سيرة
A born and raised New Jersey girl, Cheryl's father, proudly hailing from North Carolina, always reminded her she was "half rebel." He filled the house with his beloved country music, which included tunes by Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, and so many more. Cheryl learned every word to every song and never stopped singing. Music was in her blood, but so was paying her bills, so she went to the University of Arizona, got herself an accounting degree and a CPA license, and got a job with one of those big accounting firms, where she became a partner and made a good living and put her right brain on hold. But there were signs even back then that her music wouldn't let go. Her creative musical side manifested itself into a gratifying but unpaid side job of writing comical parody songs....if someone at work was getting a promotion or retiring-or if one of her friends was hitting a milestone birthday - Cheryl would write them a personalized sing-along parody song. Requests for her songs were unending, and it became almost an official part of her job at the accounting firm and among her friends.
A big aha moment came when she was listening to a kids radio station with her nephew Michael and said to Michael... "we could write a better song than that!" Michael replied quizzically ...."we could write a song?" ......and so the seas opened up. Cheryl formed an animated alter ego called "CADi Grace," and with the help of producer and guitarist Anthony Krizan (of Spin Doctors, Lenny Kravitz fame) made animated videos of story songs she wrote and released The Craziest Dream CD. The fire was lit, and she tried her hand at big people's songs. Teaming up once again with Anthony, she wrote a song (lyrics written while she was staying at the Thayer Hotel at West Point) about the struggles of vets returning home from combat called Home Don't Feel Like Home and won an ASCAP songwriting award for it. She collaborated with her friend, singer-songwriter Maria Adubato and wrote the theme song Where Angels Play for the non-profit organization of the same name. One More Last Time, a song co-written by Anthony Krizan and Dave Gibson is featured on Krizan's latest LP. Three of Cheryl's songs were featured on the recently released, critically acclaimed EP "Lady E" by powerhouse singer Eryn (Shewell). Cheryl's New Jersey anthem song (co-written with Krizan) Jersey Style, belted out by Jersey shore legend Christine Martucci, was featured on NJ 101.5 FM (who called it the perfect NJ summer song) and NY 104.3 FM, was identified as one of the top 350 Jersey songs by NJ Arts, and is the theme song for IHeart Radio's Animal House Radio show.
Now back to full-time creative arts, partnering with Nashville songwriting legend Dave Gibson, Cheryl is is having the time of her life writing, singing, fooling around, and playing the sassy singing waitress Lily Paderini...and making up for lost time.....
