Cherie Currie | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Cherie Ann Currie |
Born | Encino, California, U.S. | November 30, 1959
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Years active | 1975–present |
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Cherie Ann Currie (born November 30, 1959) is an American singer, musician, actress, and artist. Currie was the lead vocalist of The Runaways, a rock band from Los Angeles, in the mid-to-late 1970s. She later became a solo artist. Currie and her identical twin sister, Marie Currie, released the album Messin' With The Boys in 1980 as Cherie & Marie Currie. Their duet "Since You Been Gone" reached number 95 on US charts. She is also known for her role in the 1980 film Foxes .
Currie was born to Don Currie and actress Marie Harmon. [1] She was raised in Encino, California. She has an identical twin sister, Marie Currie, [2] an elder sister, actress Sondra Currie, and a brother, Don Currie Jr.
Currie and her twin sister were given a role on an episode of My Three Sons at the age of two. They were due to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with Fred MacMurray but they froze during filming and their part was cut from the show. [3] Before Currie and her twin sister rose to fame, they appeared on American Bandstand as background dancers. [4] [5]
In 1975, when she was 15 years old, Currie joined the all-female rock band The Runaways, performing as lead vocalist. Her bandmates were Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Sandy West, Jackie Fox and Vicki Blue. Bomp! magazine described her as "the lost daughter of Iggy Pop and Brigitte Bardot". [6]
Currie recorded three albums with The Runaways, The Runaways , Queens Of Noise and Live In Japan . She signed a four-album deal with Mercury, but left The Runaways after the third album. To fulfil her contract, she recorded Beauty's Only Skin Deep for Polygram Records as a solo artist. [7] Marie Currie was featured on the track "Love At First Sight". [8]
After Cherie left The Runaways at age eighteen, she performed in clubs in Los Angeles. Marie joined her onstage for encores, which drew a positive response from audiences. [2] When Marie joined Cherie on a promotional tour in Japan, they had the idea of recording an album together. [9] They recorded Messin' With The Boys for Capitol Records, released in 1979. "Since You Been Gone", a cover of the Russ Ballard song, reached number 95 on the charts. [10]
Cherie and Marie performed on television shows in the 1980s including Sha Na Na , The Mike Douglas Show, [11] and The Merv Griffin Show. [4] They wrote and produced songs for the soundtrack of the 1984 film The Rosebud Beach Hotel . [12] They acted and sang together in the film. In 1991, Cherie and Marie Currie performed a tribute concert to Paula Pierce, a member of The Pandoras. For the final song, the remaining Pandoras backed the Curries. [13] Currie performed at The Runaways' reunion in 1994 with Jackie Fox and Sandy West. Her sister Marie joined the three Runaways on stage and performed with the band. [7]
In 1998, Cherie and Marie held a concert at the Golden Apple, in support of their re-released version of Messin' With The Boys. Cherie's ex-bandmate West joined Cherie on stage to perform some of the Runaways songs. The Curries and West signed autographs after the show. [14] In 1998, the compilation Young and Wild was released. [15] Another compilation, 80s Collection, was released in 2000 by Times Square Productions. [16]
Cherie starred in the film Foxes in 1980 with Jodie Foster, and received strong reviews for her acting debut. [17] She also appeared in Parasite , Wavelength , Twilight Zone: The Movie , The Rosebud Beach Hotel (with Marie Currie), and Rich Girl. She made guest appearances on television series including Matlock and Murder, She Wrote . In 1984 Currie was cast as Brenda in Savage Streets , but was replaced by Linda Blair. [18] She was also cast as the lead singer of the fictional band the Dose in the film This Is Spinal Tap , but her character was cut out of the film. [19] Cherie was considered for a part in the 1985 film Explorers but, according to her autobiography, she was in the throes of drug dependency and couldn't even make it to a meeting. [20]
Currie was a guest vocalist on Shameless's 2013 album, Beautiful Disaster. Currie released singles with ex-bandmate, Lita Ford [21] and Glenn Danzig the same year. On October 19, 2013, Currie won the Rock Legend Award at the sixth annual Malibu Music Awards. The award was presented to her by ex-bandmate, Lita Ford. That night Currie and Ford played on stage together for the first time in 37 years. [22] Currie released another studio album, Reverie, in 2015. [23] The album features guest work from ex-bandmate, Lita Ford, Currie's son, Jake Hays, and Currie's ex-manager, Kim Fowley. Cherie toured the UK in November 2015, to support her new album. While in the UK, Currie recorded "Midnight Music In London", a live album that features a special live appearance by Suzi Quatro. It was released in 2016. [24] In late May and early June 2016 Currie toured Australia and New Zealand. [25] In 2018, Currie and her son were nominated for the Marshall Hawkins Award for Best Original Score for the film Take My Hand. [26]
