Terry Blade is an American singer-songwriter and music video director based in the Chicago metropolitan area.[1][2] He has released multiple studio albums, including American Descendant of Slavery, the Album (2021),[3]Neo Queer (2022),[4]Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper (2023),[5] and Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues (2025).[6]
His work frequently incorporates archival audio, explores themes of race, sexuality, and inter-generational memory,[5][7] and has been highlighted by reviewers for its minimalist production and baritone vocal delivery.[8][9]
Blade was born and raised in Washington, DC.[8] His family heritage is rooted in the American South; his grandparents were from the region, and his grandfather specifically hailed from Colerain, North Carolina.[7][4] His great-grandfather was a sharecropper, and his grandfather was taken out of school at a young age to work.[7]
By age 12, Blade had regularly experienced homophobia.[7] He has stated that growing up Black, gay, and gender non-conforming was "rough" and "one of the most painful experiences" he "didn't think [he] would survive".[7]
Blade relocated to Chicago, Illinois.[8] He later began keeping a private journal, and in 2020, began turning his journal entries into songs.[15]
Career
Blade debuted his acoustic demo "The Unloveable" on April 3, 2020; the track received a nomination at the 11th Hollywood Music in Media Awards[16] and later appeared as the opening song on his EP Misery, released on May 8, 2020.[17] That same year, he released the a cappella single "The 'Karen' Blues," which was described by musician Adeem the Artist as "witty and biting."[18]
Blade's debut studio album, American Descendant of Slavery, the Album, was released on February 5, 2021.[3] Critics noted that the release combined folk, rock, and soul elements[19] with spoken word excerpts from 1941 of formerly enslaved African Americans.[3][8]Adeem the Artist highlighted the album's track "MTF" for drawing parallels to real-world cases involving violence against black transgender women.[20] The Archives of African American Music and Culture’ included the album among its "February 2021 Black Music Releases of Note".[21] The album later won a Summit Creative Award for audio and a Graphis Award for cover art design.[22][23]
On January 14, 2022, Blade released his second studio album, Neo Queer.[4] Days later, he was featured on Frankie Francis'sAmazing Afternoons broadcast on Amazing Radio.[24]
On January 3, 2025, Blade released the blues single "Tell ’Em."[39] The track was distributed by Paris-based companies Groover and IDOL,[40] and later added to the digital collection of the Médiathèque départementale de l'Ain in France.[41] In The Big Takeover, reviewer Dave Franklin described "Tell ’Em" as balancing blues tradition with contemporary innovation.[39]
On May 21, 2025, Blade was featured on the Download FestivalFestival Pass broadcast on Amazing Radio.[50] Two months later, Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues received a nomination for Historical or Vintage Recording at the 2025 Blues Blast Music Awards.[51]The album went on to win a Clio Music Award for Use of Music Craft,[11] a Shorty Impact Award for Arts & Culture,[12] an Anthem Award for Education, Art & Culture: Special Projects,[52] and a Cresta Award for Innovative Use of Sound/Audio.[53]
On November 21, 2025, Blade was included in Music Connection's "Top 25 New Music Critiques of 2025."[54]
Musical style and influences
Blade's recordings draw from blues, soul, gospel, country, and folk traditions,[5][6] often arranged with sparse instrumentation and minimal production to emphasize his vocal delivery and narrative focus.[8][17] Critics have described his work as rooted in Black American musical forms while incorporating contemporary singer-songwriter elements,[5][8] and several reviews note his use of documentary-style audio, including archival interviews and spoken-word recordings.[3][55]
Blade's projects frequently reference the historical experiences of Black Americans in both the rural South and urban Chicago, drawing thematic continuity from generational memory and regional identity.[7][5] Reviewers have highlighted his baritone vocal timbre and introspective writing as defining characteristics of his artistic style,[39][56] citing Tracy Chapman, Ben Harper, and Isaac Hayes as influences of his work.[57]
↑Bibliothèque Municipale à Vocation Régionale (BMVR) de Nice, Ville de Nice – Service / Direction de la Culture (2025), Tell 'Em, Nice, France: Ville de Nice, retrieved 2025-12-20
↑Médiathèque départementale de l'Ain, Conseil départemental de l'Ain (2025), "Tell 'Em", Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues, Bourg-en-Bresse, France: Département de l’Ain, retrieved 2025-11-14
12Médiathèque départementale de l'Isère, Isère Departmental Council (2025). "Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues". Médiathèque départementale – Isère. Département de l'Isère. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
↑Bibliothèque départementale de la Vienne, Le Conseil départemental de la Vienne. "Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues". Bibliothèque départementale de la Vienne. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
↑Médiathèque départementale du Pas-de-Calais, Le Conseil départemental du Pas-de-Calais, Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues, Arras, France: Le Département du Pas-de-Calais
↑Réseau des médiathèques de Toulon, Le Conseil municipal de Toulon (2025), Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues, La Commune de Toulon, retrieved 2025-11-23
↑Bibliothèque départementale de l’Ain, Conseil départemental de l’Ain (2025-02-28). "Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues". SOFA/Bibliothèque départementale de l’Ain. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
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