Terry Jones (singer)

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Terry Jones
Birth name Teresa Lea Lang
Born May 17, 1970 (1970-05-17) (age 38)
Origin Marin County, California, United States
Genre(s) Contemporary Christian music
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1991–2004
Label(s) Word Records

Teresa "Terry" Lea Lang Jones (born May 17, 1970) is a founding member of Contemporary Christian music group Point of Grace. She announced her retirement from the group in late 2003 and officially left in early 2004. She has won 7 Dove Awards with Point of Grace.

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[edit] Background

Jones became a Christian at an early age. After a church family camp, Jones' father led her and her three sisters into prayer, and they all accepted Christ into their hearts. Jones lived in California until age 13, when her family moved to Norman, OK due to her father's job. The Lang family went through some tough times, as the company Jones' father worked with was under federal investigation, and her father went to prison because of association with the company. Jones found her saving grace in God and in music, and counted on friends Heather Floyd and Denise Masters for support. After graduating from high school, Jones attended Ouachita Baptist University where she majored in elementary education, specializing in early childhood. She was quite popular in college, winning the Miss OBU title in her freshman year. She was also an active member in the Women of EEE Social Club. Never abandoning her love of singing, she joined the Ouachitones, a 14-girl singing group, along with Heather and Denise. The three of them had formed a trio within the group, and realized that when they sang, something special happened. After Shelley Phillips joined them and the trio became a quartet, they began travelling around the South and Midwest, and developed a following. They signed a contract with Word Records in 1992 and their debut album was released in 1993.

[edit] Point Of Grace

Jones has achieved much success with Point of Grace, with 7 Dove Awards, 12 Dove nominations, 2 Grammy nominations, 6 Gold Albums, 2 Platinum albums and 27 #1 singles, as well as national media exposure in television including The View, Entertainment Tonight, Donny & Marie, CNN Worldbeat, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and CBS This Morning. Jones has written 5 books as a member of Point of Grace and has also joined her fellow group mates appearing in Women of Faith conferences. In 2002, the group developed the Girls of Grace conferences. Aimed at teenage girls, the two-day event's sole purpose is to encourage the girls in their walks with God, in every aspect of their lives.

After the release of 24, their greatest hits collection, and the birth of daughter Mallory, her third child, in 2002, to husband Chris, Jones felt that God was calling her to retire from Point of Grace to stay at home with Chris and the other two children, Luke and Cole. She had been finding it increasingly difficult to juggle a full-time singing career as well as her family life, and in November 2003, she posted a letter on the groups official website stating that she would be retiring from Point of Grace. The four unanimously agreed that Leigh Cappillino, the wife of the group's longtime guitar player Dana Cappillino, was the perfect person to continue what Jones had started along with the girls. Her last official tour was Michael W. Smith's 2003 Christmastime Tour and her last concert was in Little Rock, AR on February 28, 2004. She made one appearance with the group after retiring; on April 18, 2005, the I Choose You Tour made a stop in Hot Springs, AR, where they were inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Fame. Jones was present to receive the plaque and the group performed the song "Circle Of Friends" as a quintet.

[edit] Personal life

Jones married her college sweetheart, Chris, on May 14, 1994. They have three children, Cole Devore (born April 15, 1998), Luke Marshall (born December 26, 1999), and Mallory Louise (born August 7, 2002) and reside in Little Rock, AR.

[edit] Other activities

Jones, along with Shelley Breen, Heather Payne and Denise Jones, has proudly supported Mercy Ministries of America, a non-profit organization for women who face life-controlling issues such as self-mutilation, sexual abuse, and unplanned pregnancies.

[edit] References

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