Ava Cherry
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Ava Cherry is an American singer and model. She collaborated with English musician
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
between 1972 and 1975; the two met in
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when she was a nightclub waitress and Bowie was touring for ''
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'') is the fifth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 16June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was ...
''. Afterwards, they began a period of personal and artistic collaboration that heavily influenced the ''
Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. A departure from the glam rock style of previous albums, the record showcased Bowie's interest in soul and R&B. ...
'' " blue-eyed soul" era. Following this, she struck out as a solo singer and backing artist for musicians such as
Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...
and
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
. Growing up in Chicago with significant exposure to the local African-American music culture, Cherry became an influence in the works of a number of pre-eminent artists, as well as a respected musician in her own right. Cherry's influence on ''Young Americans'' through her connections to major
soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...
institutions such as Sigma Sound Studios and the
Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...
has proven a particularly noted part of her legacy, as has her contemporaneous work with proto- new wave band the Astronettes. Cherry's solo career has been long-running, with her first album ''Ripe!!!'' released in 1980. Her solo work, known for its
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
influence, has received a mostly positive critical reception but a lack of commercial success: factors blamed for this critical and commercial disconnect include racial discrimination within the music industry and backlash against her predominant genres. In January 2022 she released her autobiography ''All That Glitters: The Ava Cherry Story''.


Early life

Cherry was born in 1953 to an African-American family in Woodlawn, a working-class neighbourhood on the south side of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. Her father was a
postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO, National Postal Mail Handlers Union – NPMHU, the National Associ ...
and trumpet player who worked long hours, "from four o'clock in the morning ntilnine o'clock at night", and she rarely saw him; her mother worked in the administration department for
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. Both parents' careers left deep imprints on her; she was raised to appreciate music by her father and lived for a period in the
Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby H ...
as a bunny. Cherry was introduced to
Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the ''Playboy ...
by her friends, and was underage at the time she lived in the mansion. She attended Academy of Our Lady High School and graduated in the early 1970s. As a teenager, she sang in a
girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...
influenced by
the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
and was a regular attendee at the Regal Theater in Chicago, a venue frequently attended by black music fans. Cherry first aspired to be a model after graduating high school, putting together a book of headshots and finding work with several agencies. She disliked her unusual last name, but was told by modelling agencies it was an asset to her career. Cherry later moved to New York City for her career, but it failed to prosper, and she found work as a cocktail waitress to pay the bills.


