.[4] His family heritage is rooted in the American South; his grandparents were from the region, and his grandfather specifically hailed from Colerain, North Carolina.[5][6] His great-grandfather was a sharecropper, and his grandfather was taken out of school at a young age to work.[5]
By age 12, Blade had regularly experienced homophobia.[5] He has stated that growing up Black, gay, and gender non-conforming was "rough" and "one of the most painful experiences" he "didn't think [he] would survive".[5]
Blade relocated to Chicago, Illinois.[4] He later began keeping a private journal, and in 2020, began turning his journal entries into songs.[7]
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Career
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On April 3, 2020, Blade debuted his acoustic demo "The Unloveable". The release earned a singer-songwriter nomination at the 11th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.[8] "The Unloveable" appeared as the opening track on Blade's six-track EP demo, Misery, which was released on May 8, 2020.[9]
Also in 2020, Blade released his a cappella single "The 'Karen' Blues", which musician Adeem the Artist described as "witty and biting".[10]
On February 5, 2021, Blade released his debut studio album, American Descendant of Slavery, the Album.[11] The album incorporated public domain audio recordings of formerly enslaved African-Americans and won a Summit Creative Award for audio.[4][12] The Archives of African American Music and Culture also included the album in its selection of February 2021 Black Music Releases of Note.[13] On April 2, 2021, musician Adeem the Artist highlighted "MTF" as one of their favorite songs from the album, noting that it reminded them of CeCe McDonald because "it details the story of a trans sex worker who is trying desperately to finance gender confirmation surgery and after defending herself from the violence of a client, ends up in a prison for men."[14]
On January 14, 2022, Blade released his second studio album, Neo Queer.[6] On January 24, 2022, Frankie Francis featured Blade on his Amazing Afternoons broadcast on Amazing Radio.[15]
On January 6, 2023, Blade released his blues single "Won't Be Around".[3] The song earned a Hollywood Independent Music Award nomination and entered the Country Up & Coming Chart on New Music Weekly after receiving national radio airplay.[16][17] The song's video premiered at the Tribeca Festival.[18] It earned a nomination at the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards[19] and was shortlisted for a Cresta Award.[20] The video also won the awards for Best Music Video at the Bare Bones International Film Festival,[21] Moondance International Film Festival,[22] Prague Independent Film Festival,[23] and the Vienna Independent Film Festival.[24]
On February 3, 2023, Blade released his third studio album, Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper. [25] The album earned a nomination for Album of the Year: Folk/Americana at the 2023 Josie Music Awards.[26] Richard Marcus of Country Queer wrote, "Listening to the ten tracks, you’ll hear elements of every type of roots music incorporated within. Blues, gospel, and country are all part of Blade’s experience, and they provide the glue that binds the sometimes disparate themes he expresses over the course of the album."[27]
On April 10, 2024, American Songwriter Magazine announced Blade as the Blues First Place Winner of the 2023 American Songwriter Song Contest for his song "Won't Be Around".[2] On June 24, 2024, he was featured on the Glastonbury Festival 2024 Festival Pass broadcast on Amazing Radio.[28] On September 24, 2024, he won his second and third Summit Creative Award for the "Won't Be Around" music video.[12]
On January 3, 2025, Blade released his blues single "Tell 'Em".[29] Dave Franklin of The Big Takeover wrote, "Tell ‘Em' walks a sure-footed line between established traditions and future potential, between familiarity and freshness, and between comfort zones and adventure."[29]
On February 28, 2025, Blade released his fourth studio album, Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues.[30] The album earned a nomination for Historical or Vintage Recording at the 2025 Blues Blast Music Awards.[31] The album was published by Paris-based music company Groover, and selected by Médiathèque départementale de Isère in Isere, France, to be included in its digital collection.[32] The album incorporated archival recordings from interviews with Chicago Blues figures such as Theresa Needham and Lefty Dizz.[30][33] Mike Mineo of Obscure Sound wrote, "Blade crafts a consumingly atmospheric blues sound on his latest album Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues, intertwining the past and present with its infusions of archived interviews, original songwriting, and tributes to past greats."[30]
On May 21, 2025, Blade was featured on the Download Festival Festival Pass broadcast on Amazing Radio.[34]
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Personal life
Blade resides in the Chicago metropolitan area.[3] He is queer.[6][35]
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
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Videography
Music Videos
Awards and nominations
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Film festival official selections and screenings
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References
External links
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