Cherie Currie
| Cherie Currie | |
|---|---|
 Cherie Currie in 2010 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | November 30, 1959 Encino, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Punk rock Hard rock Rock and Roll |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, actress, artist |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Associated acts | The Runaways, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Lita Ford |
| Website | Official site |
Cherie Currie (born November 30, 1959) is an American singer, actress and chainsaw artist. Currie was the lead vocalist of The Runaways, a hard rock band from Los Angeles in the mid-to-late 1970s.
Contents |
[edit] Life and career
Currie's parents were Don Currie and actress Marie Harmon.[1] She was raised in the Encino district of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. Her brother is Don Currie Jr., and her sisters are actress Sondra Currie and her twin, Marie Currie.
Currie was the teenage lead vocalist for the all-female rock band The Runaways with bandmates 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".[citation needed]
Currie, at age 15, joined The Runaways in 1975. The teen rock anthem "Cherry Bomb" was written for her at the audition. Attitudes to her impact at that time differ; one reviewer has written that "the received wisdom that [the Runaways] carved out new territory for female musicians is hard to justify – it's doubtful that the predominantly male audience who flocked to see the 16 year old [Currie] in her undies picked up any feminist subtext".[2]
After three albums with The Runaways, (The Runaways, Queens of Noise, and Live in Japan ), Currie went on to record three other albums. She recorded Beauty's Only Skin Deep as a solo artist for Polygram Records. With her twin sister Marie, she recorded Messin' With The Boys for Capitol Records and Young and Wild for Raven. She then worked as an actress, starring in movies such as Foxes, Parasite, Wavelength, Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Rosebud Beach Hotel, Rich Girl, and others, as well as numerous guest spots on TV series (Matlock and Murder She Wrote, among others).
Currie struggled with drug addiction throughout much of her younger life, which largely factored into why her career ended so abruptly. She later wrote a memoir called Neon Angel recounting life in the band and her traumatic experiences with drug addiction, sex abuse and her broken family. The Runaways movie, a 2010 musical biographical drama film (which was executive-produced by Joan Jett), focuses on the group's early beginnings and explores the relationship between Currie and Jett. In the film Currie is portrayed by Dakota Fanning.
Currie was married to actor Robert Hays in the 1990s and they had one son together, Jake Hays. They are now divorced.[3]
In 2008, Currie contributed to Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna's book, Cherry Bomb.[4][5]
Currently, Currie is a wood carving artist who uses a chain saw to create her works.[6]
Currie is putting the finishing touches on a new album, produced by current Velvet Revolver drummer, ex-Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum, due out in 2011. This will be Currie's first album since 1980. During an interview with Cherie Currie and Matt Sorum on That Metal Show, Matt revealed that ex-Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver band mates Slash and Duff McKagan as well as Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan, who has written and sings a duet with Currie, are also on the album. The rest of the album's line-up was also revealed on the Road Runner website.[7]
[edit] Discography
[edit] With The Runaways
[edit] Studio albums
- 1976 – The Runaways
- 1977 – Queens of Noise
[edit] Live albums
- 1977 – Live in Japan
[edit] Solo
[edit] Studio albums
- 1978 – Beauty's Only Skin Deep
- 1980 – Messin' With The Boys (with Marie Currie)
- 1998 – Young and Wild (compilation, with Marie Currie)[8]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 1990 | Matlock | Renee Thorton | Two TV episodes: "The Informer: Part 1" and "The Informer: Part 2" |
| 1991 | Matlock | Betsy Rhodes | TV episode: "The Suspect" |
| Rich Girl | Michelle | ||
| 2005 | Edgeplay: A film about The Runaways | Herself | Film by former Runaways bassist Victory Tischler-Blue documenting The Runaways' musical history. |
[edit] References
- ^ Neon Angel – Interview with The Runaways’ Cherie Currie – Features. Tribute.ca. (2010-03-26) Retrieved on 2011-12-22.
- ^ Sunday Times Culture, 25 April 2010
- ^ Cherie Currie rocks with biopic. Dailynews.com. (2010-03-19) Retrieved on 2011-12-22.
- ^ Lecaro, Lina (2008-07-30). "Cherry Bomb: Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna's Ultimate How-To for Budding Rock Chicks". laweekly.com. http://www.laweekly.com/2008-07-31/music/how-to-be-a-rock-chick-carrie-borzillo-vrenna-offers-first-hand-advice/. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ "WHO SAYS COOLNESS CAN’T BE TAUGHT?". skope mag.com. 2008-05-07. http://skopemag.com/2008/05/07/who-says-coolness-cant-be-taught. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
- ^ Welcome to. Chainsawchick.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.
- ^ CHERIE CURRIE's New Album To Feature SLASH, DUFF MCKAGAN, BILLY CORGAN – Jan. 20, 2011. www.roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.
- ^ Young & Wild: Cherie Currie & Marie: Music. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-22.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Cherie Currie's Chainsaw Art site
- Cherie Currie on Myspace
- Official Runaways website
- Cherie Currie at the Internet Movie Database
|
||||||||||||||
