theman

and many a night was spent at Southern Gospel 'all night singin's, as they were called in those days."

T's Momma always was, and is to this day, a quiet spoken, firm-in-her-ways, Bible-reading, thinking kind of woman. Also, she is a most talented and gifted musician. Piano, guitar, harmonica, steel guitar, classical harp, and fiddle are just a few of the instruments at which she is accomplished. T's mom gave the gift of music to all three of her children and six grandchildren.

"We grew up in a household that was dirt poor financially, but rich in music," T once said. "We listened to everything from Hank Williams, Sr. to Glenn Miller when I was a kid, and many a night was spent at Southern Gospel 'all night singin's, as they were called in those days."

Singing in church, grade school, and at family gatherings, T knew early on that music was going to play an important part in his life. Although many friends and family scoffed at this idea, his Mother encouraged it. As a sophomore in high school, T auditioned for the school choral group; when the choral director told him there was no place for him in the chorus, instead of giving up on the idea of a life in the music business, it just made the fifteen-year-old that much more determined.

A couple weeks following the failed audition, T hitched a ride to Evansville, Indiana, where "Dick Clark's Cavalcade of Stars" was performing. After some time of hauling music gear for free and hanging out backstage, T got up the nerve to ask to sing with a group of individual musicians from several major groups on the tour who were "jamming" after sound check. Good-naturedly obliging, they let the six foot, one hundred pound, skinny kid who had grunted their equipment earlier have his moment in the spotlight. When they asked him what he wanted to sing, he replied "House of the Rising Sun," the same song he had performed for the choral director. At the end of the flawless rendition of one of the biggest hits of the day, and to the "good job kid" from the pro's, T walked off the stage where he was approached by the big bellied, cigar chomping tour manager. "Kid you can sing... stick with it, there's a place for you in the business." Those words of encouragement from a total stranger were all he needed to hear. As he

Terry Warren (T to those that really know him), was born to parents of Kaw/Osage American Indian and Celtic descent in Illinois, of all places. The eldest of three children from poor, but hard working parents, T was nurtured by loving grandparents who were proud of the cultures from which they came and set the mold for him early in his life. In an interview in the mid 80's, at the height of his involvement in Indian activism , T was quoted as saying, "It wasn't easy growing up the only minority in town, but it made me tough, wise, and a survivor." Knowing him as I do, truer words were never spoken.

T's daddy was a hard-working, hard-drinking, highly-decorated WWII veteran. He made his living in the oilfields of America . The family was susceptible to having to move to wherever the work was, making it difficult to call anywhere home for fear as soon as they did another move would occur.

"We grew up in a household that was dirt poor financially, but rich in music," T once said. "We listened to everything from Hank Williams, Sr. to Glenn Miller when I was a kid,

Several years later, after a successful tour, T returned home to learn that the annual "variety show" produced by the high school choral director was experiencing difficulties in getting the school's sound system to accommodate a large production number. T offered the use of his own sound system and personally ran the mix himself. At the end of the evening, the director called T up on stage to publicly thank him for the use of the PA. In front of a hometown crowd, T shook the hand of the man who wouldn't let him in the school choir, and then handed him an autographed copy of T's band's "White Horses and Feathered Lace" album which was receiving airplay nationally, and went on to thank the music director for not letting him in the chorus, and for reinforcing the personal belief in himself and his music.