M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Calling On Cherie: Q&A With Cherie Call
by Kelly L. Martinez

Perhaps you’ve heard of Cherie Call.  If you follow the LDS music scene at all, then you will recognize her name.  If you’ve seen the movie “Charly,” you’ve heard two of her songs. 

If you’re really on top of things, then you know that she is the recipient of seven PEARL Awards in the past three years.  In 2001, she earned a PEARL Award for “Female Vocalist”; in 2002, she earned four for “Inspirational Recording” (“He Gives Flowers to Everyone”), “Contemporary Album” (“He Gives Flowers to Everyone”), “Female Recording Artist” and “Songwriter of the Year”; in 2003, she earned two for “Songwriter of the Year” and for “Inspirational Recording” (“One Good Woman”).

What you may not know about Cherie Call is that technically, since April 8, 2003, she is Cherie Anderson.  However, don’t rush to your local LDS bookstore and look for a CD by Cherie Anderson.  Professionally, she is still known as Cherie Call. (Ed. Note: Read Ron Simpson’s article for Meridian on Cherie’s hubby here.

So why is Meridian’s sports writer doing an arts and entertainment article?  Geography, my friend. 

Cherie, 29, moved into my ward in Springville, Utah, when she got married and lives just a few blocks away.  I must admit, I don’t own any of Cherie’s music, but I do see enough pictures on LDS websites to have thought that she looked familiar when she moved in.  It took me over six months to work up the courage to risk looking foolish when, after an elders quorum meeting, I asked her husband, Joe, if, indeed, his wife was Cherie Call the recording artist.  He affirmed my suspicions and, with the editor’s blessing to step outside of the world of sports, I set up an interview.

Though I’m accustomed to interviewing athletes and coaches, it was fun getting to talk to someone in the music industry.

Has singing LDS music always been what you’ve aspired to?
That’s actually changed through the years for me.  The first songs that I ever wrote were religious songs.  In my teens, they taught us the “I Walk By Faith” songs by Janice Kapp Perry.  I was struck by how amazing those songs were. 

I wrote a lot of religious songs when I was younger.  I think I learned the basics of songwriting by writing that kind of music.  When I took songwriting courses at BYU, the nature of the way we studied helped me branch out into more secular songwriting.  I grew to love that type of songwriting.  When I was younger, I always thought I would write LDS music.  When I got to college, I began aspiring to branch out and perform or write country music for singers in Nashville.

I guess I’ve gone through a lot of different phases.  I’m really glad I learned about songwriting from a different perspective because I think that if you can write a song that’s about things that happen in real life that people can relate to, then it’s easier to talk about spiritual things in a way that helps people to attach it to their own life.  It’s been a challenge, but it’s something I’ve grown to really love.  To be able to apply the things I’ve learned about songwriting in general to writing good songs that are religious.

Have you ever considered crossing over and doing secular music?
Even now I write songs that are not religious songs.  I produced two CDs, before I started doing religious songs, which were made up of folk-style love songs.  I still write that kind of music and, from time-to-time, pitch those songs out in Nashville to see if any artists there would be interested in cutting one of my songs.  That’s the extent that I’ve considered doing anything that crosses over into secular music.  But, we’ll see what the years bring.  Right now, I’m really focused on LDS spiritual music.

Have any artists in Nashville expressed interest in your songs?
Not yet.  But I think what’s gotten the most attention by folks in Nashville are my inspirational songs.  Whenever I’ve played out there, the things people like the most are my songs about Jesus and other inspirational songs.  I’ve always been extra careful to make things mainstream, but one time, I just didn’t worry about it and played a lot of my religious songs and people really liked it.

How far back do you remember wanting to be a professional singer?
As long as I can remember, being a singer has always been what I wanted to do.  My older sister used to teach me songs and I have a recording of me singing “You Light Up My Life” when I was three years old.  I copied all of Debbie Boone’s inflections and would always show off and be pretty much a big pain to everybody because I always wanted to sing for them.

Tell me about your family.
I’m the third of four children in my immediate family.  My sister, Julie, 36, is married with two children (a boy and a girl) and is a physical therapist for handicapped children at an elementary school district in the Dallas area.  Ron, 35, is married with three sons, is a mechanical engineer for Intel, and lives in Gilbert, Arizona.  David, 26, lives in Mesa, Arizona, with his new wife and is studying to be a physical therapist.  He got married just three months after I did.  My father has two younger sons (my half brothers) from his second marriage: Kevin, 11, and Kyle, 9; my parents divorced when I was in my late teens.

Are any of your siblings musically inclined?
We all took lessons, but I was the one that was most serious about it.  Our house would always have music in it in one form or another.  My older brother, Ron, would try to learn Van Halen solos on his electric guitar, so we all would get to listen to him playing for hours at a time.  My sister enjoyed singing and was the one that got me interested in singing when I was a little girl.  We all took piano lessons and I think my younger brother would have been a really good musician but he was more interested in sports.

Since you’ve mentioned sports (which I am a bit familiar with), did you ever play a sport?
I’m horrible at sports.  I think it could best be described as a handicap of mine.  (laughs)  It’s embarrassing.  I will never play sports in public.  My sister is the same way.  I think all of the sports got sucked out of us and given to our brothers.  It’s ironic that you, the Meridian Sports guy, would be the one interviewing me, the furthest thing from sports that you could write about.

Who were your musical role models?  Who did you listen to growing up?
There are so many.  As far as LDS music goes, I love Janice Kapp Perry’s and Michael McLean’s music; I would spend hours with my friends singing those songs.  Kenneth Cope’s “Greater Than Us All” CD was a favorite of mine in high school.

As far as regular music goes, I used to listen to Top 40 radio a lot.  I love James Taylor and am a big fan of Sting, especially his early solo work.  I really liked a 80s group called Crowded House which sang a song called “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”  I love all different styles and different kinds of music.

I also really like Sarah McLachlen’s music.  I’m not always sure what it is that she’s trying to say with her lyrics, but I really enjoy her style.

Is it important to you that your songs have meaningful lyrics?
I think it is.  Seldom will there be a case where I am more into the sound of a song I write than I am into the lyrics.  I focus more on the lyrics than I do the music.  I think it’s really important to listen to music that has good lyrics. 

What drives you to write and make music?
It’s just a part of what makes me who I am.  It’s the way that I make sense of things that are around me.  I love to take things that I see and things that happen to me and make them into a song.  In some cases, it helps me to get through things that are really difficult.  In other cases, it’s just a way to celebrate things that I think are really neat.

What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you on stage?
I forget lyrics to songs when I’m really nervous.  To forget the words to your own song is usually pretty embarrassing.

What’s next for Cherie Call?
Well, I’ve been doing a lot of songwriting for the past couple of months.  I have a lot of songs done and hope to do another recording soon.  I don’t have a specific release date or anything, but Deseret Book has expressed interest in doing another CD with me.  I still have to meet with them to set up a timetable when such a thing might happen.  I’ll be playing some of my new music at the Provo Arts Center on January 24.  I’m pretty excited about that.

Is there anyone that’s had a big impact on the way you write songs?
I can’t say enough about the influence that Ron Simpson had on my songwriting skills.  His classes at BYU really switched a light on in my head about the way songwriting should be done.

Do you have any advice for aspiring LDS musicians and songwriters?
Don’t worry so much about being competitive.  Music is something that should uplift you and uplift others.  It should be something that brings joy into your life and the lives of others.  Write and sing about the things that you know.  Make it something real and honest.  I think a lot of people worry about making something really profound or spiritual that they miss the simple things that can carry the most powerful message.

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