Terry Talbot

On October 19th, 2019, The Upper Room presented singer, Terry Talbot, in concert.

The concert began when founder and host, Ron Strand, greeted the audience at 7:30 pm. Ron announced that The Upper Room is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. For the occasion, many former artists submitted videos congratulating The Upper Room on its decade of ministry. A handful of those edited videos were shown in a collage and included such CCM luminaries as: Paul Aldrich, Bruce Carroll, Gary Chapman, Randy Stonehill, Bob Bennett and Paul Clark. Some of the artists performed fun or clever ditties in their clips and Clark made the bold statement that “fifty Upper Rooms could change this country.”

Ron did some trivia and tossed out T-shirts to those in the audience who could successfully finish a song lyric, identify the artist and song title. Some of the lyric lines were: “I’m a travelin’ man and I’ve made a lot of stops, all over the world” (Ricky Nelson, “Travelin’ Man”), “On the road again, I just can’t wait to get on the road again,” (Willie Nelson, “On the Road Again”), “Some people call me the space cowboy,” (Steve Miller Band, “Joker”), “I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name,” (America, “A Horse with No Name”), “Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine” (Three Dog Night, “Joy to the World”), and “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain,” (James Taylor, “Fire And Rain”).

Ron gave an update on The Upper Room produced rock-umentary of the formative CCM band “Love Song”…it’s coming soon. Ron reminded the audience that The Upper Room is solely operated on a donation basis (Support The Upper Room).

Ron introduced Terry Talbot, who took the stage with Adam Temple (who played mandolin, banjo and guitar) and Jake Finney (who played an upright bass). Terry gave a brief bio of his early days in music. Terry and his brother, John Michael, were in a band called Mason Proffit. The Talbot brothers were the opening act for The Eagles on a national tour.

Terry played “Gospel Light” from his first Sparrow record “No Longer Alone.” One of the background singers on that album was Keith Green.

Terry mentioned that he and Keith often got together to do “Bukin and Zortin”—short for “rebuking and exhorting.” One day, Terry told Keith he wasn’t in the mood to do “Bukin and Zortin” and Keith said, “Okay, want to go bowling?” Where else can you hear such a priceless anecdote?

Terry performed a poetic story song about the “Lamplighter,” and then sang Keith’s favorite song of his, “See the Vision.” He followed that up with the title cut to his 1985 record, “Face To Face.”

Terry said he was 135 lbs when he graduated from high school, but was 210 lbs after his first year on the road. Since that time, Terry has dedicated himself to working out to stay in shape. While setting up his next song, Terry told an unforgettable story about John Denver and a garbage bag full of popcorn (another reason to never miss an Upper Room event). Working his way back to the topic of fitness, Terry said “Mighty Rushing Wind” was considered by many to be the Christian aerobics song of the year in 1985.

Terry shared that his brother grew tired of the road lifestyle and became a Roman Catholic Franciscan monk. John Michael lived in a cave for a year. The other inhabitants of the cave were a snake and a mouse. Remarkably, the snake didn’t eat the mouse during his extended stay in the grotto.

After emerging from his self-imposed solitude, John Michael recorded “The Lord’s Supper.” The good news was that the project was a success. The bad news was that the album made a lot of money and John Michael had taken a vow of poverty.

Terry performed the madrigal style song “Advent Suite” from “The Painter,” a landmark project he recorded with John Michael. Also from that album was the folksy “Create In Me a Clean Heart.” Switching gears, Terry played a beautiful solo guitar piece named “Murphy’s Law.”

Terry, who leads worship at a church in Fresno, CA, invited Adam’s wife, Michelle, to the stage to provide background vocals on a worship set that began with the southern gospel classic “Jesus on the Mainline.” Terry played banjo on the hymn “Nothing But the Blood.”

An upbeat rendition of “There is Power in the Blood” was followed by country flavored versions of “Down By the Riverside” and “Swing Down Chariot.” “Awesome God” and “Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord” were performed as a medley. The eclectic worship set continued with a spirited performance of “I Am a Child of God.”

Terry sang “Healing Is Here” and then said a prayer over those in the audience who needed a healing touch from God. Terry finished the concert by singing his favorite Keith Green song, “Oh Lord You’re Beautiful.”

Terry Talbot’s visit to The Upper Room was a memorable and inspirational night of music.