The Record Store Years (and beyond) #105: Overlooked Artists: Cheri Knight, a Knitter from the Northeast Kingdom Pt 1: Blood Oranges and “The Knitter”

Cheri Knight’s musical career began with the band Blood Oranges, formed by singer/songwriter/mandolinist Jim Ryan in the late 1980s and responsible for two albums and an EP released between 1990 and 1994 (not to be confused with the twenty-first century British artist Devoné Hynes who has released several albums as ‘Blood Orange’).

The 1990s Blood Oranges consisted of Knight on bass and vocals, Ryan on mandolin and vocals, guitarist Mark Spencer and drummer Ron Ward (later replaced by Keith Levreault), and their music fit squarely into the ‘alternative country’ realm today referred to as americana. Ryan had a background in bluegrass coupled with a love of rock ‘n’ roll, and their debut Corn River is a potent mix of the two with a combination of traditional tunes like “Shady Grove” and “Little Maggie” and some strong original songs by Ryan. Released on the small indie label ESD [East Side Digital] in 1990, Corn River received minimal promotion from the label and sold very few copies, though it did draw the attention of guitarist, producer, and all-around musical good guy Eric “Roscoe” Ambel.

The result of this was Blood Oranges’ second effort, an EP called Lone Green Valley released on ESD in 1992. It was produced – with vastly improved sound over their debut - by Roscoe Ambel, and included a re-recorded take on “Shady Grove” plus five other songs including Cheri Knight’s first songwriting contribution to the band.

“All The Way Down” is a devastating, dirge-like tale of an alcoholic woman seemingly shunned by society, and though never stated explicitly possibly the victim of an abusive man. The song is devastating – “She’s losing her courage and she’s losing her looks / It’s time that is carving the wrinkles and scars / It did not sneak up on her kindly, no, that bull charged” – and immediately establishes Knight as a songwriter of depth.

Blood Oranges recorded one more album for ESD before splitting up in 1994. The Crying Tree, released in 1993 and again produced by Ambel, is far and away their best work – it rocks harder than the previous two while retaining the country and bluegrass roots. The material is all original and generally excellent, with Knight providing four of the album’s best and heaviest tracks, both in terms of sound and subject matter.

“Hell’s Half Acre” is an instant earworm with a crunchy guitar and cowbell-laden hook, far more ‘alternative’ [as in rock] than ‘country’. Knight’s aggressive vocal addresses a former lover in no uncertain terms: “You should be looking to the left / You should be looking to the right / Better look over your shoulder / ’Cos Hell’s half acre’s gonna burn tonight,” as the band rages behind her and Mark Spencer takes a screaming guitar solo.

This song and Knight’s other three contributions to The Crying Tree show her developing mightily as a songwriter, and they set the template for the two superb solo albums she would release following Blood Orange’s demise.

Above: The Knitter - cover concept, frame and woolens by Cheri.

“Glad to meet you I’ve been waiting, I’m the one they call the knitter

I can wind you like a wool thread, and knot you up into a sweater”

Cheri Knight’s first album comes on like gangbusters, opening with pounding drums, a burst of electric guitar and an unequivocal statement of purpose as per the lyrics above: Glad to meet you, but don’t mess with me. She goes on to cleverly incorporate yarn and knitting metaphors throughout the title song into an uncompromising statement –

“I made a little stitch was just like whispering / Knit a hundred more sounds like crying

I raised the lamp and needles drawn saw the empty face / Among the racks and skeins couldn’t find mine

I’m unwinding everything I’ve ever made / And the very best have come unraveled

But I don’t mind / No I don’t mind. . .”

The singing and playing exude a defiant confidence, and the songcraft has improved from Knight’s Blood Oranges material to a whole new level. While still touching on the alt country vein with “Down By The Water” and “Paper Wings,” the latter of which could qualify as a classic c & w lament in the hands of Merle or George, The Knitter is basically a rock album, albeit one that quiets down a bit after the opening salvo. Roscoe Ambel is again in the producer’s chair and also provides plenty of juicy guitar throughout, and the rhythm section of Ray Mason and DBs drummer Will Rigby alternately play with aggression or sensitivity as befits each song.

Audio: “The Knitter” (© 1995 by Cheri Knight)

While not as consistently strong as her follow-up discussed in my next post, The Knitter contains several of Knight’s best songs. “Last Barn Dance” sounds by its title like it should be a country tune but falls more into the singer/songwriter realm, with achingly poignant lyrics ruminating on aging with the one you love – “Later on when the leaves are scattered / We will look at the world with older eyes / Here we are on a road bound together / You and I, you and I, you and I”. The gentle acoustic arrangement and beautiful melody save the sentiment from becoming maudlin, and the track is a standout.

Equally powerful in a completely different way is “Wishing Well,” which is essentially a modern take on the classic murder ballad. Set to a dirge-y backbeat with resonator guitar colorations courtesy of Roscoe, it opens with the chorus “Throw it down the wishing well / Watch it sparkle down under the water”. What “it” is becomes clear as the song progresses from the first verse with our protagonist in a white dress (presumably wedding) holding “silver roses,” to the second verse wherein she’s wearing a red dress, holding a “silver locket” and realizing “He’s gone”. And finally, the third verse, which reveals the mystery:

“She’s standing in the garden with a black dress on / Silver dagger in her hand

Blossoms fall, there she cries, I’ll keep you where your body lies

Forever more with roses red and bleeding hearts – none will have you”

It’s obvious that the sparkling item in the wishing well is an engagement or wedding ring, and the woman has meted her revenge on the man who did her wrong. This is absolutely masterful songwriting, and further implies Cheri Knight’s statement from the outset: “Don’t mess with me.”

Audio: “Wishing Well” (© 1995 by Cheri Knight)

Finally, there is “Spellbound,” a ballad that also takes a second verse to reveal itself as a heartbreaking take on homelessness, viewed through the eyes of a woman remembering Christmas mornings as a child. If you get through this one without tearing up, better check your pulse (or empathy).

As good as it is, The Knitter is not a perfect album – it bogs down a bit at times between the stunners – but I only view it that way because the follow-up is pretty darn near perfect. . .