Relationship with David Bowie

Cherry first heard about
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
through her agent, who was an early fan and gave her a copy of ''
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'') is the fifth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 16June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was ...
''. She was captivated by the record, which she played "about a hundred times", and by Bowie's aesthetic sensibility. At the time, Cherry was a waitress at the Genesis nightclub and a close friend of
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
's then-girlfriend, who knew Bowie; when she invited Wonder to host an afterparty at Genesis, Bowie attended. When the two first met, he was attracted by her close-cropped blonde hair and asked if she was a singer, inviting her on the spot to sing backup on a planned tour of Japan. Their relationship quickly turned personal as well as professional. Shortly after they began dating, Cherry met Bowie's wife Angela Barnett (also known as Angie Bowie) and was shocked to learn he was married until Bowie clarified they were in an open marriage. Cherry and Barnett initially became friends, but ultimately became mutually jealous. Anticipating the Japan tour, Cherry quit her job and sold her apartment, only for the tour to be cancelled. Not to be dissuaded, she went to Europe to search for Bowie. Travelling Europe, Cherry attracted the attention of some modelling agencies due to her striking and defining visual aesthetic. Designers treated her as "a goddess from outer space" as she made the rounds through the major fashion capitals of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, and she was featured in '' Vogue'' and ''
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''. After a year, Cherry found Bowie working on the album ''
Pin Ups ''Pin Ups'' (also referred to as ''Pinups'' and ''Pin-Ups'') is the seventh studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 19October 1973 through RCA Records. Devised as a "stop-gap" album to appease his record label, it is a ...
'' near Paris. They spent a week in the
Château d'Hérouville The Château d'Hérouville (commonly referred to as Honky Château) is a French 18th-century château located in the village of Hérouville, in the Val d'Oise département of France, near Paris. The château was built in 1740 by "Gaudot", an arc ...
to record the album, which she described as "one of the most beautiful times in my life", and lived together in Paris for eight months. Bowie hoped to steer Cherry's burgeoning career, saying she could be the "next
Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...
" and hoping to sign her to MainMan, run by his manager Tony Defries. He founded a
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
-influenced trio called The Astronettes, featuring Cherry, long-time collaborator Warren Peace, and Jason Guess, and recorded and produced their tracks in London through late 1973 and early 1974. The Astronettes project was quickly shelved and the material was not released until the 1990s; however, Bowie kept the trio as his backing singers for the '' Diamond Dogs'' era. The Astronettes received mixed reviews, with some describing it as "sketchwork" only valuable as a curiosity, while others admired it for a " new wave before the term existed" sensibility. Cherry's major influence on Bowie was in ''
Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. A departure from the glam rock style of previous albums, the record showcased Bowie's interest in soul and R&B. ...
'', his ninth studio album. The heavily soul-influenced work drew on Bowie's interest in
black music Music of the African diaspora is a sound created, produced, or inspired by Black people, including Music of Africa, African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including some Caribbean mus ...
, and the backing trio of Cherry,
Robin Clark Robin Clark is an American vocalist known for her work as a vocalist on David Bowie's 1975 album ''Young Americans'' and Simple Minds' 1985 album ''Once Upon a Time''. Clark was born in New York. In 1967, when Clark was 17, she and future s ...
(wife of guitarist
Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any other musician. History The son of a Pentecostal mi ...
), and a then-unknown
Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...
impacted the album's sound. Cherry introduced him to the
Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...
, where he poached Alomar and Vandross from the house band; Bowie and Alomar would go on to write some of the album's most successful songs, while Vandross would break out as a celebrity in his own right. She also introduced him to the Sigma Sound Studios, synonymous with
Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The ...
, where the album was recorded. Cherry was later quoted as saying that it was her influence on and encouragement of Bowie that inspired him to perform black music in the first place. She was a standout member of the ''Young Americans'' backing band, attracting the approval of critic
Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist and critic. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines and was also a performing musician. The music critic Jim DeRogatis called ...
in ''
Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American rock music magazine and entertainment company, founded in Detroit, whose initial print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor ...
''. The precise nature of Bowie and Cherry's relationship throughout this era is disputed;
Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...
recalled them as lacking any apparent romantic bond, and Bowie as mostly interested in having a managerial role over her career. Barnett was unfamiliar with the extent of their relationship and reportedly almost jumped out of a window when she learned how close they were. The personal difficulty between Cherry and Barnett required the former to keep a low profile in the latter's presence, even as Cherry and Bowie carried on a relationship in New York. Their relationship was also marked by double standards, since Cherry was expected to remain faithful while Bowie had several other partners. The early to mid-1970s was a chaotic period in Bowie's career, marked by increasing fame and drug abuse. When meeting Cherry's parents, he shocked them by taking out a vial of
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
at the dinner table. Bowie's drug-based decline came as a particular shock to Cherry, as he did very few drugs when they first met. Their relationship was serious, with Bowie reportedly considering divorcing Barnett to marry her, but handicapped by Bowie's own personal and financial issues. He grew increasingly paranoid, placing a strain on their relationship. Bowie and Defries had significant financial conflicts throughout the period, which culminated in the discovery that the singer had millions of dollars less than he believed; the stress of the financial shock caused him to spontaneously cut ties with multiple people, including Cherry, and drop her from the upcoming Isolar Tour. She said he wrote the songs " Golden Years" and "
Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tr ...
" from ''
Station to Station ''Station to Station'' is the tenth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 23 January 1976 through RCA Records. Regarded as one of his most significant works, the album was the vehicle for Bowie's performance perso ...
'' about her, although exactly whom the songs were written for is disputed by Bowie biographers.


Career


The Astronettes and GO

Bowie arranged Cherry and two other collaborators into a backing group called The Astronettes and recorded an album with them; however, the album would not be released until 1995 as ''People From Bad Homes''. The album was released without the approval of either Cherry or Bowie, and Cherry was particularly upset that the unfinished demo tracks were released to the public. ''People From Bad Homes'' was regarded by some reviewers, notably Chris O'Leary of ''Pushing Ahead of the Dame'' and the Bowie chronologies ''Rebel Rebel'' and ''Ashes to Ashes'', as a curiosity with little value except to chronicle the history of later Bowie songs, such as " Scream Like a Baby", a reworking of Cherry's "I Am a Laser". However, more positive reviews recognized the album for its proto- new wave tendencies. In 2008, the same recordings were re-released as ''The Astronettes Sessions''. After the demise of her relationship with Bowie, Cherry joined progressive jazz supergroup GO. The group was a collaboration with
Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...
, former
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...
drummer Michael Shrieve, and Stomu Yamashta.


