Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers:
Terry Sumsion

Country singer/songwriter/entertainer TERRY SUMSION was born February 7, 1947, in the Southwest Ontario town of Burford. He spent much of his early years driving trucks and buses, but that lifestyle changed dramatically in the late 1970s when he won the Male Vocalist category in the Canadian Open Singing Contest held in Simcoe, Ontario. In fact, he won the prestigious honour in three consecutive years, as well as the 1981 BX-93 (London) Country Roads Contest.

By the early 1980s, after paying some early career dues as a member of the band Maple Creek, Terry was working club dates and festival events with his own back-up band, Stagecoach. He also launched his recording career at that time, with the release of his debut album, “Our Lovin’ Place”. The title track song, written by Wayne Heimbecker (a member of the Stagecoach band and a lifelong friend of Terry’s), had earlier been recorded by Charlie Louvin but never released. It soon became Terry Sumsion’s signature tune.

Terry Sumsion’s recording career was extensive, with more than 30 singles released on various labels (Summit, Savannah, Burco, Hillcrest, and his own Trailstar label). Ten of the singles reached the RPM Country Charts – five of them breaking the Top 20 – with his best chart showing coming with the 1983 Top 10 hit, “Born Again”.

His album releases were equally impressive, with two vinyl LPs (“Our Lovin’ Place” in 1981, and the 1984 “Midnight Invitation”), as well as a lengthy series of follow-up CDs.

Terry Sumsion and Stagecoach were extremely popular on the country club and festival circuits, as well as being called upon as an opening act for Nashville touring artists Ricky Van Shelton, Johnny Lee, Ricky Skaggs, and others. Terry and the band also devoted their time and talents to a number of fundraising events.

During the mid-years of his career, Sumsion was managed by the late Brian Ferriman, releasing an album and six singles on Ferriman’s Savannah Records label. The latter years of his career were managed by the late Bill Carruthers, a long-time friend and member of the Stagecoach band.

Terry’s dedication and hard work held some rewards. He earned several CCMA nominations in 1983 and again in 1985 for both Album and Single of the Year honours, and a 1985 Juno Award nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year. Terry was particularly proud to win the 1985 Country Music News Fan Award for Album Of The Year (“Midnight Invitation”), voted by Country music fans. He was featured as a Cover Story artist in the March 1985 edition of Country Music News, and again in January 2011.

A recent testament to the ongoing interest in Terry Sumsion’s music was seen on the latest release issued by Ross Allen’s Hillcrest Compilation CD series (#104), with the opening selection a re-issue of the Terry Sumsion recording, “Jinglin’ Spurs”. The CD is distributed internationally.

Terry was treated for esophageal (throat) cancer in early 2008, but was determined to beat the illness and return to recording and touring with his music. During this recovery period, Terry was busy writing songs and recording his album, “Encore”, releasing the single, “Dance With Me”. But the reprieve was brief, and sadly, the cancer returned and took Terry Sumsion away on March 26, 2011.