1. Ava Cherry collaborated with English musician David Bowie between 1972 and 1975; the two met in New York City when she was a nightclub waitress and Bowie was touring for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
22 Facts About Ava Cherry
1. 2.
Ava Cherry was born in 1953 to an African-American family in Woodlawn, a working-class neighbourhood on the south side of Chicago.
3.
Ava Cherry's father was a postal worker and trumpet player who worked long hours, "from four o'clock in the morning [until] nine o'clock at night", and she rarely saw him; her mother worked in the administration department for Playboy Enterprises.
4.
Ava Cherry was introduced to Hugh Hefner by her friends, and was underage at the time she lived in the mansion.
5.
Ava Cherry attended Academy of Our Lady High School and graduated in the early 1970s.
6.
Ava Cherry first aspired to be a model after graduating high school, putting together a book of headshots and finding work with several agencies.
7.
Ava Cherry disliked her unusual last name, but was told by modelling agencies it was an asset to her career.
8.
Ava Cherry later moved to New York City for her career, but it failed to prosper, and she found work as a cocktail waitress to pay the bills.
9.
Ava Cherry first heard about David Bowie through her agent, who was an early fan and gave her a copy of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
10.
Ava Cherry was captivated by the record, which she played "about a hundred times", and by Bowie's aesthetic sensibility.
11.
At the time, Ava Cherry was a waitress at the Genesis nightclub and a close friend of Stevie Wonder's then-girlfriend, who knew Bowie; when she invited Wonder to host an afterparty at Genesis, Bowie attended.
12.
Shortly after they began dating, Ava Cherry met Bowie's wife Angela Barnett and was shocked to learn he was married until Bowie clarified they were in an open marriage.
13.
Ava Cherry founded a soul-influenced trio called The Astronettes, featuring Cherry, long-time collaborator Warren Peace, and Jason Guess, and recorded and produced their tracks in London through late 1973 and early 1974.
14.
Ava Cherry introduced him to the Sigma Sound Studios, synonymous with Philadelphia soul, where the album was recorded.
15.
Ava Cherry was later quoted as saying that it was her influence on and encouragement of Bowie that inspired him to perform black music in the first place.
16.
Ava Cherry was a standout member of the Young Americans backing band, attracting the approval of critic Lester Bangs in Creem.
17.
Ava Cherry grew increasingly paranoid, placing a strain on their relationship.
18.
Ava Cherry said he wrote the songs "Golden Years" and "Stay" from Station to Station about her, although exactly whom the songs were written for is disputed by Bowie biographers.
19.
People From Bad Homes was regarded by some reviewers, notably Chris O'Leary of Pushing Ahead of the Dame and the Bowie chronologies Rebel Rebel and Ashes to Ashes, as a curiosity with little value except to chronicle the history of later Bowie songs, such as "Scream Like a Baby", a reworking of Ava Cherry's "I Am a Laser".
20.
The minor success of the album combined with Ava Cherry's history was enough for her to sign a deal with Capitol Records shortly after.
21.
The dresses Ava Cherry wore on stage frequently cost more than his own outfits.
22.
Ava Cherry has sang backup for Chaka Khan and Robert Palmer.