Terri Clark
by Sarah Boesveld
The first Canadian female country artist to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, Terri Clark topped the charts in 1995 with “Better Things to Do,” her very first single—a huge feat in any genre. Since then, the cowboy-hatted alto has landed eight top 10 singles on both sides of the border. Clark, whose grandparents Ray and Betty Gauthier were Montreal-based Canadian country stars, is known for her engaging onstage persona and dry delivery of sassy lyrics. Those winning qualities have earned her the Canadian Country Music Association’s Fan’s Choice Award eight times, and the title of Female Artist of the Year in 1997, 2004, 2005 and 2011.
IN DEPTH
When Terri Clark was establishing her reputation as the first female Canadian artist to become country royalty, there was a particular story she liked to tell. After she graduated from high school in 1987, Clark drove down to Nashville from Canada with her mom. “When we crossed into the United States, the guard at the border said, ‘Where are y’all headed?’” she recalled. “And we said, ‘The Grand Ole Opry!’” Looking out her Nashville hotel window during that formative visit, the girl from Medicine Hat realized this would be a tough scene to crack. (At the time, it was dominated by the swagger of Garth Brooks and the storytelling prowess of Reba McEntire.) But after seven years of doing odd jobs and performing wherever she could—including gigs at the legendary Nashville honky-tonk Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge—Clark got her break.
Clark proved herself a brash, feminist rule-breaker in the mode of Kitty Wells, writing tunes that challenged double standards and placed women and men on equal footing.
Record producer Keith Stegall had seen her play at Tootsie’s and liked her style and skill. When Stegall became the head of A&R at Mercury Records, Clark was the first artist he signed. He also produced her debut album. She co-wrote 11 out of 12 songs on that self-titled debut—almost unheard of for a new country artist. Shania Twain’s The Woman in Me, released the same year, introduced pop-rock elements into the country formula, but Clark delivered rock-edged twang—the kind of country music that women in Nashville just weren’t making at that point. She made her mark in 1995 with “Better Things to Do,” an instant classic that gave the kiss-off to a begging ex. The song put a modern, tomboyish twist on Loretta Lynn–style sass while showcasing Clark’s sarcastic sense of humour and approachable charm (“Well, I’d love to talk to you,” she sings, “but then, I’d miss Donahue”). The third single from Clark’s debut album, the soulful “If I Were You,” became her first No. 1 hit in Canada and cemented the singer-songwriter’s status as a well-rounded, relatable star. Her next two records went platinum. In 1998, Clark opened for her idol, Reba McEntire.
While Nashville churned out party-hearty songs (Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It”; Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine”), “Better Things to Do” had a sardonic and fun country vibe. Clark’s grit was a rare quality for a female country performer at the time. She proved herself a brash, feminist rule-breaker in the mode of Kitty Wells, writing tunes that challenged double standards and placed women and men on equal footing, providing a stark contrast to the soft-focus ballads of Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill.
Even Clark has described her career as a roller-coaster; there have been gaps between her hits, though she invariably strikes gold when she writes about the ups and downs of relationships. Nevertheless, her rock ’n’ roll-meets-honky-tonk stage presence has provided a blueprint for modern acts like Miranda Lambert and Gretchen Wilson (The Washington Post wrote that Clark “was a ‘redneck woman’ long before being a redneck woman was cool.”). (To be fair, she rocks a cowboy had better than any other female country artist.) And in 2004, Clark made good on her promise to that Canadian border agent for real when she received an invitation to the Grand Ole Opry.