The Chigger Hill Boys & Terri, left to right: Ricky Gore (upright bass), Jack Kincaid (guitar/mandolin/BGV), Terri Argot Gore (lead vocals), Jim Britton (guitar/banjo/BGV), and Mike Richards (mandolin/guitar)
JR: Welcome to the blog. Could you tell us about the musical and spiritual roots for the Chigger Hill Boys and Terri?
TAG: All the members have come from a different musical back-ground and we all arrived at Gospel Bluegrass at a different time and a different way in our journey. For example, Mike’s family played good old mountain gospel bluegrass out on Chigger Ridge in KY, but he was part of a rock-and-roll band in the 80s, and heavy influenced by classic country music. Jim and Jack played traditional bluegrass with folks like Larry Sparks and Jim and Jesse. Ricky and I met in a studio in Memphis being part of the rock-and-roll and country scene back in the 90s. It might make us a bit different, but somehow, the Lord brought us all together to make use of the tools He provided us with, even though some of the tools may have been acquired before we started doing the music for Him. We love music, we love the Lord, and we hope that comes through in what we do.
JR: Would you like to tell me about your latest project?
TAG: Our last project was "Songs Like Those For Days Like These;" it was our first project in about 10 years and our first on a new label, Great Escape Records (due to a longtime relationship with the owner, Gary Walker, who was probably our biggest fan). I feel like it is the most solid project we’ve done to date, but it definitely has its own sound. We had the opportunity to work with some really gifted musicians that we hadn’t worked with before, such as Ben Rochester and Darrin Vincent. We were blessed to have multiple charting singles from that project, and it is a treasure to me.
JR: I fell in love with the song “Tell The World That Jesus Saves” the first time I heard it on a bluegrass program, and the host replayed it a half hour later. What would you say is your fan favorite song?
TAG: "Are You Prayin’ Hard (Or Are You Hardly Praying)" has been a fan favorite for years. We’ve found a ton of folks covering it on YouTube/online. Doctrinally, it’s not the deepest song we have recorded, but it’s fun with a sort-of profound message. "Face To Face With Amazing Grace" is another fan favorite; It blesses my heart to see folks singing along. We recut this song, which was our very first charting single back in 2002, on our last project in 2020, so it seems to have stood the test of time. Both of these songs were written by our own Mike Richards and our original guitar player, Rodney Lay Jr.
JR: Performing all these years, are there any concerts you did that stand out? Any venues when you shared the stage with other artists that had been a blessing, either expected or unexpected? Any times you’ve performed at an event that you were on stage with artists that had a different audience than you all did?
TAG: Our audience is what makes any event special. The icing on the cake is when the Lord shows up; every and any time that happens, it’s a blessed time! The past two years have really made live events different. There have been several times when not all the band members could show up, schedules got pretty crazy, and most of our regular events got cancelled or moved. Through this, I have learned that God will open the right doors and as long as we always sing and play for His glory, it’ll work out fine. We’ve had times where only four members could make an event, and the Lord would show up and produce a blessing for that audience; to God be the glory. One unique event stands out; years ago we opened for VanZant, a southern rock band (some relation of the famous Ronnie, Donnie, and Johnny Van Zant); surprisingly, we got a really enthusiastic response from the audience.
JR: Did you all have any idea when you started as a group two decades ago what things would be like today in our country? Me neither. What do you all do to keep rooted in this world of change, and what do you believe God is doing through the group to strengthen, encourage, and challenge the church in these days?
TAG: Well, nothing surprises God! We’ve got to keep on keepin’ on and not grow weary in well-doing as the Word says. Praise God, He does not change, and He told us in His Word that all of this was coming. Our goal as a band is to be a blessing to the saints and to direct anyone who is lost to the only Saviour, Jesus Christ. In times like these, people are searching, and we want to remind them about His Saving and sustaining power. He is a great comfort in times like these and we all need to be praying for America.
JR: Thank you very much for your time. What is coming up for you all? Any big tours (hopefully coming to Indianapolis)? Any new projects? And any websites where we can keep up with what you all are up to?
TAG: We are excited to be working on a new project for Morning Glory Music (MOUNTAIN FEVER MUSIC GROUP)! We don’t have a date yet, but we are closing in on getting a new single out. We hope to be able to share some more definite news in the coming months. You can click here to get to our web page The Chigger Hill Boys & Terri. I am extremely excited about a new opportunity to create and release some new music. Hopefully, once the project is wrapped up we’ll have time to do more live events. We love to play and are grateful for each opportunity to do so. Thank you for your time! We are so blessed by the good folks that God puts in our path that show us love and support! God bless!
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