Quick Facts
Biography
Terry Sawchuk is a Billboard & ASCAP #1 multi-platinum selling songwriter, producer, mixer, and artist from Espanola, Ontario, Canada, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sawchuk is known most for co-writing "Barefoot Blue Jean Night", which won the 2012 ASCAP Song of The Year. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Country Charts for two weeks. "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" has sold over 2 million singles. The album of the same name was certified gold.
Sawchuk is signed to Kobalt Music. Songwriter, producer, artist, and engineer for over 25 years, he is best known for co-writing the 2012 ASCAP song of the year, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night", recorded by Jake Owen/RCA Nashville. The song went to #1 for two weeks on Billboard's country chart and has sold over 2 million singles. The album of the same title went gold. The single also won Sawchuk a SOCAN award, NSAI #1 award, CMA #1 award, and a nomination as Music Row's Breakout Songwriter of The Year.
Sawchuk's own publishing company Papertown Songs also made Billboards top 100 publishers in 2011. Sawchuk's TV and Film placements include the new Mad Max movie trailer, Applebee's commercial, Chicago Fire, Reign, Pretty Little Liars, NASCAR, Big Ten Football, Being Mary Jane, CMT, Battle Creek, FOX Sports Live among many others.
Most recently, the 20th-anniversary release of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album features two songs co-written by Morissette & Sawchuk. Terry also co-wrote "This One's On Me" with Robert John "Mutt" Lange, artist Ashley Clark and Mike Krompass. Ashley's debut self-titled album was released in September 2015. The album was produced and co-written by Mutt Lange. Ashley Clark, (IRS/Capitol/Universal) is managed by Simon Fuller.
The song Skipping Stones by Sawchuk's side project Claire De Lune is enjoying international success with the song. Sawchuk mixed three tracks for Straight No Chaser's duets album, Under The Influence from Atlantic Records, I Want You Back by Sara Bareilles/SNC and Against All Odds, Phil Collins/SNC.
Sawchuk received his first Juno nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Matt Dusk's, My Funny Valentine: The Songs of Chet Baker. Also, a double-platinum award in Poland for the same album. Canadian country music chart-topper, Chad Brownlee, released Sawchuk's song "Falling Over You" as a single in 2014. It reached #7 on Canada's Country Chart.
Kobalt Music signed Sawchuk to a worldwide deal in May 2013. Sawchuk's 25 years of experience as an engineer and mixer play a huge role in his writing and production abilities. He credits his years in Toronto's melting pot of cultural music as his biggest influence. Sawchuk has worked with countless genres of music from Central African, Reggae, South Asian to Arabic just to mention a few. At age 25, he wrote with Alanis Morissette for over two years. Sawchuk had the humbling experience of having his song let go at the last minute from the album Jagged Little Pill. However, being chosen to participate in such a successful album allowed him the first taste of where songwriting could take him. At age 27, his band The Miller Stain Limit signed a record deal with A&M/Universal Canada. Sawchuk produced, engineered, mixed & co-wrote the album Radiate, which featured the top 20 rock single "Cellophane".
In 2005, Sawchuk produced & co-wrote his first #1 for Universal Music artist Matt Dusk. This song "Back in Town", was the first jazz song in history to hit number one on the Japanese pop chart and remained there for four weeks. Dusk's Canadian single "All About Me", which Sawchuk produced also reached #1 on AC radio in Canada.
Sawchuk has received many multi-gold and platinum awards for his work as a producer, songwriter, and engineer. He has signed publishing deals with Universal Publishing in London England, Sony ATV Canada & most recently Kobalt Music. He has been on industry panels for NXNE Toronto, NEMO Boston Music Conference & Music Business Adelaide (Adelaide, Australia) Durango Songwriter Conference (Santa Ynez, CA). For the past few summers, Sawchuk has performed songwriting and recording boot camps in his hometown and local Native American communities.
Terry resides in Nashville Tennessee.
Awards
- Billboard Country: Barefoot Blue Jean Night (2 weeks) songwriter
- Billboard Country Song of The Year
- 2012 Top 100 Publisher of The Year, Papertown Songs
- 2012 ASCAP Country Song of The Year
- 2012 Music Row Breakout Songwriter of The Year
- pop radio single in Japan: "Back in Town"(4 weeks), Matt Dusk BMG Japan: Songwriter/Producer
- AC radio single in Canada "All About Me" Matt Dusk/Universal: Producer
- Top 10 Hot AC, 2 Canadian Music Awards, SOCAN Award in Canada with Night Like This. Tomi Swick/Warner: Mixer
Gold Album Awards
- Matt Dusk - Two Shots Decca/Universal Canada
- Tomi Swick - From The Heart, Warner Canada
- Our Lady Peace - Naveed, Sony/BMG Canada
- Our Lady Peace - Clumsy, Sony/BMG Canada
- Our Lady Peace - Clumsy, Sony/BMG USA