I am on a blues jag again. It was one of the earliest influences for me, starting when I discovered Muddy Waters through listening to the early Rolling Stones. Since the 60's there have been times of total immersion in it. And the blues, they are coming around for me again. From hanging at Antone's in Austin, to my iPod, which is chock full. The traveling through the Delta, and then Chicago, you get to feel how the land influenced the music, and how it sprang from the troubles of the day. It still speaks to me. Love troubles, people troubles, money troubles, work troubles. And it feels better, just singing along. You get the same kind of release as chanting Buddhist mantras. Accomplishes peace. Gives you insight.

Photo Credit: Mary BrutonEnter Terri Hendrix. She is the consummate songwriter, with lots to say, and the gift with which to deliver it. Her new CD is called Cry Till You Laugh. If that ain't the philosophy of why people sing the blues, I don't know what is. This new CD is just out a month and there is an accompanying book of the same title. It was meant to be a jazz album, but it kind of had a mind of its own. Terri is a classically trained vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, mandolin and harmonica and she's a very imaginative songwriter. She sings with abandon, whether scat, folk, blues, or Gothic Americana. She calls the new album's influences "a yin and yang of life."

We were so glad to catch up with Terri at WoodyFest, and she brought the wonderful Lloyd Maines with her. Together they make magic. "Hand Me Down Blues" is one of those 'lessons about life' songs. Every day we wake, we can be happy or we can wallow in the past. Choose wisely, you only go around once.

- Jessie Scott