Cindy Lee Berryhill

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Cindy Lee Berryhill: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Vocals | Randy Hoffman: Drums | Jeff Berkley: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric) | Marcia Claire: Bass guitar

Genre: Acoustic, Country, Rock

Sound description: Alternative folk.

RIYL: Neil Young, Tammy Wynette, the Cathryn Beeks Ordeal

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Synoposis

Inception: San Diego, 1973

Current Status: Playing and recording.

Influences: Berkley Hart, Neil Young, Patti Smith, Van Dyke Parks, Tammy Wynette, Nickel Creek, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, New York City, Brian Wilson, Barbara Nesbitt, Arturo Bandini and our beloved L.A., Ralph Stanley, Mom and Dad and the La Brea Tar Pits, Paul Williams and Crawdaddy! magazine, John/Paul/George/Ringo, Umberto Eco, Green Eggs and Ham, Surfs Up/Child Is Father to the Man, Gary Stewart, Bobbie Gentry, Philip K. Dick

Background:

Cindy Lee Berryhill arrived on the scene in 1987 with her universally acclaimed first album, and her airplay/word-of-mouth hit song "Damn, I Wish I Was a Man" ("I'd be sexy with a belly like Jack Nicholson"), both of which established her as the first of a series of Girls With Attitude (So much so that the next to come along, Ani DiFranci, Alanis Morisettte, and Liz Phair, were surprised to find themselves being compared to this woman they'd never heard of!)

After an album, some singles, a few U.S. and Europe TV appearances and a several tours (with Peter Buck, Christy Moore, and the Smithreens), Berryhill won some dedicated fans, including Beck, Freedy Johnston, Jim Carroll, Steve Poltz of San Diego's Rugburns, and many others.

Berryhill's song "When Did Jesus Become a Republican?" spent most of 2006 and 2007 as a featured track on Neil Young's "Living with War Today" website, where songwriters are encouraged to submit political music. "They actually have a kind of ranking system there for the protest songs," she says, "and I [went] from 'newly added songs' to number 13. I didn't even know it had been added until L.A. Air America radio called and said they found my song on Neil's site and would I do an interview."

Berryhill says she went through the regular submission process and the song's embrace on Young's webpage is unrelated to the fact that, a few years ago, she worked for Young's manager Elliot Roberts and Lookout Management. Sample lyric:

"When did Jesus turn the tables on tender and join the money lenders?

'Stead of sharing with lepers, he's sellin' shares of Halliburton?"

Discography

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