The Cherry People
Encyclopedia
The Cherry People were a Psychedelic pop and later hard rock group that formed from remnants of The English Setters. The band is best known for their semi-hit single And Suddenly, which barely missed the top 40 (#44), and including guitarist Punky Meadows
who would join BUX
and Angel
in the early to mid 70s after leaving the Cherry People in 1972.
The band attracted the interest of producer Ron Haffkine, which led to a new five-year management contract with Jerry Ross Productions and a seemingly lucrative deal with Heritage Records
. The Cherry People were the inaugural group to go out on the MGM-distributed label.The group were introduced Nationally by Jerry Ross with Dick Clark on American Bandstand where they debut their new single " And Suddenly "
The band spent the entire fall of 1967 shaping their debut album at Bell Sound Studio in New York City. Ron Haffkine brought in Barry Oslander to co-produce and automatically a host of studio musicians were dispatched to replace the band members when the tape started rolling. When the eponymous album was released in May 1968, its bubblegum-pop sound failed to represent what the Cherry People were really all about. The band toured the country in support of the album and even worked the Whisky a Go Go
on the Sunset Strip
during a West Coast jaunt.
sound, and perfected their repertoire of original songs. They staked a spot as house band at the popular Silver Dollar
throughout the remainder of 1969 and 1970 and tirelessly worked six and sometimes seven nights a week at the rockin’ Georgetown nightclub. The band filled in gaps in their schedule with one-nighters around the metropolitan area at places like the Greenbelt Armory, the Bladensburg Firehouse, St. Mary’s Church in Landover Hills, St. Ambrose Church in Cheverly, and the Wedge (a teen club that operated from the Bethesda Youth Center in Montgomery County, Maryland). On Sunday, October 19, 1969 the Cherry People headlined “The Intercollegiate Music Festival” at the Sylvan Theatre on the Mall in Washington, D.C. before a crowd of over 10,000. Other performers at the festival included Love Cry Want, Claude Jones
, and Jabberwok. The band also headlined concerts at the Falls Church Community Center in Virginia on Saturday, March 7, 1970 and the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum
on Thursday, April 30, 1970. The Cherry People continued working the Silver Dollar in 1970 and moved on to a long engagement at the Keg
that lasted throughout all of 1971 and into 1972. Still trapped by the Jerry Gross Productions-Heritage Records contract, the band self-produced a single titled “Sea and Me” backed with “Come on Over” and released it on their own label, Hot Cotton (a division of Tracy Records). By June 1972 the grueling five-year period of constant nightclub work and assorted one-nighters began to take its toll. Rocky Isaac left the band and was replaced by Mike Zack, who in turn was replaced by T.C. Tolliver, a Black drummer from Southeast Washington, D.C. who had previously played with a soul band called J.J. and the Invaders. Lead guitarist Punky Meadows
also left and joined BUX
. A month later the Cherry People called it quits.
The break in the action didn’t last long. Chris and Doug Grimes began rehearsing musicians at the Keg later that summer and soon lined up a schedule of nightclub dates in Boston, Massachusetts. The new Cherry People lineup now consisted of the Grimes Brothers in their usual roles, a bassist Mark Hughes from Wheaton MD who was born September 13, 1951 and had previously played with Blitz, Liberation, Les Colours, The Daylight Band, Rockinghorse and Link Wray, going on to open the world's largest used music equipment store in Nashville as Mr Mark's Music, drummer T.C. Tolliver, and a guitarist from Camp Springs, Maryland named Chris Noe (who was born December 5, 1951 and had previously played in the Living Ends, Spread Eagle
, Devil’s Track, and Black on White).
Things eventually fizzled in Boston and the Cherry People returned to Washington, D.C. to work the Keg in December 1972. At this time guitarist Chris Noe was replaced by Wayne Tomlinson of Landover Hills, Maryland (formerly of the band Green Eggs). Throughout 1973 the band worked the Bayou, the Keg, and the Crazy Horse
and former members Pick Kelly, Mike Zack, and Jan Zukowski
all passed through.
Late in the year the Grimes Brothers received an offer to work a nightclub called Beginnings in Schaumburg, Illinois. They revamped the Cherry People and the new quintet included three new members: lead guitarist Rick Benick (born January 23, 1952), who hailed from Forest Heights, Maryland and had previously played in Hailstone; bassist Andre Sokol (born January 8, 1954), who lived in Oxon Hill, Maryland and had worked in the bands Hailstone and Earth
; and drummer Barry Brandt (born November 14, 1951), who was raised in Wheaton, Maryland and had recently played in Earth
and Max
. The band spent all of 1974 going back and forth between Chicago and Washington, D.C.
