| Background: | person |
| Terry Blade | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Birth Place: | Washington, DC |
| Origin: | Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Genre: | Singer-songwriter, Blues, American folk music, R&B |
| Occupation: | Singer, songwriter, lyricist |
| Years Active: | 2020–present |
Terry Blade is an American singer-songwriter based in the Chicago metropolitan area.[1] He is the blues category winner of the 2023 American Songwriter Song Contest.[2]
He has been nominated twice for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards; in 2020 at the 11th Hollywood Music in Media Awards for his song "The Unloveable", and in 2023 at the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards for his song and self-directed music video "Won't Be Around".
His music videos have gone on to premiere as official selections of the Tribeca Festival,[3] LA Shorts Fest,[4] Sidewalk Film Festival, and the Berlin Short Film Festival where he won the 2024 award for Best Music Video.[5]
Blade was born and raised in Washington, DC.[6] He has described his upbringing as "rough," adding that growing up black and gay "was one of the most painful experiences."[7] Blade has credited his mother and grandparents as prominent influences on his music, citing his family's earlier history as black sharecoppers in North Carolina and elsewhere in the Southern United States.[8]
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.[9] The song appeared as the opening track on Blade's six-track EP demo, Misery, which was released on May 8, 2020.[10]
In November of 2020, Blade released his A cappella single, "The 'Karen' Blues" which caught the attention of musician Adeem the Artist who described it as "witty and biting".[11] Adeem the Artist later described Blade's subsequent single "Same Gender Loving", as "a touching and poetic expression of love."
On February 5, 2021, Blade released his debut studio album American Descendant of Slavery, the Album.[12] The album incorporated public domain audio recordings of formerly enslaved African-Americans.[13] The album won a Summit Creative Award for Audio at the 2021 Summit Awards.
On March 1, 2021, the Archives of African American Music and Culture included American Descendant of Slavery, the Album in its Black Grooves publication of the February 2021 Black Music Releases of Note.[14] The Archives of African American Music and Culture classified the album as an r&b/soul release. A month later, the album's track "Mtf" was highlighted by Adeem the Artist who noted that the song "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".[15] They added, "It reminds me of CeCe McDonald — though I’m not sure if it’s about her — and it’s a really moving song."
On January 14, 2022, Blade released his second studio album Neo Queer. Christopher Treacy of Country Queer wrote that the album "employed more of a neo-soul delivery system."[16] The album featured tracks such as "The Silent Treatment" and "All Ways" which received national radio airplay on Amazing Radio.[17] [18] On January 24, 2022, Frankie Francis featured Blade on his Amazing Afternoons broadcast on Amazing Radio.[19] Two months later, Blade released his soul single "For You".[20]
See main article: article and Won't Be Around. On January 6, 2023, Blade released his blues single "Won't Be Around".[21] The single received national radio airplay and appeared on New Music Weekly's Country Up & Coming Chart.[22] It won first place in the blues category of the 2023 American Songwriter Song Contest. The single also received nominations at the inaugural Hollywood Independent Music Awards and the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.[23] [24]
A month after its release, "Won't Be Around" appeared on Blade's third studio album, Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper.[25] The album received a nomination for Best Folk/Americana Album at the 2023 Josie Music Awards.[26] The music video for "Wasn't Mine", another song featured on the album, was officially selected for the Sidewalk Film Festival.[27]
Blade produced and directed the music video for "Won't Be Around" which went on to premiere as an official selection of the Tribeca Festival, LA Shorts Fest, New Media Film Festival,[28] and the Berlin Short Film Festival where it won the 2024 award for Best Music Video.
On June 24, 2024, Blade was featured on the Glastonbury Festival 2024 broadcast of Amazing Radio.[29] Two days later, he announced that he had been invited to join The Recording Academy.[30] On July 19, 2024, Blade received a nomination for Songwriter Achievement at the 2024 Josie Music Awards.[31] [32]
Blade identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.[33] [34] He resides in the Chicago metropolitan area.
| Title | Year | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Descendant of Slavery, the Album | 2021 | ||
| Neo Queer | 2022 | [35] | |
| Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper | 2023 |
| Title | Year | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Unloveable" | 2020 | [36] | |
| "The Karen Blues" | |||
| "Same Gender Loving" | |||
| "Black Hurts" | 2021 | [37] | |
| "For You" | 2022 | [38] | |
| "Won't Be Around" | 2023 |
| Title | Year | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Last Macbeth" | 2020 | ||
| "Mr. Robertson" | 2022 | ||
| "Won't Be Around" | 2023 | ||
| "Wasn't Mine" | 2024 |
| 2020 | Cult Critic Movie Awards | Best Music Video | The Last Macbeth | [39] | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Music: Singer-Songwriter | The Unloveable | |||
| Luis Buñuel Memorial Awards | Music Video: Outstanding Achievement Award | Mr. Robertson | [40] | ||
| Virgin Spring Cinefest | Music Video (Gold Award) | Mr. Robertson | [41] | ||
| 2021 | Summit Awards | Summit Creative Award – Audio – Other (Bronze Award) | ADOS, the Album | [42] | |
| 2023 | Blues (2023 Song Contest): Category Winner | Won't Be Around | |||
| Hollywood Independent Music Awards | Americana/Roots | Won't Be Around | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Music Video (Independent) | Won't Be Around | [43] | ||
| Josie Music Awards | Album of the Year: Folk/Americana | Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper | |||
| 2024 | Bare Bones International Film Festival | Best Music Video USA | Won't Be Around | [44] | |
| Berlin Short Film Festival | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around | |||
| California Music Video Awards | Best Cinematography in a Music Video | Won't Be Around | [45] | ||
| Best Fashion and Makeup | Won't Be Around | ||||
| Social Justice and Hope Award | Won't Be Around | ||||
| Best Male Solo Artist | Won't Be Around | ||||
| Lyrics and Verse | Won't Be Around | ||||
| Best Inspirational | Won't Be Around | ||||
| Castle Rock Film Festival | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around | [46] | ||
| LA Shorts Fest | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around | [47] | ||
| Midwest Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around | [48] | ||
| New Media Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around | [49] | ||
| Northeast Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around | [50] | ||
| Best Music Video | Won't Be Around | [51] | |||
| Sidewalk Film Festival | Shorts: Music Video | Wasn't Mine | |||
| Thin Line Fest | Music Video | Won't Be Around | [52] | ||
| Tribeca Festival | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around | [53] |