In 2019, Currie's album Blvds Of Splendor was released on April 13. [27] [28] [29] [30] The album featured guests including Slash, Billy Corgan, Juliette Lewis, and the Veronicas. [31] On August 2, The Motivator, her album with Brie Darling, was released. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39]
In 2020 Cherie Currie released an audio version of her memoir, Neon Angel. It reached number 1 on Amazon's Best Biographies of Punk Rock Musician. [40] In the same year, Currie contributed her vocals to the song "Flatten the Curve" for the band FTC. [41]
Currie is now a wood-carving artist, using a chainsaw to create her works. She has been doing chainsaw art since 2002 and opened her own gallery in 2005 in Chatsworth, California. [42] As a chainsaw artist, Currie has competed in and won awards at three world Chainsaw Art competitions. [43]
Currie struggled with drug addiction for much of her younger life, a major factor in the abrupt ending of her career. She wrote a memoir, Neon Angel, recounting life in the band and her traumatic experiences with drug addiction, sex abuse, and her broken family. [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] In the 1980s, Currie began working in drug and psych facilities, later becoming a counsellor. [50]
The Runaways , a 2010 biographical drama film executive-produced by Joan Jett, focuses on the group's beginnings and explores the relationship between Currie and Jett. Dakota Fanning portrays Currie.
Currie married actor Robert Hays on May 12, 1990, and they had one son together, the musician Jake Hays. [51] [52] Currie and Hays divorced in 1997. [52]
In January 2024, Currie began to express gender-critical views on social media. [53] In May 2024, Currie expressed support for Gays Against Groomers and did a collaboration to sell merchandise with the group later that month. [54] [55]
In 1979 an alternative cover photo of Currie's album Beauty's only Skin Deep appears in the background of the feature film Rock 'n' Roll High School . It appears when the Ramones are backstage. [56]
Characters in the 1997 film Gummo , sisters Dot, Helen, and Darby (played by Chloë Sevigny, Carisa Glucksman, and Darby Dougherty) were influenced by the Currie twins. Writer and director Harmony Korine, stated that, "Dot and Helen were based off a combination of Cherie and Marie Currie, home schooling, and the Shaggs ." [57]
In a season 3 episode of The O.C. , Marissa makes an entrance to "Cherry Bomb". She does so while dressed in a provocative schoolgirl outfit.
Year | Single | US | Album | Artist | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | "Call Me at Midnight" | – | Beauty's Only Skin Deep | Cherie Currie | |
1978 | "Beauty's Only Skin Deep" | – | Beauty's Only Skin Deep | Cherie Currie | |
1978 | "Love at First Sight" | – | Beauty's Only Skin Deep | Cherie and Marie Currie | |
1978 | "Science Fiction Daze" | – | Beauty's Only Skin Deep | Cherie Currie | |
1979 | "Since You Been Gone" | 95 | Messin' with the Boys | Cherie and Marie Currie | [69] |
1979 | "Messin' with the Boys" | – | Messin' with the Boys | Cherie and Marie Currie | |
1980 | "This Time" | – | Messin' with the Boys | Cherie and Marie Currie | |
1980 | "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" | – | Messin' with the Boys | Cherie and Marie Currie | |
1989 | "Instant Karma!" | – | Mono! Stereo: Sgt. Shonen's Exploding Plastic Eastman Band Request | Tater Totz featuring Cherie Currie | |
1998 | "Cherry Bomb" | – | Maximum Overdrive | The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs meets Cherie Currie | |
2013 | "Life's a Gas" | – | Beautiful Disaster | Shameless featuring Cherie Currie | |
2013 | "Some Velvet Morning" | – | Single only | Glenn Danzig featuring Cherie Currie | |
2013 | "Rock This Christmas Down" | – | Single only | Lita Ford and Cherie Currie | |
2015 | "Believe" | – | Reverie | Cherie Currie | |
2018 | "When We Need Her" | – | Fanny Walked the Earth | Fanny | |
2019 | "The Motivator" | – | The Motivator | Cherie Currie and Brie Darling | |
2019 | "Get Together" | – | The Motivator | Cherie Currie and Brie Darling | |
2020 | "Black Hole Sun" | – | Single only | Cherie Currie and Brie Darling | |
2020 | "What the World Needs Now Is Love" | – | Single only | Cherie Currie and Dave Schulz | |
Year | Album | US | US Indie | Heatseekers Album | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Beauty's Only Skin Deep | - | - | - | Cherie Currie |