In early 1975 more changes took place. Former Cherry People guitarist Punky Meadows
had spent the previous year in a Boston-based band called BUX
. In September 1974 Meadows brought this band down to Washington, D.C. and worked at Bogie’s on Connecticut Avenue NW. In December 1974 BUX
changed their name to Foxie, and in April 1975 Meadows turned Foxie into Angel
.
Coinciding with the loss of drummer Barry Brandt was the departure of founding member Chris Grimes, who grew tired of the rock and roll nightclub routine. Their replacements were drummer Steve Riley of Revere, Massachusetts and guitarist David Namerdy of Arlington, Virginia. Both had previously played together in the band Max.
For the first six months of 1975, the Cherry People (who during this final period occasionally performed under the name “Pearls”) based out of the Varsity Grill, a legendary Prince George’s County nightclub on Baltimore Avenue in College Park that was in recovery from its roughest early seventies period of outlaw biker infestation, drugs, and rampant violence. At that point in time, the Varsity Grill loved to book bands that cranked out heavy rock and roll. The Cherry People fit the bill and thrived in the dark, cavernous nightclub. The Varsity Grill owners did well, but the band did not. Doug Grimes could see that the end of the Cherry People was close at hand. After dominating the Washington, D.C. rock and roll scene for over eleven years, the Cherry People played their final gig with a three-night stand at the Varsity Grill from Thursday, June 19 to Saturday, June 21, 1975. It was a sad ending for one of Washington, D.C.’s greatest rock and roll bands.
Doug Grimes, a pioneer who steered the band through its voyage, was the only member to survive from the first edition to the final day. As the last Cherry Person, he places the entire experience in perspective: “If anybody was to ask me about the essence of the Cherry People I’d have to look back on it and say the great thing about the original Cherry People was that there was never a night when we hit the stage that we didn’t cook. It was like an unending jam session that you loved being a part of. There were only two versions of the Cherry People I really, really liked and that was the first one with Punky, Jan, me, Chris, and Rocky for the electricity of a live performance, and then right up there as favorites was the version with me, Chris, Rick, Andre, and Barry, for overall quality. Those two are the same to me, for different reasons.”
[note] in 2009 Jude Vitilio took over the drums and percussion so Michael Andreski can devote full time to our studio.
(this is the most current and updated)- Doug G.
Facebook.com/CherryPeople2010
Cherry People Acoustic Official Website: http://cherrypeopleacoustic.com/home.htm
Cherry People Acoustic Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thecherrypeople
Punky Meadows
Punky Meadows is an American guitarist known for his glam image as a member of the band Angel.-Background and Early Career:...
who would join BUX
BUX (band)
BUX was an American hard rock/boogie rock band that is best known for having lead guitarist Punky Meadows and bassist Mickie Jones both of who joined Angel, and lead singer Ralph Morman who was with the Joe Perry Project from 1979–1981 and Savoy Brown from 1981-1982.-Origins:James Newlon formed...
and Angel
Angel (band)
Angel is a glam rock and heavy metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in the mid-70s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white.-History:...
in the early to mid 70s after leaving the Cherry People in 1972.
Psychedelic Pop/Bubblegum Years
During the summer months The English Setters changed its name to the Cherry People and embarked on several trips to play nightclubs in New York City. While working the Café Wha?Cafe Wha?
Cafe Wha? is a club in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, New York City that has been home to various musicians and comedians. Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, The Velvet Underground, Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys, Kool and the Gang, Peter, Paul & Mary, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Joan...
The band attracted the interest of producer Ron Haffkine, which led to a new five-year management contract with Jerry Ross Productions and a seemingly lucrative deal with Heritage Records
Heritage Records (USA)
Heritage Records was an American record label founded in the early 1960s by Jerry Ross Productions. It was distributed by MGM Records.It released a number of hits by groups such as The Cherry People, EUPHORIA ,and Bill Deal and the Rhondels....
. The Cherry People were the inaugural group to go out on the MGM-distributed label.The group were introduced Nationally by Jerry Ross with Dick Clark on American Bandstand where they debut their new single " And Suddenly "
The band spent the entire fall of 1967 shaping their debut album at Bell Sound Studio in New York City. Ron Haffkine brought in Barry Oslander to co-produce and automatically a host of studio musicians were dispatched to replace the band members when the tape started rolling. When the eponymous album was released in May 1968, its bubblegum-pop sound failed to represent what the Cherry People were really all about. The band toured the country in support of the album and even worked the Whisky a Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
on the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
during a West Coast jaunt.
