When Cherish the Ladies first burst onto the music scene in January of 1985, the group was envisioned as a short-term concept. The brainchild of musician and folklorist Mick Moloney, the idea behind the band — which was named after a traditional Irish jig — was to showcase the incredible talents of a select group of female musicians in a field long dominated by their male counterparts.
But the band’s all female composition and their amazing musical ability obviously struck a chord with audiences. A debut series of Irish music concerts in New York quickly sold out and in the years since, Cherish the Ladies has turned into a way of life for its members.
Now, 25 years later, Cherish the Ladies still plays to packed houses and is touted as one of the best known (and in demand) Irish folk groups in the world. The ladies just released their second Christmas CD, “A Star in the East,” and are currently on a 17-city tour of the United States and Canada — and that’s just the schedule for the month of December.
“As of now, we’ve done 11 shows and we’ve gotten a standing ovation every night,” says the group’s leader Joanie Madden as she and the band drive through the Rockies on their way from a gig in Grand Junction. “We’ve just gone from Calgary to Colorado.”
“As the song goes, ‘I’ve Been Everywhere,’” she adds.
Next stop — St. Petersburg, Florida, followed by a jaunt up the East Coast to Sag Harbor where, tomorrow night, Friday, December 18, Cherish the Ladies will perform an 8 p.m. concert at Bay Street Theatre.
For Madden, who plays the flute, tin whistle and sings harmony with the group, coming to Sag Harbor will almost be like coming home. Though she’s a virtuoso on the Irish tin whistle, Madden, in fact, was born in the Bronx and raised in Westchester. Like her band mates, Madden learned her craft at the knee of her father. Joe Madden was an accordion champion from East Galway while her mother, Helen, was an Irish dancer from County Clare.
“We are all daughters of fantastic musicians,” notes Madden. “We all learned our music from our fathers. Our music comes from the source — the well. It’s music passed down to us. We do our own composing and writing as well, and that adds to what we do.”
Though Irish music has provided the Bronx born Madden with an amazing journey, it’s not a career that her father initially endorsed.
“My father did not want me to do it,” recalls Madden. “He wanted me to be an accountant in a nine to five job. None of us thought this is the way it would go. The road is a very tough life, we’ve gone from a fluke concert season to now being the busiest Irish band on the planet.”
Ask anyone who’s done it — 25 years is a long time to be on the road — and the band has seen a number of players come and go in that time. Other than Madden, fellow New Yorker Mary Coogan, who plays guitar, banjo and mandolin, is the only player who’s been with the group since its inception. Rounding out the current line-up is fiddle player Roisin Dillon from Belfast, Ireland and Mirella Murray, piano accordionist, from Connemara, Ireland — both of whom have been with the group for seven years; pianist Kathleen Boyle from Glasgow, Scotland, a band member for five years; and vocalist Michelle Burke from County Cork, Ireland, who joined Cherish the Ladies just two years ago.
“You’re sad when there is change,” confesses Madden. “Some of the ladies had babies, some wanted to go and work on their own tours. It’s been quite a springboard for musicians like Winnie Horan, and other great players who have gone through the ranks. Basically we’re known as a group full of virtuosic musicians, with great step dancers and singers filling the void.”
“We have four dancers coming with us this time,” notes Madden, “Tara Butler who’s from Mineola — she’s been touring with the Chieftains — Melanie Deegen who was in the North American Irish Dance Championships, and two Canadians — Jon Pilatzke and Dan Stacey.”
Having spent a good deal of time crisscrossing the country in the past year, Madden has been able to gauge the mood of a nation first hand. Given the economic turmoil gripping many families, she is both happy and surprised to report that people seem to need the music of Cherish The Ladies now more than ever.
“It’s great to say we’re playing and filling places,” says Madden. “I was very worried given the way the country is right now — 10 to 13 percent unemployment, people losing jobs and watching their money. But we’re selling out or close to it every night.”
“It’s been a great time for us and we’re really enjoying it,” she adds. “People want to forget about the problems and they want to be entertained. We have a great time.”
Madden and company have performed at Bay Street Theatre in the past, and after a long stint on the road, they are looking forward to returning to Sag Harbor’s cozy 299 seat venue once again.
“Last night we played for 1,500, tomorrow night it will be 1,400,” says Madden. “But I love small intimate spaces. We all prefer them because they’re more fun. You don’t have the veil of the distance between the audience and the wall that you get when you have a stage that is 10 feet up looking down at the ground. At Bay Street the audience is looking down at us. I love that kind of space. It’s a small intimate living room and every show we’ve had there has been great.”
With Christmas just a week away, Bay Street audiences can be sure they will hear several songs from “A Star in the East.” Given the popularity of holiday music, making a Christmas recording that is original and at the same time, familiar, can be a challenge for even the most talented group. But Cherish the Ladies’ has been here before. Their 2004 release, “On Christmas Night” earned them rave reviews, and, like that album, “A Star in the East” relies on a mixture of familiar classics along with new tunes for the season. A notable example is Madden’s original instrumental piece, “A Dash for the Presents” which incorporates a bit of “Joy to the World” and “Parnell’s March.” The song was inspired by personal experience — that of Madden witnessing her nieces and nephews in their mad sprint to the gifts under the tree on Christmas morning.
“We’re doing a lot of new material off the album,” says Madden. “I love the Christmas show. It’s very enjoyable for families.”
But as far as having a few days of and being able to relax with their own families for the holiday, that won’t be happening for the members of Cherish the Ladies until next Wednesday.
“We get home on December 23,” says Madden, who lives in Yonkers and is looking forward to a little R&R before hitting the road again with the group in January in anticipation of the official 25th anniversary celebration. And rest assured, this is one group that won’t be getting together over the holidays to rehearse their upcoming show.
“Two band members live in Scotland, one is in Florida, one is in Galway and there’s one in Newburgh,” says Madden. “We rehearse on stage.”
Cherish the Ladies perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, December 18 at Bay Street Theatre on Long Wharf, Sag Harbor. Tickets cost $50 and can be purchased by calling the Bay Street Theatre box office at 725-9500 or online at www.baystreet.org.
Top: Cherish the Ladies: Mirella Murray, Roisin Dillon, Joanie Madden (with flute), Mary Coogan, Michelle Burke and Kathleen Boyle. Larry Shirkey photo.
