Bluegrass Sensation CHERRYHOLMES Comes To Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts 10/20

From hard-hitting Bluegrass gospel to old time mountain and country tunes, the hit band Cherryholmes is an alt-country group picking, strumming, singing and yodeling Americana music that is based on the rural traditions of the 1930's and 1940's America.

Until April of 1999, this dynamic family band - featuring twin fiddles, dueling banjos, a claw hammer banjo, upright bass, mandolin and shining vocals -- did not exist, and half of its youthful members hadn't even picked up an instrument. But in the blink of an eye, this high-energy Nashville-based band was named 2005 IBMA's Entertainers of the Year, received a 2006 Grammy nomination for their first CD release "Cherryholmes," as Best Bluegrass Album of the Year, and their second Grammy-nominated album "Black And White," which they performed live for Spencer patrons in 2007, came in at No. 1 on Billboard's Bluegrass Album Charts. Cherryholmes' latest album, "Don't Believe" garnered them their third and fourth Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album, and crossed them over into the Best Country Instrumental Performance category for the track, "Sumatra."

That's pretty darn good for a bunch of home-schooled country kids.

The number one family of Bluegrass takes center stage in an encore performance at the Spencer Theater on Tuesday, October 20 at 8 p.m. Excellent seats are available for $39 & $36. Call the Spencer Box Office at 505.336.4800 or go online at www.spencertheater.com for tickets today!
Cherryholmes, which is the family surname, has many qualities that make them unique, but the basis of their success lies in plain, old-fashioned hard work combined with star talent that just glows more brightly with each performance. They quite simply embody the American Bluegrass dream.

All six band members draw upon their creative ideas to form their fresh and original brand of bluegrass music. Every member takes a turn singing lead and showcasing their abilities, and their live shows include Irish step dancing and classic country yodeling.

While they've continually received industry nominations and awards since first coming on the scene, Cherryholmes has also caught the eye of the Skaggs Family Records, which released "Black and White." Anyone who follows Bluegrass or Alt Country knows how significant that is: Ricky Skaggs is largely responsible for a back-to-basics movement in country music and those on his recording label are traditional country artists.

Cherryholmes band leader, papa Jere, sums the band up this way, "People say that bluegrass music has to change or evolve or it will die. Well, if you change something from one thing to another it isn't alive anyway. I don't really think it needs to be changed. It just needs new life breathed into it. I feel like maybe I'm offering that with my family."

Coming Up:

• THE WEDDING SINGER Thurs Nov 5 at 8 ($69 & $66) Featuring a host of ‘80's hits, this zesty musical comedy is about New Jersey's favorite wedding singer who's good at his job because he's in love with love -- until he's jilted at the alter by his own fiancé. A 2006 Tony nominee, THE WEDDING SINGER is set in the 1990's and stars 30 singers, dancers, actors and orchestra musicians.

WAYS TO ORDER/ BUY Winter Season 2009-10 Tickets (public series & public single ticket sales)

GO TO THE BOX OFFICE: at the theater at108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220, Alto, NM. Business hours are 9 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. No phone orders are accepted for series sales. For tickets or information call (575) 336-4800 or toll free at 888.818.7872.

ON THE WEB: www.spencertheater.com. The site offers secure ticket ordering.

BY FAX: series and single tickets can be ordered by fax at (575) 336-0055.

BY E-MAIL: single tickets may be ordered at boxoffice@spencertheater.com.

BY MAIL: Donna Clarke, Box Office Manager, Spencer Theater, 108 Spencer Road, Alto, NM 88312

Winter Season 2009-10 is sponsored in part by The Hugh Bancroft Jr. Foundation, Compass Bank, the Inn of the Mountain Gods, Sierra Blanca Motors, Ruidoso Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, R.D. & Joan Dale Hubbard Foundation, Ventanas, The Enjoyment of Fine Southwestern Living, Montaraz, Rainmakers, El Paso Inside & Out Magazine, Oh So Ruidoso, Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Ruidoso.net, area radio stations KRUI-1490 AM NEWS TALK TOURISM & KIDX 101.5 FM, KNMB-96.7 FM, KTUM 107.1 FM, KBIM-94.9 FM, 910 AM Roswell, KWES 93.5 FM and KBUY 1360 AM, KEDU 102.3 FM, and the support of Ruidoso News.

Spencer Theater is a world-class performance hall located in the Sacramento Mountain settlement of Alto, about 12 miles north of downtown Ruidoso. Unique architecture, outstanding acoustics, intimate seating, and excellent artistry are the Spencer's celebrated features. The elegant, award-winning hall, which first raised its curtains in 1997, seats 514, with no seats farther than 67 feet from the 4,770 square-foot stage. The Spencer also has a 964 square-foot outdoor stage that can seat 1,500. From its Spanish mica-flecked limestone face to the crystal lobby, the building itself is a work of art. Free public tours are offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year.