In 1960, Terrell signed under the Wand subsidiary of Scepter Records after being discovered by Luther Dixon, recording the ballad, "If You See Bill", under the name Tammy Montgomery and doing demos for The Shirelles. After another single, Terrell left the label and, after being introduced to James Brown, signed a contract with him and began singing backup for his Revue concert tours. In 1961, Terrell created the group ""The Sherrys"." However, in late 1962, She was kicked out of the group, due to multiple disputes. Eventually, they both went their separate ways, with the Sherrys moving on without Her. In 1963, she recorded the song "I Cried". Released on Brown's Try Me Records, it became her first charting single, reaching No. 99 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.