Cherokee Rose
Bands / Ensembles
Cherokee Rose was an all-female bluegrass band formed in Georgia in 1979 by Frances Mundy-Mooney (banjo), with Connie Morris, Mindy Johnson (Rakestraw?), and Tyra D. Sommers. Mooney, a Georgia native, had played bass with the Bluegrass Alliance and sung with the Bluegrass Generation in Louisville, Kentucky, before returning to Georgia. Connie left early on and was replaced by songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Louisa Branscomb who joined after her earlier band, Boot Hill, broke up. Other members included bassist Missy Raines and Lynn Morris. Mooney eventually left, saying the schedule had become too hard to manage with her children, and handed the band over to the remaining members. Branscomb also stayed only briefly before moving to Atlanta for doctoral study.