NASHVILLE, TN. (Universal Records) - It was born out of friendship – and realized in the spirit of fun. But The Notorious Cherry Bombs' fuse is far longer than a moment or a mere recording, not that Rodney Crowell and
Vince Gill had any master plan when they reconvened Tony Brown, Hank DeVito and Richard Bennett, along with Eddie Bayers, Jr, Michael Rhodes and John Hobbs.
So when the word came that 'It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night (That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long)' was nominated for both Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo or Group and Best Country Song, it was a vicarious validation of something that had already more than delivered for the Grammy-winning and critically-acclaimed individuals who make up Nashville's answer to the Travelling Wilburys.
'You always want to be recognized by your peers,' admits Crowell, who was deemed Entertainment Weekly's 'It Songwriter' three years ago. 'Not for vanity's sake, but because you want to think what you've done as an artist has touched the other people who make music. Maybe 'It's Hard To Kiss' isn't 'Please Remember Me' or 'When I Call Your Name,' but it's the kind of song that makes people laugh – because it's just one of those songs, and laughter is good, too.
'But more importantly, this record came out of a place of celebrating the musical connection Tony and Vince and Hank and Larry Londin and a bunch of us had when we were young guys hanging out in Southern California... It was such a heady time of music, and when we went back, we found out what we were doing wasn't nostalgia or talking about games we'd played in high school, but actually making music that was as strong or stronger than what we were doing back then. And that is an amazing thing that I hope people see, too.'
The Notorious Cherry Bombs have been the object of an essay on 'CBS Sunday Morning,' appeared on 'The Tonight Show,' the Grand Ole Opry and 'Grand Ole Opry Live' and 'Today Weekend,' profiled in USA Today, Country Standard Time and Tracks, featured in People, Entertainment Weekly, Blender, The Los Angeles Times and Goldmine.
In addition, the all-star band – originally reconvened in honor of Rodney Crowell's 2002 ASCAP Creative Achievement Award in recognition of his body of work -- did a lights-out standing room only show at Nashville's storied Ryman Auditorium that followed a performance of the album that brought them back together, followed by a Greatest Hits set that featured the best of Crowell and Gill's solo work.
'I said as long as it was fun, we should keep doing it,' laughed 16-time Grammy-winner Gill. 'And if it stopped being fun, we should know that it was time to let it go. It's been easy... and it's been about making music with your friends. It's what we set out to do.'
With plans for a new single in the first part of 2005, the Notorious Cherry Bombs continue making their way on their terms. With two new Grammy nominations to show for it, evidently lots of people are taking notice.
