When it's suggested that some bands have forgotten that, all the way back to Bill Monroe, bluegrass has always been as much a performance art as a musical one, Cherryholmes emphatically agrees. He said, 'How did you make my top five list, and I don't even know who you are?' And then he hired us for a whole bunch of jobs.'Īs evidenced by their selection as top entertainers by both IBMA and SPBGMA, the core of the Cherryholmes phenomenon is simply the showmanship.

'When we got back to Arizona, we got a letter from Chuck Stearman (president of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America, like IBMA a large industry trade group).saying somehow we made his list of the top five nominees for Entertaining Group of the Year for the Midwest SPBGMA, and he wanted to know who we were.

They were beginning to draw attention on a large scale, though, and he laughs as he recounts a letter that awaited them on returning from an extended jaunt. Making a living meant they would have to expand beyond the southwest, where the festival circuit was relatively sparse and hopefully tap into the more active East Coast festival scene. Literally roughing it - no electricity or running water - they continued to work hard on developing the act, gearing up for a life of countless days on the road that is the lot of professional bluegrass musicians. was sold and the family (minus oldest son Tyson, by this time grown and out on his own) moved to a piece of property in Arizona purchased years before with the intent of it being a retirement home (they now spend their 'off-road' time in Nashville).

Jere retired from his job, the house in L.A.

Cherryholmes tell me why chords