Terri Clark explains why she chose not to polish the flaws on her live recording.
The 58-year-old country vocalist’s performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on August 29, 2024 has been issued as a 17-track collection titled Terri Clark: Live from the Ryman.
Looking back on the night, Clark told People: “I was nervous and excited, but I had no idea what I was walking out to. I’ve played thousands of shows in my career, but that one was the highlight show of my entire life.”
The You’re Easy on the Eyes singer decided to keep the night’s raw, authentic sound intact rather than re-record or alter performances to achieve perfection.
She said: “We did not plan to record this to make an album out of it. We didn’t even have more than two crowd mics.
“We basically had to piece this thing together as best we could. A lot of people will go in after they record a live record and they’ll re-sing everything.
“The band will come in and replay parts because they want it to sound perfect. But I didn’t want that.
“This record is exactly as it went down that night. I chose passion over perfection for this.”
Fellow country artist Trisha Yearwood, 62, who joined Terri for Poor, Poor Pitiful Me at the Ryman performance, supported her choice to preserve the album’s raw, genuine, live essence.
Terri explained: “I talked to Trisha about it one night and told them that I was really leaning towards just keeping it really raw and authentic and just the way it was that night.
“Trisha said, ‘I don’t sound perfect on it either, but it’s live. And that’s the whole purpose. And I think we’re just losing so much of that authenticity these days.'”
The Better Things to Do artist grows emotional as she recalls performing at the Ryman Auditorium, a goal she had long carried on her list of dreams.
Terri said: “Before I even strummed the first note, the crowd was so loud and it went on for so long. I was bursting into tears before I even sang the first note. It was so emotional.
“Fans had traveled from all over the world to be at that show. I just can’t put it into words — it was a very magical night.”
The Girls Lie Too star, who once toured the Ryman with a sense of being discouraged about ever headlining there, urged people not to abandon their dreams.
She stated: “That moment was flashing before my eyes when I was standing on the stage headlining that show.
“Dreams come true. They really do. That’s been part of my mantra my entire career is never give up on your dreams. You’re never too old.”
