Cherrie Holden combines education, blues

Detractors, as well as supporters, may have thought that self-proclaimed right-winger Cherrie Holden would face her biggest challenge when she decided to take a stab at politics this year. After all, it was just a year ago when Marilyn Loeffel, a conservative political activist from Cordova, was denied an appointment for a seat on the State Board of Education.

But, Holden, a 41-year-old Germantown resident, didn't feel the pressure at all. An active PTA member at Germantown Elementary and Germantown High School, Holden's passion for improving the education system ran deep. Running without any opposition, Holden's seat on the State Board of Education by the Tennessee House of Representatives was confirmed in April by a 96-0 vote.

As for Holden's next challenge, it's a bit daunting, too, but in a different way. It turns out that the politically conservative Holden is also a blues junkie at heart. And, as the recently appointed convention manager for Bluestock, a local blues showcase, convention and trade show now in its second year, it is up to Holden to make sure the event is a success.

"Right now, (Bluestock) is a mixture of organization and chaos," Holden says. "But, to create anything, you have to start with chaos."

She adds it was Bluestock's focus on education that attracted her to participate in the event on a volunteer basis last year.

"Bluestock is the only blues event I've seen that provides an educational aspect for its audience," Holden says. "Bluestock is anything but a typical festival - a festival to me is generally a crowd listening to the music. There's no education going on, there are no industry reps. Bluestock has both."

Despite Holden's upbringing, (her mother was the supervisor of music in the city schools), she did not delve into the music arena until recently.

A former investment banker and former creator and host of the political radio talk show, "Inside Memphis!," Holden became fascinated with music again when she retuned to college at the University of Memphis in August 1995. She is currently pursuing a bachelor of arts in contemporary Tennessee political history - a major she created.

"There is so much music involved in the culture of our politics," Holden says. "You can go back and study a particular segment of society and find out how music influenced that segment's political structure. It was my classes that really fueled my desire to get back into music."

And with a vengeance, it appears. Holden boasts memberships with the Memphis Songwriter's Association, the Beale Street Blues Society, the Blues Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), spending countless hours providing public relations strategies for these blues groups.

Holden also had a year-and-a-half stint as business manager for Ecko Records, a small independent soul/blues record label operated out of the home of John Ward, the owner.

"I didn't record, I didn't write (music) and they certainly wouldn't let me sing," Holden says with a smile. "But, I did everything else."

Holden decided to leave Ecko last month to concentrate on her latest endeavor at Bluestock. Bluestock will take place Oct. 23-24 on Beale Street.

"I left (Ecko) because I needed a change," Holden says. "I'm a real people-person and in that capacity, I wasn't able to get out in the public. My position at Bluestock will allow me to interact more freely."

While volunteering for Bluestock last year, Holden met up with Chuck Porter, also a volunteer at the time. The two are reunited in Bluestock's effort, as Porter is now Bluestock's production manager.

"We met literally in the street," Holden says. "We both worked on all of the behind-the-scenes things and fell in love with the event. Unlike other events that I've been to, Bluestock was electric. It was one of the few events I've seen where everyone was expecting a good time and everyone had a good time."

Eli Ball, who headed up Crossroads Music Expo's seventh successful year, and is the co-creator of Bluestock, will serve as convention chairman.

"Eli is steering (Bluestock) right into the position of the number one blues event in the country," Holden says. "We will have the top retail, distribution, radio, clubs, artists, fans of the artists, and labels. Bluestock will be the event for the blues industry to showcase acts and for the fans to start their followings."

Similar to Crossroads' set-up, Bluestock will have an industry showcase its first night, as well as host a variety of educational panels dealing with issues such as securing a record deal, booking events, radio promotion, publicity, marketing and hiring management. Harry Duncan, an industry veteran out of San Francisco, is organizing the advisory panels for the event. Confirmed panelists include: Paul Goldman, Monterey Peninsula Artists; Kevin Morrow, House of Blues; Laurie Jacoby, Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts; John Boncimiro, MB Management; and Bill Adler, Mouth Almighty Records.

With five months and counting before the big event, Holden and Porter plan traveling to several festivals around the country, gathering ideas and suggestions along the way.

"We want to keep improving (Bluestock) more and more each year," Porter says. "The blues industry works differently than other music genres. Blues is so much harder to take into the mainstream, so everyone in the blues industry has to work together for events like Bluestock to succeed."

Or, one might add, it just needs Cherrie Holden