Cherish The Ladies

One of the most highly regarded and sought-after Irish-American groups in Celtic music, the all-female collective Cherish the Ladies turned a brief 1985 concert series into a decades-long career that has included numerous albums and world tours and collaborations with artists like <a href="spotify:artist:6AnrSlk5Gp1YMXgaI3mWCL">the Chieftains</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1P9syEkl41IFowWIJN7ZBY">Pete Seeger</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3IhWQSrLj8EJjdvjFTpCyo">Vince Gill</a>, and the <a href="spotify:artist:7CIcEIOiWaZcEH35cpsdZq">Boston Pops</a>. Behind leader <a href="spotify:artist:2oyi25e5VZH5BgsUJ5EbeH">Joanie Madden</a>, the ever-evolving band has acted as a springboard for a host of talented female Celtic musicians including <a href="spotify:artist:3vmYFRcOyIX8AcH3fy1anH">Eileen Ivers</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3aQzmN6t6h7hpWAjN1L0pJ">Heidi Talbot</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5GNoiG4ycrP6n8DSbx7YBg">Winifred Horan</a>. Throughout their prolific career, they have recorded albums for major labels like <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22RCA%22">RCA</a> and vaunted folk institutions like <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Shanachie%22">Shanachie</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Green+Linnet%22">Green Linnet</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Windham+Hill%22">Windham Hill</a>, and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rounder%22">Rounder</a> as well as releasing a 2013 Emmy-winning live DVD.

An outgrowth of a New York concert series aimed at increasing the exposure of Irish-American women in the then-male-dominated Celtic music scene, the group's first iteration was assembled in 1985 by veteran Irish musician <a href="spotify:artist:76wrW4AIV9KcriWcqZafAA">Mick Moloney</a>. Led by Bronx-born whistle and flute player <a href="spotify:artist:2oyi25e5VZH5BgsUJ5EbeH">Joanie Madden</a>, and using a name taken from a traditional jig, the group played a series of sold-out gigs at Manhattan's Ethnic Folk Arts Center which then yielded the 1985 album Irish Women Musicians in America. Initially billed as more of a one-off collaboration, the group's combined stellar musicianship drew an enthusiastic response and created the demand for further work.

Beginning in the early '90s, Cherish the Ladies established themselves as a powerhouse of talent, employing a core lineup that revolved around <a href="spotify:artist:2oyi25e5VZH5BgsUJ5EbeH">Madden</a> and at various times included musicians like <a href="spotify:artist:6tyIirsG90jUtQ1RtF1Za1">Cathie Ryan</a>, Maureen Doherty Macken, Siobhan Egan, Mary Coogan, Aoife Clancy, and <a href="spotify:artist:3vmYFRcOyIX8AcH3fy1anH">Eileen Ivers</a>, among others. Playing a mix of songs and traditional jigs and reels and featuring live Irish step dancing and rich harmonies, they became known as a thrilling live band who toured internationally. After several albums for Celtic specialists <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Green+Linnet+Records%22">Green Linnet Records</a>, Cherish the Ladies issued a pair of major-label albums in the late '90s for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22RCA%22">RCA</a>, the latter of which, 1999's At Home, included collaborations with members of <a href="spotify:artist:4qWTqOdDnH56Qak9UjmpKz">the Clancy Brothers</a>.

Collaboration has been a recurring theme for the group, who played with the legendary <a href="spotify:artist:7CIcEIOiWaZcEH35cpsdZq">Boston Pops Orchestra</a> in 1998 on the Grammy-nominated collection The Celtic Album. Their 2001 release The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone featured a range of outside musicians, from American folk luminaries like <a href="spotify:artist:1P9syEkl41IFowWIJN7ZBY">Pete Seeger</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1BkMjAUjBm9SDVzoMr8DB9">Tom Chapin</a> to pop-oriented Irish artists like <a href="spotify:artist:39E69agNUFWOZEzO24bjpo">Luka Bloom</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2szQRWh2F0RUs9bkbepwok">Hothouse Flowers</a> frontman <a href="spotify:artist:1gyHRSaTY6UtNgY4Bh4EAc">Liam Ó Maonlaí</a>. In 2004, the band recorded their first holiday album, On Christmas Night. They followed up a year later with another guest-heavy outing, Woman of the House, which featured friends like fiddle legend <a href="spotify:artist:2LGtmtUpyENNDmntPhczyl">Phil Cunningham</a>, accordionist <a href="spotify:artist:6gABJRqeRV4XW6T8vP9QEn">Sharon Shannon</a>, and singer <a href="spotify:artist:0T3UHijKhYdE2O6r06URan">Eddi Reader</a>. Their 2011 album Country Crossroads was a career standout and musical cross-pollination that paired them with country artists like <a href="spotify:artist:3IhWQSrLj8EJjdvjFTpCyo">Vince Gill</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5CAiy5rDr3LaSoGtJOq6A0">Nanci Griffith</a>.

In addition to their many recordings, Cherish the Ladies also developed a popular Celtic pops program that they toured around the country, performing hundreds of dates over the years with many of the world's major orchestras. In 2013, they released the Emmy-winning live DVD An Irish Homecoming, filmed during their performance at Bucknell University. They have continued to tour and record, returning in 2015 with a second holiday set, Christmas in Ireland, then in 2018 with the spirited Heart of the Home album. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi