It’s Thursday night and Terry Tufts is singing at the Barley Mow.
There he is, wearing his iconic "Pang Hat" (made for him by Susan Aglukark’s mother) and wailing away with his tunes. The pub is pretty full and, over the shouting of the boisterous regulars, some folks actually listen to the lyrics. They know that under that tough "old-pro" exterior of a journeyman musician who has paid his dues over and over again, there lies a gifted singer/songwriter with an extraordinary talent; a talent that too many have taken for granted.
The Barley Mow has presented Terry every Thursday night for the past two years. That’s a pretty good gig for a musician but apparently management has decided that it’s time for a change at the old pub. Although Terry won’t be playing there every week, we all look forward to his returning from time to time at the Barley Mow and showing up at other locations around town. He’s just too good to take for granted.
Rumour has it that he’ll be appearing at Foodies Fine Foods on Mill Street in Almonte to do a Neil Diamond Tribute show in February and a Rolling Stones Tribute in April. A live recording session next week in Picton, Ontario, is also in the works. On that occasion, he’ll be partnering musically with bass fiddler, Toby Meis, a talented newcomer to town, who joins him frequently. Toby’s accomplished bowing and plucking of his beautiful bass fiddle, "Cleo", provides the perfect harmonic foundation to Terry’s soulful voice and guitar.
Terry Tufts is originally from southwestern Ontario and came to this area in 1996. He is married to Kathryn Briggs, a gifted pianist and music teacher at the Mississippi Mills Musicworks, and they, along with their young daughter, Beth, live near Clayton.