Terri Ann Hendrix is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and independent artist who has been writing and performing an eclectic mix of Americana genre, encompassing folk, pop, country, blues, and jazz, since 1990. Since 1988 Hendrix has been based in and near San Marcos, Texas, living as of 2017 in nearby Martindale,[1][2] after growing up in San Antonio, Texas.[3]
Hendrix has released at least 20 albums and EPs on her own Wilory Records label, co-wrote the Grammy-winning instrumental "Lil' Jack Slade" by the Dixie Chicks, and, in 2011, published a book, Cry Til You Laugh – The Part That Ain't Art.[2][4] Her second album, 1998's Wilory Farm, was produced by Lloyd Maines, beginning a long musical partnership encompassing studio recordings, live duo and full band performances, and several music and songwriting workshops.
Known for her live shows and positive energy, Terri Hendrix says that she lives by the adage "own your own universe," a lyric from one of her earliest songs.[2] After briefly studying opera and classical music on scholarship at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, the San Antonio native transferred to Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University) in San Marcos. It was while still a college student waiting tables that she began attending Kent Finlay's "Songwriter Night" at Cheatham Street Warehouse, eventually performing at other bars and restaurants around town and in nearby New Braunfels. By the mid-90s she had built up a growing fanbase throughout the Texas Hill Country and in San Antonio, which enabled her to successfully self-release her 1996 debut album, "Two Dollar Shoes," on her own label Tycoon Cowgirl Records (soon after renamed Wilory Records).[2] Her second album, 1998's "Wilory Farm," marked the beginning of her long studio and performing partnership with noted Texas producer and multi-instrumentalist Lloyd Maines. Subsequent releases like 2000's "Places in Between" and 2002's "The Ring" expanded her grassroots fanbase well beyond Texas, leading to nearly two decades of touring throughout the United States and Europe. Hendrix recorded prolifically over those years, too, releasing several more albums on Wilory Records (all produced by Maines or co-produced by Maines and Hendrix). These include 2004's "The Art of Removing Wallpaper," 2006's "Celebrate the Difference" (a children's album), 2007's "The Spiritual Kind," 2010's "The Art of Removing Wallpaper," and the four thematically-linked full-length albums and one EP that she released between 2016 and 2021 under the banner "Project 5": "Love You Strong," "The Slaughterhouse Sessions," "Talk to a Human," "Who Is Ann?," and "Pilgrim's Progress."[2]
In addition to writing and performing, Hendrix conducts songwriting workshops both in and beyond Texas,[6] and in 2012 she established the OYOU ("Own Your Own Universe") nonprofit, which offers educational and therapeutic arts programs, including for those who face neurological challenges or physical disabilities.[1][7][8][9][10] The OYOU is headquartered at Hendrix's 12-acre property in Martindale, which she named "Wilory Farm" (like her second album) in honor of her late mentor Marion Williamson's own Wilory Farm in Stonewall, Texas.[1][4] Hendrix was inspired to launch the OYOU in part by her own experiences as a professional musician living with and managing a seizure disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy.[1]
In 2019–2020, Hendrix was diagnosed with essential vocal tremor, likely related to her epilepsy.[11][12][13] Although this necessitated a scaling back on her touring schedule, she continues to write and record new music while also performing select live shows (mostly around Texas) and frequent live-streamed concerts from her home. She also remains very active running the OYOU, organizing festivals, concert series, retreats, kids music camps, and songwriting workshops, in addition to regularly working with other non-profit organizations such as those teaching music and songwriting to veterans and the differently abled.[2][11][6]
All self-released on Wilory Records and produced by Lloyd Maines, with some co-produced by Terri Hendrix, except for the initial (1996) release of Two Dollar Shoes.
