Meet Cheryl Cooley Member of klymaxx

Cheryl Cooley is the heart and soul of KLYMAXX. An original member and guitarist of KLYMAXX, the first all-female Funk/R&B/Pop band, rising in the mid-eighties and maintaining the magnetic power of the unruly genre that defies labels. Cheryl Cooley infused electric passion into the rhythmic beats. Her passion and creativity carved the unique sound into the spirit of KLYMAXX. Guitarist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and gifted performer, the dynamic force, Cheryl Cooley crafted the unique funky beat. Bold words like “the men all pause when I walk into the room”, “there’s a meeting in the Ladies’ room” and “don’t slap me cause I’m not in the mood” set KLYMAXX in a position of power in the industry and blew open doors in a male-dominated industry. The contagious funky beat set new standards climbing Billboard Charts over and over. New music selfgenerated through the exquisite artistry of Cheryl Cooley. Her unique sound and absolute power are legacy, unmatched today. KLYMAXX and Cheryl Cooley continue to ignite diverse audiences of all demographics across the globe. She continues to drop new music and detonate audiences into the joy of the funk.

When did you become interested in music?

When I was a kid and I saw the Beatles performing on television, I thought, "gee, I want to do that when I grow up". My parents always gave me a toy guitar every other Christmas, so I would say the guitar choose me, lol. When Sly and the Family Stone introduced funk music into the music industry, I felt in my soul funk music would be the style I wanted to learn and play. My sister was married to a Jazz musician, Hubert Laws, and one day he had his guitar at my parents' house and I told him I had (toy) one also. So I played a little tune on it and my sister, screamed, "let's get Cheryl some guitar lessons" and that was the start of my musical journey.

Being the musical director and responsible for getting Klymaxx to the connection for a record deal. Having wrote the music for Klymaxx's first record release. Having gold/platinum records with Klymaxx. Wrote music arrangements for my high school band for the football games season As a learning youth musician, being a part of the City of Compton's community Communicative Artists Jazz Band, both as a guitarist and a junior conductor. My first professional paid gig as a kid was performing opening act for comedian, Redd Foxx. Having a Music College Degree in Commercial Music. Being able to read, write, score and arrange music. Being first chair (guitar) for 70's artist, Thelma Houston, when she travels with a band. Klymaxx being awarded the first annual Women Songwriters Hall of Fame award in Washington, DC in 2021. In the Klymaxx song, "Wild Girls", writer/producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, specifically wanted me to play the wild guitar solo at the vamp end of the song. Because of their confidence in my guitar acuity and abilities, it catapulted my own confidence in my performance ability. It furthermore, changed the way I play even today and I am forever grateful to them for that.

Advice for an aspiring entrepreneur?

Learn everything you can about your craft. How to properly perform your instrument. Like if you are a vocalist, learn how to breathe properly when singing. If you're an instrumentalist, how to hold and play your instrument properly. How to read music. How to read contracts. Maintain your health. And the most important, I always tell aspiring artists... SAVE MONEY, PUT MONEY ASIDE. Because there are going to come those times when the music productions and gigs will slow down and you want to have enough to sustain yourself now and even later in life without the stress of not having enough.

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