The Hard Rock Years
In the spring of 1969 the Cherry People returned home to Washington, D.C., turned up the volume on their hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
sound, and perfected their repertoire of original songs. They staked a spot as house band at the popular Silver Dollar
Silver dollar
Silver dollar may refer to:* A Dollar coin made of any white metal, especially one made of silver.* A Canadian silver dollar commemorative coin.* Silver trade dollars issued by a number of countries...
throughout the remainder of 1969 and 1970 and tirelessly worked six and sometimes seven nights a week at the rockin’ Georgetown nightclub. The band filled in gaps in their schedule with one-nighters around the metropolitan area at places like the Greenbelt Armory, the Bladensburg Firehouse, St. Mary’s Church in Landover Hills, St. Ambrose Church in Cheverly, and the Wedge (a teen club that operated from the Bethesda Youth Center in Montgomery County, Maryland). On Sunday, October 19, 1969 the Cherry People headlined “The Intercollegiate Music Festival” at the Sylvan Theatre on the Mall in Washington, D.C. before a crowd of over 10,000. Other performers at the festival included Love Cry Want, Claude Jones
Claude Jones
Claude Jones was an American jazz trombonist.Born in Boley, Oklahoma, Jones began on trombone at age 13, and studied at Wilberforce College before dropping out in 1922 to join the Synco Jazz Band. This group eventually evolved into McKinney's Cotton Pickers, where he would play intermittently...
, and Jabberwok. The band also headlined concerts at the Falls Church Community Center in Virginia on Saturday, March 7, 1970 and the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum
Ritchie Coliseum
Ritchie Coliseum is a multipurpose athletics facility 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 teams until 2002. It is located on the east side of Baltimore Avenue...
on Thursday, April 30, 1970. The Cherry People continued working the Silver Dollar in 1970 and moved on to a long engagement at the Keg
The Keg
The Keg is a chain of steakhouse restaurants and bars in Canada and the United States.-Background:It was founded in 1971 in North Vancouver, British Columbia by George Tidball and today operates in all provinces and five American states...
that lasted throughout all of 1971 and into 1972. Still trapped by the Jerry Gross Productions-Heritage Records contract, the band self-produced a single titled “Sea and Me” backed with “Come on Over” and released it on their own label, Hot Cotton (a division of Tracy Records). By June 1972 the grueling five-year period of constant nightclub work and assorted one-nighters began to take its toll. Rocky Isaac left the band and was replaced by Mike Zack, who in turn was replaced by T.C. Tolliver, a Black 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
Punky Meadows is an American guitarist known for his glam image as a member of the band Angel.-Background and Early Career:...
also left and joined BUX
BUX (band)
BUX was an American hard rock/boogie rock band that is best known for having lead guitarist Punky Meadows and bassist Mickie Jones both of who joined Angel, and lead singer Ralph Morman who was with the Joe Perry Project from 1979–1981 and Savoy Brown from 1981-1982.-Origins:James Newlon formed...
. A month later the Cherry People called it quits.
The break in the action didn’t last long. Chris and Doug Grimes began rehearsing musicians at the Keg later that summer and soon lined up a schedule of nightclub dates in Boston, Massachusetts. The new Cherry People lineup now consisted of the Grimes Brothers in their usual roles, a bassist Mark Hughes from Wheaton MD who was born September 13, 1951 and had previously played with Blitz, Liberation, Les Colours, The Daylight Band, Rockinghorse and Link Wray, going on to open the world's largest used music equipment store in Nashville as Mr Mark's Music, drummer T.C. Tolliver, and a guitarist from Camp Springs, Maryland named Chris Noe (who was born December 5, 1951 and had previously played in the Living Ends, Spread Eagle
Spread Eagle (band)
Spread Eagle is an American hard rock band from New York City. After only a few months of rehearsal they were signed by MCA Records. They released two albums Spread Eagle and Open To The Public and disbanded in 1995...
, Devil’s Track, and Black on White).
Things eventually fizzled in Boston and the Cherry People returned to Washington, D.C. to work the Keg in December 1972. At this time guitarist Chris Noe was replaced by Wayne Tomlinson of Landover Hills, Maryland (formerly of the band Green Eggs). Throughout 1973 the band worked the Bayou, the Keg, and the Crazy Horse
The Crazy Horse
The Crazy Horse, named after the Parisian Crazy Horse , is a legendary cabaret on Rue de Phénicie in Beirut, Lebanon. It was an infamous nightclub during the 1960s and 1970s when it was both a bar and a brothel, and considered the most outrageous of Beirut’s bawdy nightlife establishments...
and former members Pick Kelly, Mike Zack, and Jan Zukowski
Jan Żukowski
Jan Żukowski is a Polish sprint canoer who competed in the early 1970s. He was eliminated in the semifinals of the C-2 1000 m event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.-References:*...
all passed through.
