Eagle-Eye Cherry

Cherry said his father instilled wanderlust in him at a very young age. When Eagle-Eye and Neneh were children, their family lived in the Swedish countryside. During the summers, Dad would pile the family into a camper van and they would tour Europe, going from avant-garde gigs to airy jazz festivals.

Cherry didn’t immediately follow in his family’s footsteps, however.

By the time he was 14, the Cherry family had moved to New York City and Eagle-Eye was attending the New York School Of Performing Arts — the “Fame” school. When he graduated, the youngest member of the Cherry family began making a name for himself with appearances in theatre, TV pilots, sitcoms and commercials.

Despite his love of acting, Cherry felt his creativity was being stifled. So he began dabbling in his family trade. Unfortunately, Don Cherry didn’t live to see the culmination of his son’s musical efforts; he died during the recording of the debut Eagle-Eye Cherry album, Desireless.

The tragic death of his father inspired Cherry to live a fuller life, both personally and professionally. “You don’t know when you’re going to go and I know I haven’t done what I wanna do in this life so I better get to work on it,” he said. “My father lived an incredibly full life as a musician. He did so much. He recorded a lot of albums and played with a lot of interesting musicians — traveled and studied in India and Africa.

“I hadn’t really gotten to work on a serious level until after he passed away and that kind of was a kick in the butt for me. So, musically, I started focusing and doing that extra work, not being lazy and settling for less.”

On the personal front, Cherry wants to experience the other end of the parent-child relationship. “I definitely don’t want to leave this world without leaving a few little Cherrys around,” he said.

“My sister Neneh, she’s always prioritized family. In a lot of ways, the record company has gotten very frustrated. But then again, if she’s fine with that, then who cares? She’s got three kids and that’s what comes first. I respect that a lot.

“My dream would be [to] pull a Monet … have a beautiful house or a beautiful garden and a nice family, have big dinners and jam out at the end of the night.”

The beautiful home and loving family may have to wait. These days, the burgeoning rock star is very busy with his career. “It’s been very exciting,” he said. “Everything I ever dreamt of I’ve gotten to do.”

Cherry has played festivals in front of nearly 30,000 people. He played Madison Square Garden, where 20,000 people thrilled him by singing along to “Save Tonight,” his first hit. He was nominated for a Grammy and he’s flown on the Concord. “It’s not all supposed to happen on the first album,” Cherry said. “I have to write a new book of dreams.”

All of those fulfilled dreams have been made possible by a hit record and a lot of performing in both Europe and the United States. Musical tastes may be the same on both sides of the Pond, but touring is a bit different.

Cherry said the first difference is the European festival circuit. “It’s something that’s been around for a very long time,” he said. “A lot of these festivals you play, [have] been there for 20 years. They are incredibly well organized, certain festivals. The catering and everything, it’s just slammin’.”

Another difference is that venues in Europe take a bit more care of the artist, Cherry said. “A lot of venues, like in Italy and France, they cook a big meal for you and you sit down and have a major meal with everybody — your band and crew as well as the crew of the venue,” he said. “Then they pack up and let the crowd in and you get ready for the gig, which is a really cool thing. I think that often we play a better gig when the venue is breaking its back trying to make sure you’re happy.”

On the other hand, the technical aspect of touring in the United States is far superior. “When it comes to sound systems and stuff, the States is definitely a lot … more on it,” he said. “Certain places in Europe, you get there and it’s like, ‘Oh man! What is going to happen?'”

Regardless of the locale, Cherry thrives on performing. He said people often ask him if he’s nervous before a concert. “And it’s like, ‘No way. I have a gig at the end of the night. That’s what I’m waiting for all day.’

“Having been an actor … there’s nothing scarier than performing a play. You are so left out there and you’re very often expressing emotions that you don’t even dare to express as yourself…. So having done that, being a musician is just a dream.”