Spend an afternoon with Terrence and you’ll leave inspired. You’ll learn that his nickname is T-Bone and hear the story about how he started singing with the three time Grammy Award-winning ensemble group Sounds of Blackness. While you’re talking with him, he’ll likely prepare you a hot dog like you’ve never had before and tell you about his plans to open a restaurant.
Terrence moved from Highland Park, Michigan to Minneapolis, Minnesota 31 years ago after being stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. Upon returning, his older brother, Gregory, convinced him to join the Sounds of Blackness, a 40-person ensemble that roots itself in African music and branches out to jazz, blues, rock & roll, R&B, gospel, spirituals, hip hop, reggae, and soul. The group has played at the White House, appeared with Prince, and their new song, Royalty, has topped the charts at number 14 and is climbing. They have been nominated for two Image Awards and six Stallers.
Every time I sing, I get goosebumps. It’s a feeling you can’t stop. It’s a gift and a ministry. Playing music for others puts some spiritual vibes in their life. It’s the reason why I like singing the song, Optimistic, because if you hear that song, you can’t help but be happy.
Terrence’s wife, Kindra, grew up nine blocks from him and they’ve been together since junior high school. Their 14-year-old daughter, Harmony, is a ninth grader who loves animals and signing and hopes to perform with the Sounds of Blackness when she’s old enough.
When Terrence isn’t writing music or performing, he’s working on a business plan to open a hot dog stand that he’ll call Famous T’s Hot Diggity Dogs. Terrence and Kindra like the idea of being their own bosses. They have plans to launch their hot dog food truck in the near future and open some restaurants. Terrence and Kindra will sell affordable, gourmet Chicago and New York style dogs. T-Bone will perform at lunchtime to keep the customers happy and coming back.
Famous T’s Hot Diggity Dogs is a family business. Terrence will be the CEO, Kindra will be the President, and Harmony will help with the marketing.
The hot dog shop will take me to the next level in my finances. I have a part-time job, am a carpenter by trade, and I get paid singing with the Sounds of Blackness but another source of income will help me take better care of my family.
As Terrence and Kindra were working on the business plan at Neighborhood Development Center, they were referred to Prepare + Prosper (P+P) to file their taxes. They had used another free tax preparation site in the past, but P+P was different.
You want to feel important and at Prepare + Prosper I felt at home and comfortable. The volunteers had smiles and they handled everything with class.
It was their volunteer tax preparer, Thomas, who told Terrence and Kindra were eligible for the K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction, a tax credit used to help subsidize school supplies and educational materials. Unaware of the tax credit before coming to P+P, they realized that if they started saving their receipts from Harmony’s school supplies that they could increase their tax refund or lower the amount of tax they owe.
Terrence and Kindra use their tax refund to pay bills and help with everyday living. They also saving some of it. Terrence and Kindra have plans to buy a house soon.
You never know where life’s road will lead you, but tax season helps make the future a financially secure one.
