Jim Cherry (August 2, 1971 – July 7, 2002) was an American musician, most famous for being the

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

in the

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Strung Out Strung Out is an American melodic hardcore band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1991. Their sound also includes elements of heavy metal. They have released nine studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords as well as one live album, two B-sides ...

. His other musical credits include the

guitar player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...

in the band

Pulley Sheave without a rope A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flan ...

, and bassist/vocalist in the band Zero Down.

Personal life

Cherry was born James Paul Cherry III in

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. It is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater ...

, United States. He was one of the five original members and the original bassist of the band Strung Out. He was also part of the initial lineup of the band Pulley, playing guitar. After releasing three albums with Strung Out, Cherry left the band in 1999; he was against the idea of Strung Out moving away from punk rock into

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

territory, which Jake Kiley and other members cited to be a way to innovate on their music. Shortly after, he formed the punk rock band Zero Down, acting as lead vocals and bassist. After releasing one album, ''With a Lifetime to Pay'', in 2001, Zero Down met its demise upon Cherry's death on July 7, 2002. Although Cherry's death was originally thought to have been caused by a drug overdose, it was later revealed Cherry had been clean, and had died from a congenital heart condition. After his death, many bands in the punk rock community responded to Cherry's death through music. In the liner notes of their album ''Exile in Oblivion'', Strung Out dedicates the song "Swan Dive" to Cherry. Pulley dedicated the album ''Matters'' to Cherry, as well as the song "Thanks". He is also mentioned in the

NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

song "Doornails" from their 2006 album, '' Wolves in Wolves' Clothing''.

References

External links

Jim Cherry's Myspace
1971 births 2002 deaths Guitarists from California 20th-century American bass guitarists American male bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians {{US-bass-guitarist-stub