As a musical artist, Terrance’s life echoes that of his artistic influences. Varied and soulful, Terrance’s voice speaks of pain yet abounding hope – and it’s this hope that drives him to be transparent in his story and in his music. Growing up humbly on a farm in Texas, Terrance would listen to the radio and play with his siblings in hay bales to the sounds of Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Alabama, Styx, and Peter Cetera. Teenage years found Terrance in worship Bands to school big bands, and it's this eclectic mix of influence inspires Terrance in his writing and songs.

Terrance McCoy’s life of transparency begins at birth when he was brought into the world surrounded by difficult and uncertain circumstances. Named after the bar at which his parents met, Terrance’s battles began before he was old enough to remember when as a baby, his father was given a 32-year prison sentence with no chance of parole. His mother’s desperate attempts to parent her new baby despite poor health and empty pockets led to Terrance living with his grandparents on their 30 acre farm at age 5. It was at this farm that Terrance and his siblings were first introduced to the church through Goyens Hill Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, TX and by going to camp at Daniel Springs Baptist Encampment. Terrance’s new camp friend Wally and his excitement for his new-found faith planted a seed in Terrance that was inspiring – and ultimately led him to invite Jesus into his life on July 4th, 1981. 

The idyllic farm life Terrance and his siblings were leading soon took a turn into more unusual and devastating circumstances when physical and sexual abuse from outside the home gave way to broken family relationships and addictions. Terrance battled with a pornography addiction throughout his high school years, all while committing to a “perfect” facade while in church. A young, confused Terrance saw the imperfections within his life and didn’t think the church had a place for him – the church was only for perfection. 

High school presented new opportunities for Terrance, when an envy for his brother’s success drove him to pursue the same accolades in music. Worship bands, big bands, choirs, singing competitions, full-ride vocal scholarships – Terrance immersed himself into this new artistic discovery as he taught himself piano and guitar, which eventually led him to the moment that would serve as one of the most pivotal moments of his life. While singing the hymn “In The Garden” with his grandmother at the piano, Terrance first set his sights on Lisa Ann Eberhart. Their on and off relationship ended with Lisa marrying someone else. Terrance was crushed, but would find that God’s plan for them was much larger than he ever could have imagined. 

Terrance’s silent addiction to pornography continued and presented itself in destructive ways as he married and divorced three times. His anger and shame led him into a deep depression, compromising his health and leaving him homeless. It was at this rock-bottom moment that God spoke clearly to Terrance and gave him strength to overcome his addiction and to change his situation. Terrance began a road of recovery and redemption as Louisiana became his new home with his daughter, and he became a regular member of River Valley Church while singing on the praise band. Terrance had a full-time job and had given up his dream of singing and writing music to focus on the new season of life. This changed when he was laid off from his job on what he calls the “best day” of his life. That night, Terrance found a songwriting book that sparked his passion for music and writing again. Through the course of pursuing this passion, Terrance decided to commit to his art full-time.

One day, Terrance took his grandmother to the funeral of her friend who was the grandmother of Terrance’s high school love, Lisa. Nine years before, Lisa was involved in a head-on collision with her entire family in the car that resulted in the death of her husband and their twelve-year-old daughter. Lisa and their second daughter survived. Together, the severed family began a nine-year journey of grief and healing. Still loving Lisa through the years, Terrance remained close to her during this tragic time as he attended her husband and daughter's funeral and prayed relentlessly for her and her daughter. When Terrance and Lisa met at her grandmother’s funeral in 2016, God made it clear that the time of grieving was going to give way to a time of healing, and it was time for the two of them to be together.

Terrance and Lisa married and now live together in Haughton, Louisiana with their two daughters. Terrance’s family since have dispersed across the country, but repairing those relationships have been a priority for him. Many of his relatives have become fervent followers of Christ, including his mother who has since passed away, and his father, who has been released from prison and is living in Arkansas.  

Transparency, Terrance’s debut album confronting and exposing his past, releases September 2017, and he is eager to share his story together with Lisa, in hopes to encourage the world to pursue the same kind of transparent transformation.