1980 | Messin' with the Boys | TBA | - | - | Cherie and Marie Currie |
1997 | Messin' with the Boys (Re-released) | - | - | - | Cherie and Marie Currie |
1999 | The 80's Collection | - | - | - | Cherie Currie Cherie and Marie Currie |
2015 | Reverie | - | - | - | Cherie Currie |
2016 | Midnight Music in London | - | - | - | Cherie Currie |
2019 | Blvds of Splendor | - | - | - | Cherie Currie |
2019 | The Motivator | - | 48 | 18 | Cherie Currie and Brie Darling |
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1974-1975 | American Bandstand | Background Dancer, Herself | |
1980 | Foxes | Annie | |
1982 | Parasite | Dana | |
1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Sara | Segment #3 |
1983 | Wavelength | Iris Longacre | |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Echo Cramer | TV episode: "It's a Dog's Life" |
1984 | The Rosebud Beach Hotel | Singing Maid Cherie | Her twin Marie Currie played Singing Maid Marie. |
1990 | Matlock | Renee Thorton | 2 episodes: "The Informer: Part 1" and "The Informer: Part 2" |
1991 | Betsy Rhodes | TV episode: "The Suspect" | |
Rich Girl | Michelle | ||
1992 | Dr. Giggles | ADR voice | |
2004 | Getting the Knack | Herself | documentary |
2005 | Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways | Herself | Film by former Runaways bassist Victory Tischler-Blue documenting the Runaways' musical history. |
2013 | Hansel and Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft | Ms. Thoman | Direct-to-DVD release |
Warehouse 13 | Herself | TV episode "Runaway" | |
2014 | Keeping up with the Kardashians | Herself | |
2014 | Glory Days | Herself | |
2017 | Under the Influence – Glam Rock | Herself | documentary |
2018 | Bad Reputation | Herself | documentary |
2019 | Suzi Q | Herself | documentary |
Year | Book | L.A. Weekly | author(s) | notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Neon Angel | - | Cherie Currie, Neal Shusterman | author |
2008 | Cherry Bomb | - | Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna | contributor |
2010 | Neon Angel (Re-released) | 9 | Cherie Currie, Tony O'Neill | author |
2014 | The Narrow Road of Light | - | Marie Currie | developer |
Lita Rossana Ford is a British-American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, and then embarked on a successful glam metal solo career that hit its peak in the late 1980s. The 1989 single "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, remains Ford's most successful song, reaching No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The Runaways were an American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", "Hollywood", "Queens of Noise" and a cover version of the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll". Never a major success in the United States, the Runaways became a sensation overseas, especially in Japan, thanks to the single "Cherry Bomb".
Joan Jett is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Often referred to as the "Godmother of Punk" and the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she is regarded as a rock icon and an influential figure in popular rock music.
David Frank Paich is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist, and secondary vocalist of the rock band Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrote much of Toto's original material, including the band's three most popular songs: "Hold the Line", "Rosanna", and "Africa". With Toto, Paich has contributed to 17 albums and sold over 40 million records. He and guitarist and singer Steve Lukather are the only members to appear on every studio album.
Kim Vincent Fowley was an American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been described as "one of the most colorful characters in the annals of rock & roll", as well as "a shadowy cult figure well outside the margins of the mainstream".
"Since You Been Gone" is a song written by former Argent guitarist Russ Ballard and first released on his 1976 album Winning. It was covered by Rainbow in 1979 and released as a single from their album Down to Earth.
Queens of Noise is the second studio album by the American rock band the Runaways, released on January 7, 1977, through Mercury Records.
The Runaways is the debut studio album by American rock band the Runaways, was released on March 16, 1976, through Mercury Records.
Sandra Sue Pesavento, known professionally as Sandy West was an American singer, drummer and songwriter. She was one of the founding members of The Runaways, the first teenage all-girl hard rock band to record and achieve widespread commercial success in the 1970s.
Jacqueline Louise Fuchs is an American former musician. Under her stage name Jackie Fox, she played bass guitar for the pioneering all-girl teenage rock band The Runaways. She is the sister of screenwriter Carol Fuchs and sister-in-law of Castle Rock Entertainment co-founder Martin Shafer.
