Music lovers and makers in our area are likely familiar with Annie and Terri Avery. The two women from Rowan have been making music together for decades. From hosting musician friends at their homes or organizing Texas Style Jams in Dows, the Averys are well-known for singing and playing guitar. In the last year, due to COVID, the women’s setting and circumstances may have changed, but the music has kept flowing, thanks to social media.
As the Averys look back on their many years as musicians, Annie, who is now 89 years old, remembers that she got her start by learning just three chords on a guitar. She learned from a minister who needed accompaniment. Eventually, Annie shared her talents and taught a young Terri to play guitar. Terri would go on to marry Annie’s son, Jim, which sealed their fate as eternal musical partners. They’ve now been making music together for around 48 years!
Throughout the years, Annie and Terri constantly played music together. They sang and played at funerals, weddings, for nursing homes and parties. They played the Wright County Fair and even the state fair. They even played together in a band called Country Cousins that performed at many occasions throughout the area years ago. They also helped host the annual Gospel Fest in Rowan throughout the years.
Besides many planned engagements, Annie says that one of the most fun things has been hosting jams at her home. “We’ll call friends and just say ‘come over and have some chili and let’s jam,’ and we’d get five or six people playing together.”
They also have been well-known for organizing Texas-Style Jams in Dows for more than a decade. The event was at one time hosted in the Avery’s machine shed, but they quickly outgrew that space and then outgrew the Heartland Museum. In past years, they have been holding the event at the Dows Community Center, almost monthly.
The jams feature various local musicians with the Averys furnishing guitar music and vocals. The types of music can range from gospel to old time country with even a few polkas and hoedowns thrown in. The Averys say it is a great time for people to dance, gather and have fun.
Almost a year back, in March of 2020, Annie and Terri were looking forward to another jam in Dows. However, as concerns regarding the coronavirus started to trickle into Iowa, events started to get canceled. Terri said they ultimately decided not to have the jam.
At this same time, whether they realized the far-reaching impact it would have, the Averys decided to do something else. Terri thought of the idea of she and Annie recording a song and posting it on Facebook. They decided to continue that practice daily.
A few days later, Terri posted a video. She said in the post, “Tonight would normally be our Texas Style Jam that we hold in Dows. However, since we are all staying at home, we're going to share the song that we always start with at the Jam—‘You are my sunshine!’ Missing jamming with our buddies, but we'll get back with you when this little ordeal is over!” Like all of us, Terri and Annie could not have predicted how long the “ordeal” would last. But a constant has been their music.
Almost every day, the women sit at Annie’s table and record a song. (Occasionally, when weather allowed, they ventured into the outdoors). Most of the time Terri plays guitar and both women sing. They play classic country, bluegrass, gospel, showtunes and more. Throughout the holidays, they performed Christmas music. They play special music for people’s special occasions, and they have even taken requests and learned new songs. Terri said they often try to share a bit of history on the song or what makes it special to them in the videos.
To say the music has been well-received is an understatement. From their first few videos, viewers have loved the Averys sharing their musical talents. Commenters have said, “You two are bringing joy to a lot of people,” “Thanks for your positive break from it all,” and “I enjoyed listening to you. Thanks for keeping our spirits up.”
Throughout the weeks and months, people anticipated the Averys daily videos. Someone noted, “We look forward to your daily singing. It sure puts a bright spot in our days” and another said, “Thanks again for brightening my day and coming in my house with your beautiful music!” They often hear from people who dance to their songs in their own homes.
Annie and Terri said they have been overwhelmed by the appreciation. They have heard from people from coast to coast and even other countries who have enjoyed their videos. Terri said, “I think the music cheers people up. It’s a way we can all connect right now.” Annie adds, “Music is just a pleasant, peaceful experience. And it gives us something to look forward to as well.”
The women say that they are not sure when they’ll stop posting videos. They plan to continue for the foreseeable future. Terri said that after all these months and hundreds of songs, they have started repeating some. But the music is just as moving as it was in the beginning.
As the Averys friend Joyce Keelling emphasized, “It has sure meant a lot to so many people to have Terri and Annie sing to us every single day. We hope they will be singing to us for the duration. Their commitment to helping all of us during COVID is simply amazing.”
