Rarely has a band risen from obscurity to the top of their field more rapidly than Cherryholmes, and the family group looks to continue that momentum with the September 30 release of their new record, 'Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe.'

Cherryholmes formed in 1999 and released three independent records before signing with Ricky Skaggs' label, Skaggs Family Records, in 2005. That same year, they made history when they were the first act to be nominated for both the Emerging Artist Award and Entertainer of the Year honor at the International Bluegrass Association Awards. They won the entertainer trophy.

They followed that with 'Cherryholmes II: Black and White,' which topped Billboard's bluegrass album chart and earned the band second Grammy nomination.

For their third set, family patriarch Jere Cherryholmes says the goal was simple: "Our overall approach was to try to capitalize on the maturing writing skills and playing skills of the band itself," Cherryholmes says of making the project with his wife, Sandy, and their children -- Molly, 16; Skip, 18; B.J., 20; Cia Leigh, 24.

"You're not dealing with veteran players. Some of these other group members have been in the business for 20-25 years. In our situation, we're literally watching our children mature physically and grow older and at the same time watching them mature emotionally, intellectually and in their skills both playing and writing. The biggest thing I observed with this one is the ability of the kids to write at a more mature level and to find the link between lyric and music."

The band hopes to expand into the country arena, as the record label plans to send 'This is My Son' to country radio stations. The song was written by Cia following a conversation she had with a disc jockey whose son was heading to Iraq.

"We've always had an affinity for country music since we moved to Nashville and realized the roots of bluegrass and country were so closely linked," says Cherryholmes. "I feel the message in 'This is My Son' is certainly timely and needs more widespread exposure."

The band also plans to expose bluegrass by playing concerts with symphony orchestras in various cities on their upcoming tour. A documentary film crew has also been traveling with the band, and the footage will be used for an upcoming TV show. The network hasn't been confirmed, but will likely be the Learning Channel or the Oxygen Network.

"They want to do a film documentary about how the band came about and how far it has come," says Cherryholmes.

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