Country queen wants to do it all Terri Clark striking a balance on- and offstage en route to Winnipeg By: Eva Wasney Posted: 4:37 PM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026

Terri Clark spends most of her summers outdoors, performing in the “middle of fields” at festivals and fairs across Canada and the midwestern United States.

“’Tis the season for corn dogs and ferris wheels and country music,” Clark, 58, says over the phone in late June from somewhere in Wisconsin.

The iconic Canadian country singer is no stranger to a heavy touring schedule, having spent much of her career on the road since the release of her breakout self-titled album in 1995.

These days, when she’s not criss-crossing the continent in her tour bus, Clark can also be found casting for pike, walleye and bass in the middle of lakes and rivers. Fishing became a passion during the pandemic, when live performances weren’t an option.

“Obsessed is probably a better word,” Clark says. “I got really, really, really into it. To the point where I’m tying knots on the bus … and watching muskie-fishing videos for hours.”

For Clark — who splits her time between Nashville and a property on Lake Erie in southern Ontario — fishing is akin to meditating.

“It’s the one thing I can do where my brain shuts off and thinks of nothing more than the next cast,” she says.

Finding a balance between life on- and offstage is important for the prolific performer and recording artist, who is also an avid gardener, weightlifter, cyclist and golfer.

“I feel like the most grateful, lucky person in the world to have the life that I have, professionally and personally. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” she says.

Clark and her signature cowboy hat roll through Winnipeg this fall, when she opens for American country artist Cody Johnson on Sept. 19 at Canada Life Centre.

The pair previously collaborated on Clark’s 13th studio album, Terri Clark: Take Two, which was released in 2024 and features duet versions of some of her original hit songs.

While in the studio recording a new rendition of I Just Wanna Be Mad, Johnson, 39, admitted to having a poster of Clark on his wall as a teen. It was a funny moment, but speaks to Johnson’s admiration for his country elders, Clark says.

“He always has reverence for acts that have been around for a while and helps expose them to a younger audience, and I really respect him for that and I appreciate that he’s letting me get out there and play my hits,” she says.

Born in Montreal and raised in Alberta, Clark has sold more than five million albums worldwide, several of which have gone multi-platinum, and has earned three Juno Awards. She’s the only Canadian female member of the Grand Ole Opry, is an inductee of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and last year became a member of the Order of Canada.

The latter was a particularly meaningful accolade. Clark’s late mother Linda, who died in 2010, was a big supporter of her daughter’s career and hoped she would one day receive the country’s top civilian honour.

“When I got the call from the Governor General’s office, you could’ve knocked me over with a feather. I was just blown away and started to cry because I saw my mother’s face and I wish she could have been there for that moment,” Clark says.

Linda, a folk singer herself, was a big proponent of a hands-on music career — something Clark continues to abide by today, “She really trained me well.”

Clark has watched many things change in the country music industry over the past 30 years. Singles and viral hits have usurped albums and the genre has expanded to include bluegrass, Americana, folk and hip-hop influences.

“There’s room for a lot of different things, musically,” she says.

In September, however, Winnipeg fans can expect to hear a set of greatest hits from the Terri Clark heyday, when twang and honky-tonk reigned supreme.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com