Solo career

After GO, Cherry returned to Chicago to embark on a solo career. Her first solo album was ''Ripe!!!'', released by
RSO Records RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. RSO managed the careers of several ma ...
in 1980 and produced by
Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
. ''Ripe!!!'' was originally intended to be produced by
Gil Askey Gilbert Askey (March 9, 1925 – April 9, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer and musical director who was born in Austin, Texas, and emigrated to Australia in 1988. Early and personal life Askey was born in Austin, Texas, ...
for
Curtom Records Curtom Records was a record label founded by Curtis Mayfield and Eddie Thomas in March 1968 as an independently distributed music label. It was located at 8541 South Stony Island Boulevard. The name of the label came from a hybrid of the names "C ...
, but he was uncomfortable with her work with Bowie. The album made a minor impact on the Billboard Black Albums Chart, but was held back by being a
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
album released at the height of the anti-disco backlash. Two singles were released, "Love Is Good News" and "I Just Can't Shake This Feeling". The minor success of the album combined with Cherry's history was enough for her to sign a deal with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
shortly after. Cherry's second album ''Streetcar Named Desire'' was released by Capitol Records in 1982. It was produced by Bob Esty, who had worked with
Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
,
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
, and
Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...
. ''Streetcar Named Desire'' was commercially unsuccessful, as were the two singles spawned off it, "Streetcar Named Desire" and "Love To Be Touched". Its lack of success was ascribed in part to racial stereotypes in the music industry; pop radio stations reportedly stopped playing the album after discovering Cherry was a black artist making 'white' music. Contemporary critical reception was positive, describing the album as "electric, heart-pumping funk" and drawing connections to
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...
and
Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...
. ''Picture Me'', Cherry's third studio album, was released in 1987. It was her most successful solo attempt, producing two Top 40 dance hit singles, but fell below the label's commercial expectations. The continued disco influence of the album was labelled as a factor in Cherry's failure to break into mainstream pop music. It was, however, successful enough for Cherry to be heralded as one of a number of women changing the face of contemporary pop. ''Picture Me'' received mixed reviews, being described as "slick and sexy synth pop", but also as a lean album of overplayed "skimpy grooves". Cherry would not release another solo record until the EP ''Spend the Night'' in 1997, which was most known for its cover of " Forget Me Nots" by
Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist, R&B singer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, her 1982 single, "Forget Me Nots", received a no ...
. ''Spend the Night'' was released by J-Bird Records, one of the first record labels to distribute primarily via the Internet. After ''Spend the Night'', Cherry self-distributed a number of singles in the early 2010s. In 2019 she signed to the independent label Wake Up! Music, through which she released a cover of Bowie's " Let's Dance" and the
nu-disco Nu-disco is a 21st-century dance music genre associated with a renewed interest in the late 1970s disco, synthesizer-heavy 1980s European dance music styles, and early 1990s electronic dance music. The genre was popular in the early 2000s, and exp ...
single "Testify Love".


Backup singer

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Cherry also worked as a backup singer to R&B musician
Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...
. The pair had met many years earlier as backup singers to Bowie, and they built a close relationship, with Cherry referring to him as like a brother. As Vandross' friend and backup, she played a unique role in his stage shows; her glamour-fuelled aesthetic sensibility frequently outshone his, with stage shows built around her and other backup singers rather than the nominal main attraction. The dresses Cherry wore on stage frequently cost more than his own outfits. Vandross' focus on Cherry and Lisa Fischer as a core part of his stage show caused problems for other backup singers, who were required to sink into the background and not outshine them, and treated harshly if they were thought to catch too much attention. Cherry's place in Vandross' stage show has been analyzed for its significance and the implications for Vandross, a flamboyant figure with extensive speculation about his private life and sexual orientation. Cherry has also sung backup for
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
and Robert Palmer. In 2013 she appeared in ''
20 Feet from Stardom ''20 Feet from Stardom'' is a 2013 American documentary film directed by Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the making of the film ...
'', a documentary about backup singers.


Discography


Albums and EPs

*''Ripe!!!'' (1980, RSO Records) *''Streetcar Named Desire'' (1982, Capitol Records) *''Picture Me'' (1987, Capitol Records) *''People From Bad Homes'' (1995) as Ava Cherry & The Astronettes *''Spend the Night'' (1997, J-Bird Records) *''The Astronettes Sessions'' as The Astronettes (2008, Black Barbarella Records)


Notes


References


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry, Ava 1953 births Living people 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers American disco singers American new wave musicians African-American female models Nu-disco musicians Singers from Chicago 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women