The Cherry People were a
psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...
and later hard rock music group from
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Their track "
And Suddenly" reached no.45 on the Billboard
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
Charts in 1969.
History
The English Setters changed its name to The Cherry People and traveled to New York City several times to perform at nightclubs. During a show at
Café Wha? the band was seen by producer
Ron Haffkine
Ron Haffkine (born December 13 in New York City, New York) is an American record producer, composer and music manager most recognized for his work as a producer and manager of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, an American rock band, producing hit sin ...
, which led to a new five-year management contract with
Jerry Ross Productions and a deal with
Heritage Records. The Cherry People were the first group to be released by the
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
-distributed label. The group were promoted nationally by Jerry Ross with Dick Clark on ''
American Bandstand
''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...
'', where they debuted their single "And Suddenly".
The band spent the fall of 1967 recording their debut album at
Bell Sound Studios Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits by ...
in New York City. Haffkine hired
Barry Oslander to co-produce and a number of studio musicians were used to replace the band members during recording. When the eponymous album was released in May 1968, it had a
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...
sound. The band toured the country in support of the album, including a show at
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...
on
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
. In April 1969 Chris Grimes, Punky Meadows, Rocky Isaac, Al Marks, Doug Grimes and Jan Zukowski went to New York to try to negotiate a release from their recording contract. Unable to get a meeting with Jerry Ross the band went to a jam session at Steve Paul's Scene, where they met
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
,
Billy Cox
William Cox (born October 18, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix. Cox is the only surviving musician to have regularly played with Hendrix: first with the experimental group that backed Hendrix at Woodstoc ...
and another person. Hendrix needed a drummer and invited the whole band to the studio, so Isaac, Grimes, Marks, and Zukowski went to the Record Plant and recorded three tracks with Hendrix: "Room Full Of Mirrors", "Crash Landing", and "Stone Free Again", with Isaac on drums, Marks and Grimes on percussion, and Zukowski on bass (though this was not used on the tracks). Two days later the band returned for another session, during which they recorded "Bleeding Heart" and "Drone Blues". All the tracks were later released on Experience Hendrix reissues.
In the spring of 1969 the band returned to Washington, D.C., adopting a more
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
sound. They took a job as house band at the Silver Dollar throughout the remainder of 1969 and 1970, and worked most nights a week at the Georgetown nightclub, also playing one-off shows at venues including the
Greenbelt Armory
A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...
, the
Bladensburg Firehouse Bladensburg can mean:
Australia
*Bladensburg National Park, a former pastoral station and homestead in Queensland
United States
* Bladensburg, Maryland, a town in Prince George's County
* Bladensburg, Iowa, an unincorporated community in Wapello C ...
, St. Mary’s Church in
Landover Hills
Landover Hills is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,815. The town has a neighborhood named Defense Heights.
History
Landover Hills was incorporated in 1945.
Geography
Landover Hi ...
, St. Ambrose Church in
Cheverly, and
The Wedge
A wedge is a triangular-shaped simple machine.
Wedge, The Wedge, or Wedges may also refer to:
Common meanings
* Wedge (footwear), a type of shoe
* Wedge (golf), a type of golf club
Culture Fictional characters
* Wedge (''Transformers''), an ...
(a teen club in the Bethesda Youth Center in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...
). On October 19, 1969 the Cherry People headlined the Intercollegiate Music Festival at the
Sylvan Theatre on the Mall in Washington in front of a crowd of over 10,000. The band also headlined concerts at the Falls Church Community Center in Virginia on March 7, 1970 and the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
's
Ritchie Coliseum
Ritchie Coliseum is a multipurpose athletics facility and music venue at the University of Maryland. It served as the home arena for the Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team from 1931 to 1955, and for its gymnastics, wrestling, and volleyball ...
on April 30, 1970. They continued playing the Silver Dollar in 1970 as well as a long stint at
The Keg
The Keg is a Canadian-owned chain of steakhouse restaurants and bars located in Canada and the United States. The original "The Keg and Cleaver" restaurant was founded by George Tidball, in 1971, at a location in North Vancouver, British Colu ...
throughout 1971 and into 1972. Still trapped by the Jerry Gross Productions-Heritage Records contract, the band self-produced a single, "Sea and Me", backed with "Come on Over", and released it on their own label,
Hot Cotton (a division of
Tracy Records). In June 1972, as a result of the five years of constant nightclub work, Rocky Isaac left the band and was replaced by
Mike Zack, who in turn was replaced by T.C. Tolliver, a drummer from Southeast Washington, D.C. who had previously played with a soul band called
J.J. and the Invaders. Lead guitarist
Punky Meadows
Punky Meadows (born Edwin Lionel Meadows Jr. on February 6, 1950) is an American guitarist best known for his glam rock image and as a member of the band Angel between 1975 and 1980.
Background and early career
Meadows grew up in the Barnaby ...
also left and joined
BUX
BUX is a Blue chip (stock market), blue chip stock market index consisting up to 25 (currently 16) major Hungary, Hungarian companies trading on the Budapest Stock Exchange. Prices are taken from the electronic Xetra (trading system), Xetra trad ...
. A month later The Cherry People stopped playing.