Victory Tischler-Blue is an American film producer, director, writer, musician and photographer. She was born and raised in Newport Beach, California. Tischler-Blue began working in the entertainment industry at age 17, using the name Vicki Blue as the bassist in the American all-girl teenage rock band The Runaways. After the demise of the band, she was cast as Cindy by director Rob Reiner in This Is Spinal Tap. Her film Edgeplay was based on her tenure in The Runaways.
Flaming Schoolgirls is an album by the rock band the Runaways. It was released in 1980, a year after the band had broken up as Kim Fowley believed he would make money due to the fact that Cherie Currie was starring in the film Foxes. A compilation of previously unreleased recordings, the album consists of one alternate version and three unreleased tracks from the sessions for the 1977 album Queens of Noise, five live tracks left over and a studio recording of a song from the 1977 album Live in Japan, and two Cherie Currie demo recordings. The album was not released in the U.S.
The Runaways is a 2010 American biographical drama film about the 1970s rock band of the same name written and directed by Floria Sigismondi in her screenwriting and feature directional debut. It is based on the book Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by the band's lead vocalist Cherie Currie. The film stars Dakota Fanning as Currie, Kristen Stewart as rhythm guitarist and vocalist Joan Jett, and Michael Shannon as record producer Kim Fowley. The Runaways depicts the formation of the band in 1975 and focuses on the relationship between Currie and Jett until Currie's departure from the band. The film grossed around $4.6 million worldwide and received generally favorable reviews from critics.
"Cherry Bomb" is the debut single by the all-female band The Runaways from their self-titled debut album, released on March 16, 1976 through Mercury Records. "Cherry Bomb" was ranked 52nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs and peaked at number 106 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
Messin' with the Boys (1980) is the second album by American singer Cherie Currie, and the first to feature her sister Marie Currie as a major contributor. Their band was called Cherie and Marie Currie. Marie was a guest vocalist on Cherie's first album, so Marie went on tour with Cherie to support her first album, Beauty's Only Skin Deep. When Marie would join Cherie on stage to sing the encores, the audience would go wild. Cherie then ran with the idea that two blonds are better than one. The idea paid off because Messin' with the Boys received more radio play than Beauty's Only Skin Deep, and their song "Since You Been Gone" made it to 95 on US charts. The single "This Time" and the album Messin' with the Boys made the top 200 on U.S. charts. This makes Messin' with the Boys Cherie Currie's most successful solo album. "I Just Love the Feeling" originally surfaced on the 1974 album, S.S. Fools by the group of the same name. Cherie duetted with that group's lead singer, Bobby Kimball, and wrote the additional lyrics in the second verse.
Beauty's Only Skin Deep is the debut solo album by Cherie Currie, recorded during September–October 1977, and released in 1978. Kim Fowley and David Carr co-produced the effort. Mercury Records opted not to release the album in the United States. The record was released in France, and in Japan with a lyrics sheet. The title track was released as a seven-inch single in the Netherlands, backed with "Young and Wild", while "Call Me at Midnight" was released as a single in the UK.
Brie Howard-Darling is an American drummer, singer, percussionist, and songwriter of Filipino and European descent. She has recorded with such recording artists as Carole King, Ringo Starr, ELO, Keith Moon, The Temptations, Jimmy Buffett, Melissa Manchester, Janiva Magness, and Glen Campbell. She has toured extensively with Martin Mull, Kiki Dee, Jack Wagner, Bruce Willis, Robert Palmer, Carole King, Jimmy Buffett, Robbie Nevil, and Duran Duran. She has been a band member of Fanny, American Girls, Boxing Gandhis, Fanny Walked The Earth, and Cherie Currie & Brie Darling.
Marie Michelle Currie is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and artist. Currie is best known for playing in a band with her twin Cherie Currie, called Cherie & Marie Currie. Their song "Since You Been Gone" charted at number 95 on the US charts. Marie played Singing Maid Marie in The Rosebud Beach Hotel and is now a multi-media sculptor and artist.
Young and Wild is a compilation by Cherie & Marie Currie. This album has all 10 original tracks from Messin' with the Boys, six songs from Beauty's Only Skin Deep, three songs Cherie Currie sang with The Runaways, and one new track co-written by Marie Currie, "Longer Than Forever". "Longer Than Forever" was the B side of the single "Since You Been Gone".
Reverie is the third full-length studio album by Cherie Currie. Released on iTunes March 16, 2015. Cherie released the CD version of this album June 5, 2015 on her eBay page cheriecurriedirect, 35 years after her previous full-length studio album, 1980's Messin' with the Boys.
Japan 1977
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