During the early days of Terri Clark’s Nashville career, a meeting in an agent’s office turned into a story that Terri Clark and John Anderson would remember whenever their paths crossed.
Bobby Roberts, John Anderson’s agent, had invited Terri Clark to the office. Terri Clark happened to have a guitar along and began singing “Swingin’,” copying the distinctive voice that country fans knew immediately.
Bobby Roberts picked up the telephone, called John Anderson, and let John Anderson listen while Terri Clark continued singing.
According to Terri Clark’s recollection, John Anderson laughed so hard that the incident became a recurring joke between the two artists. Whenever Terri Clark and John Anderson met afterward, the story came up again.
A country fan looking for a place to sing
Long before that memory became part of a tribute, Terri Clark had arrived in Nashville with the enthusiasm of a young country music fan.
In a 2010 interview with My Kind of Country, Terri Clark recalled visiting Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge during the first week in town. Terri Clark was 18 and had gone inside with a mother and a friend. Having read about the country music landmark beforehand, Terri Clark wanted to see the place in person.
There were very few people inside. Terri Clark asked the musician performing there for a chance to sing a few songs. The musician agreed.
As Terri Clark performed, people began coming through the open door. Management noticed, and the visit led to a job paying $15 a day plus tips.
That modest beginning gives the later telephone story some of its warmth. Terri Clark’s affection for country music had already become part of the daily work of earning a living.
The voices that helped bring people through the door
An early biographical account records that Terri Clark’s Tootsie’s performances included impressions of John Conlee, John Anderson, and George Jones. Those recognizable voices helped attract listeners from the street.
The impressions were one part of a much longer apprenticeship. Terri Clark also worked in a boot store and waited tables while pursuing music. A Mercury Records contract followed in 1994, with a debut album arriving in 1995.
Success brought Terri Clark an audience for original recordings, but the impressions remained part of the live performances.
Writing in 2010, interviewer J.R. Journey remembered hearing Terri Clark imitate John Anderson at an Ohio fair in 2003. Another concert review, covering a November 3, 2021, performance at The Birchmere with Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss, specifically noted Terri Clark’s rendition of “Swingin’” in John Anderson’s style.
Those accounts place the impression in Terri Clark’s shows across many years. Audiences who discovered Terri Clark through radio hits could also hear a little of the country fan who had first walked into Tootsie’s.
A memory worth keeping
In the tribute reported by Everything Nash, Terri Clark described John Anderson as a childhood hero and remembered imitating John Anderson while playing for tips. Terri Clark also shared the office telephone story and said the impressions still occasionally appeared in performances.
For listeners, an impression offers the pleasure of recognizing a familiar voice. This particular memory offers something more personal: John Anderson getting to hear that affectionate imitation and enjoying the moment enough to keep bringing it up.
Terri Clark closed the tribute with a few simple words:
“We’ll miss you, John. Nobody’s gonna fill those shoes.”