After a short break, Chris and Doug Grimes began auditioning musicians at The Keg later that summer and organized a schedule of nightclub dates in
Boston, Massachusetts. The new lineup consisted of the Grimes Brothers in their previous roles, Tolliver on drums, bassist Mark Hughes from
Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, situated north of Washington, D.C. and northwest of downtown Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton (1833–1903), a career officer in the Uni ...
(born September 13, 1951) who had previously played with Blitz,
Rockinghorse
''Rockinghorse'' is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles, released on October 13, 1992, by Atlantic Records. It spawned five singles, " Song Instead of a Kiss", "Tumbleweed", "Our World, Our Times", "Living on a M ...
and
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s.
''Rolling Stone'' placed Wray at No. 45 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. In 2013 ...
, and a guitarist from
Camp Springs, Maryland
Camp Springs is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 22,734 at the 2020 census. Camp Springs is not an official post office designation; the area is divided ...
named Chris Noe (born December 5, 1951) who had previously played in
Spread Eagle and
Black on White.
The Cherry People left Boston and returned to Washington, D.C. to play at the Keg in December 1972. At this time Noe was replaced by Wayne Tomlinson of Landover Hills, Maryland. Throughout 1973 the band played at The Bayou, The Keg, and
The Crazy Horse
The Crazy Horse is a cabaret venue on the Rue de Phénicie in Beirut, Lebanon. Named after the Parisian cabaret Crazy Horse, it was an infamous nightclub during the 1960s and 1970s when it was both a bar and a brothel, and considered the most outra ...
, with appearances from former members
Pick Kelly,
Mike Zack, and
Jan Zukowski.
Late in the year the Grimes Brothers were offered work at a nightclub called
Beginnings
Beginnings may refer to:
Literature
* Beginnings (collection), ''Beginnings'' (collection), a 1988 collection of short stories and poems by Gordon R. Dickson
* Beginnings (Honorverse), ''Beginnings'' (Honorverse), a 2013 collection of short stori ...
in
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg ( ) is a village mostly in Cook County and partly in DuPage County in northeastern Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 78,723. Schaumburg is around northwest of the Chicago Loop and northwest of O'Hare I ...
. They relaunched the band as a quintet with three new members: lead guitarist Rick Benick (born January 23, 1952), from Forest Heights, Maryland, who had previously played in
Hailstone
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
; bassist Andre Sokol (born January 8, 1954), who lived in
Oxon Hill
Oxon Hill is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a suburb of Washington, located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virginia. It ...
, Maryland and had played in Hailstone and
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
; and drummer
Barry Brandt
Angel is an American rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in the mid-1970s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were primarily known for their flamboyant glam stage presence and white satin outfits.
History
Angel was discovered by K ...
(born November 14, 1951), who was raised in
Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, situated north of Washington, D.C. and northwest of downtown Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton (1833–1903), a career officer in the Uni ...
and had recently played in
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
. The band spent 1974 between
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, subdivision_name ...
and Washington, D.C.
In 1975, Brandt and founding member Chris Grimes both left the band, to be replaced by drummer
Steve Riley of
Revere, Massachusetts
Revere is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, located approximately from Downtown Crossing, downtown Boston. Founded as North Chelsea in 1846, it was renamed in 1871 after the American Revolutionary War Patriot (American Re ...
and guitarist David Namerdy of
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
respectively.
For the first six months of 1975, The Cherry People (who during this period occasionally performed under the name Pearls) were based in the
Varsity Grill, a Prince George's County nightclub on Baltimore Avenue in College Park that often booked heavy rock and roll bands, which was their last job as a band. The Cherry People played their final gig with a three-night stand at the Varsity Grill from June 19–21, 1975.
Rocky Isaac, drummer (born on November 19, 1946, in
Newtown, Mingo County, West Virginia
Newtown is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Mingo County, West Virginia, Mingo County, West Virginia, United States. Newtown is east of Matewan, West Virginia, Matewan. Newtown has a post office with ZIP code 25686.
The Hatfi ...
) died of Covid-19 on June 15, 2020, at age 73.
Discography
Albums
*
The Cherry People
The Cherry People were a psychedelic pop and later hard rock music group from Washington, D.C., United States. Their track "And Suddenly" reached no.45 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts in 1969.
History
The English Setters changed its name to T ...
—Heritage HT 35,000 (mono)/HTS 35,000 (stereo) (1968)
*Nobody's Perfect (CD) The Cherry People (2010)
*Whoopin'& aWhoppin' (CD) The Cherry People—Angel Air Records
Singles
*And Suddenly b/w Imagination—Heritage 801 (1968)
*I'm The One Who Loves You b/w Gotta Get Back (To the Good Life) -- Heritage 807 (1968)
*Feelings b/w Mister Hyde—Heritage 810 (1969)
*Light of Love b/w On To Something New—Heritage 815 (1969)
*Sea and Me b/w Come on Over—Hot Cotton (number unknown) (1972)
References
External links
*The Cherry People - Official Website
(this is the most current and updated)- Doug G.
*Cherry People Acoustic Official Website
*Cherry People Acoustic Official Myspace
*Guitar World magazine Vol 31/No. 4 April 2010 "Hendrix: The Lost Year" Alan Di Perna pg. 52
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry
American psychedelic rock music groups