SAN DIEGO — What would you do if you had a whole album of music in your head, but couldn't sing or play a musical instrument? In this Zevely Zone, a three-time cancer survivor takes a trip to Nashville.
"This is my way of giving back," said 73-year-old Terry Jordan. I first met Terry in 2017. He was a dance instructor in San Diego using his unique skills to donate time and money to numerous charities. "Somehow I survived," said Terry.
After beating throat and prostate cancer, Terry's story of survival caught the attention of Giving Back magazine. The publication covered Terry's generosity for twelve months straight as he donated check after check.
Terry has a big heart, and he gave that away too. "It's never too late in life for romance," said Terry who met Renee on a cruise. His love for her and life was so strong, he wanted to sing from the mountain tops with one slight problem. He can't sing! "No," said Terry. So, what was he supposed to do with twelve powerful songs pouring out of him?
"At age 73, to possibly be a song writer, I didn't know such things could happen," said Terry who took his songs to a Nashville recording studio called Best Built Songs: The Parlor Recording Studio. That is where Terry hired some heavy hitters who have worked with Rod Stewart, Tim McGraw and Roy Orbison to bring his music to life. Terry's music can now be streamed from a platform called SoundCloud. Every time you listen, royalties are generated.
"That money, 100% of it will be donated to the American Cancer Society," said Terry. In just a few months, Terry's songs have been played more than 40,000 times. "It feels great," said Terry. "I know there are people who don't survive, there are people who won't survive." But Terry hopes his music will survive. He's now fighting a third type of cancer lymphoma and win or lose he knows his music will live on. Terry hopes his songs will create a river of nickels which could quite possibly be the title of his next hit song. "River of Nickels!" said Terry. "One is up for a Grammy."
Terry submitted a song about service members suffering from PTSD titled 'When You Come Back'. He submitted the song for nomination in the 2023 Grammys as Best Song For Social Change.
Terry's mother and father both died from cancer. As an independent songwriter, the payouts for his songs on SoundCloud range from $0.0025 to $0.004 per play. For every 1,000 plays, Terry will donate 100% of the proceeds which is between $2.50 and $4.00. Terry's album is titled "Along The Way", you can listen to it by visiting this SoundCloud link.