Today’s song is “Testify Love” by Ava Cherry. The Chicago songstress is quite an established musician with five decades of music under her belt.
Ava Cherry is a quadruple threat with experience as a singer, songwriter, model, and actress who was brought up in Woodlawn, in the Southside of Chicago her Her mother worked for the administration department of the Playboy organization, while her father worked for the Post Office and played the trumpet. Growing up, Ava Cherry inherited her father’s love of music.
Soul and Motown were her favorite growing up in the sixties. She would often frequent the Regal Theatre on the Southside of Chicago to see some of the biggest singers and bands all the while wishing she was up there performing.
Little did she know her dreams were about to come true. By the early 70’s Cherry found herself as an aspiring model in New York City. It was here that she met David Bowie at a Stevie Wonder afer-party. Bowie was enamored with Ava and invited her to tour Japan with him. However, illness prevented Bowie from performing and the tour was canceled. Ava was crushed but she was determined to work with Bowie.
The two were reconnected in Paris not long after she was staying with a friend in the South of France. Bowie produced an album for Cherry and her group The Astronettes (consisting of Robin Clark and Luther Vandross) in 1973 called People From Bad Homes. The album consisted of four songs penned by Bowie and covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Frank Zappa, and Roy Harper. Sadly, the album wasn’t released until 1995. By then, Ava was an established artist.
For the rest of the ’70s, Cherry worked as a backing vocalist for David Bowie along with Luther Vandross, and Robin Clark including the album Young Americans which was influenced by Philly Soul. It was released in 1974, and Ava played her part in the sound and success of what was one of his finest albums of the seventies.
After her relationship with Bowie ended, Ava Cherry returned to Chicago, where she was introduced to another musical legend, Curtis Mayfield. He signed her to his Curtom label and produced the single “Love Is Good News,” which Ava co-wrote with him.
In 1980, Ava Cherry released what is regarded as the finest album of her solo career so far, Ripe!!! It was produced by Curtis Mayfield, Bobby “Electronic” Eli and Gil Askey and was the album that launched Ava Cherry’s solo career. Three years later, in 1983, she released the much-anticipated Streetcar Named Desire on Capitol Records. It was well-received by critics and was the latest chapter in Ava Cherry’s career. By 1986, Ava Cherry was reunited with Luther Vandross and became one of his backing vocalists. She made her debut on his Any Love album and spent ten years working with Luther Vandross, who during that period, became one of the biggest names in R&B. Still Ava Cherry found to release solo albums including Picture Me in 1986, which was her swansong for Capitol Records.
After this, Ava Cherry has continued to record and release singles and albums. This included the belated release of People From Bad Homes in 1995 and The Astronettes Sessions in 2009.
Since then, the multitalented musical chameleon hasn’t stood still and has been working with a variety of high profile producers on different projects. Two of her most recent releases are Right From The Heart and That’s How Loneliness Goes. Both tracks show how Ava Cherry’s music has evolved during the fifth decade of a long and illustrious career.
The latest chapter in Ava’s career is being signed to Pepper Gomez’s Chicago/Miami-based record label Wake Up! Music.
This track is off her upcoming Nu Music full release. Cherry says the track reflects her roots in the Chicago sound. She describes it as “an original Ava Cherry nu-soulful pop tune.”
It has been praised as “shimmering nu-wave colors” and vocals with “smolders with dance energy.”
Cherry brings the fire in this effervescent “Nu Pop, Nu Soul” dance number. The song opens with a funky and glamorous pulsating beat that brings the best of the sixties and seventies soulful dance grooves. Laced with mesmerizing vocals and hypnotic lyrics this song will get you off on feet.
Listen below and for more information check out her official website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages