Don’t tell Terry Johnson that dreams don’t come true. Just a country boy from
Tyler Texas, Terry spent his childhood in Texas and Arkansas, fishing, messing
around on boats, and working hard at school. He earned an MBA from Texas
A&M and went on to build a successful career in the technology industry.
In the summer of 1973, before his sophomore year at college, Terry was working
as a carpenter’s assistant at a golf club outside Austin. One night after work one
of the golfers knocked on his trailer door. It was Willie Nelson. The Red-Headed
Stranger passed on a few tunes playing songs for Terry for almost two hours on
one of his road guitars, an old National. Ever since that summer night, Terry has
been Willie’s #1 fan. He would go on to sing those same songs thousands of
times, practicing Willie’s signature soulful baritone for friends and family and,
eventually, around dark and smoky karaoke bars in Northwest Arkansas. He
would hold onto that National guitar for the rest of his life.
One winter night in 2022, at a spot outside Branson, Missouri, a Legends in
Concert associate heard Terry sing, “Always on My Mind”, and walked over to
his table. “Who are you?” He asked. “Nobody,” said Terry. “Man, I have never
heard anyone who sounded exactly like Willie Nelson before. I am with Legends
in Concert and you really need to come in and audition.
Things happened pretty fast after that, and the next thing Terry knew he was
given the opportunity to perform at Legends in Concert in Branson as Willie. This
marked an important new chapter in Terry’s life, fulfilling a lifelong goal of
making people happy by singing their favorite Willie’s songs in front of a real
audience. Here’s to the Legends in Concert team that believed in a 67-year-old
retired businessman who just so happened to sing like Willie and had always
wanted to perform in front of an audience just like you.