Late in the year the Grimes Brothers received an offer to work a nightclub called Beginnings in Schaumburg, Illinois. They revamped the Cherry People and the new quintet included three new members: lead guitarist Rick Benick (born January 23, 1952), who hailed from Forest Heights, Maryland and had previously played in Hailstone; bassist Andre Sokol (born January 8, 1954), who lived in Oxon Hill, Maryland and had worked in the bands Hailstone and Earth
Earth (band)
Earth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's music is nearly all instrumental, and can be divided into two distinct stages...
; and drummer Barry Brandt (born November 14, 1951), who was raised in Wheaton, Maryland and had recently played in Earth
Earth (band)
Earth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's music is nearly all instrumental, and can be divided into two distinct stages...
and Max
MAX (band)
MAX whose name is an acronym for "Musical Active eXperience" is an Okinawan vocal group popular in Japan. The original members of MAX made their musical debut as members of the Super Monkey's along with lead vocalist, Namie Amuro...
. The band spent all of 1974 going back and forth between Chicago and Washington, D.C.
In early 1975 more changes took place. Former Cherry People guitarist Punky Meadows
Punky Meadows
Punky Meadows is an American guitarist known for his glam image as a member of the band Angel.-Background and Early Career:...
had spent the previous year in a Boston-based band called BUX
BUX (band)
BUX was an American hard rock/boogie rock band that is best known for having lead guitarist Punky Meadows and bassist Mickie Jones both of who joined Angel, and lead singer Ralph Morman who was with the Joe Perry Project from 1979–1981 and Savoy Brown from 1981-1982.-Origins:James Newlon formed...
. In September 1974 Meadows brought this band down to Washington, D.C. and worked at Bogie’s on Connecticut Avenue NW. In December 1974 BUX
BUX (band)
BUX was an American hard rock/boogie rock band that is best known for having lead guitarist Punky Meadows and bassist Mickie Jones both of who joined Angel, and lead singer Ralph Morman who was with the Joe Perry Project from 1979–1981 and Savoy Brown from 1981-1982.-Origins:James Newlon formed...
changed their name to Foxie, and in April 1975 Meadows turned Foxie into Angel
Angel (band)
Angel is a glam rock and heavy metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in the mid-70s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. They were signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white.-History:...
.
Coinciding with the loss of drummer Barry Brandt was the departure of founding member Chris Grimes, who grew tired of the rock and roll nightclub routine. Their replacements were drummer Steve Riley of Revere, Massachusetts and guitarist David Namerdy of Arlington, Virginia. Both had previously played together in the band Max.
For the first six months of 1975, the Cherry People (who during this final period occasionally performed under the name “Pearls”) based out of the Varsity Grill, a legendary Prince George’s County nightclub on Baltimore Avenue in College Park that was in recovery from its roughest early seventies period of outlaw biker infestation, drugs, and rampant violence. At that point in time, the Varsity Grill loved to book bands that cranked out heavy rock and roll. The Cherry People fit the bill and thrived in the dark, cavernous nightclub. The Varsity Grill owners did well, but the band did not. Doug Grimes could see that the end of the Cherry People was close at hand. After dominating the Washington, D.C. rock and roll scene for over eleven years, the Cherry People played their final gig with a three-night stand at the Varsity Grill from Thursday, June 19 to Saturday, June 21, 1975. It was a sad ending for one of Washington, D.C.’s greatest rock and roll bands.
Doug Grimes, a pioneer who steered the band through its voyage, was the only member to survive from the first edition to the final day. As the last Cherry Person, he places the entire experience in perspective: “If anybody was to ask me about the essence of the Cherry People I’d have to look back on it and say the great thing about the original Cherry People was that there was never a night when we hit the stage that we didn’t cook. It was like an unending jam session that you loved being a part of. There were only two versions of the Cherry People I really, really liked and that was the first one with Punky, Jan, me, Chris, and Rocky for the electricity of a live performance, and then right up there as favorites was the version with me, Chris, Rick, Andre, and Barry, for overall quality. Those two are the same to me, for different reasons.”
Cherry People Reunion
In 2005 Doug and Chris Grimes reformed the Cherry People. Michael Fath joined in as lead guitarist and vocals and Michael Andreski who plays the drums and other percussion instruments. They are now recording their new and second album under the Cherry People name. It is scheduled for release in mid-late 2009. The new album is the vein of hard rock with a light progressive influence, which is what they originally played in the 60s and 70s during their live shows.[note] in 2009 Jude Vitilio took over the drums and percussion so Michael Andreski can devote full time to our studio.
Albums
- The Cherry People -- 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 (# unknown) (1972)
External links
The Cherry People - Official Website: http://www.thecherrypeople.net(this is the most current and updated)- Doug G.
Facebook.com/CherryPeople2010
Cherry People Acoustic Official Website: http://cherrypeopleacoustic.com/home.htm
Cherry People Acoustic Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thecherrypeople