Cheryl Dilcher

Cheryl Dilcher (1949–2005) was an American singer/songwriter who emerged with the 1970 Ampex release Special Songs, followed by the 1973/74 A&M albums Butterfly and Magic. She retired after her 1977 fourth album, Blue Sailor.

Background

She was born Cheryl Aleta Dilcher on November 12, 1949, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. As a teenager, she took up songwriting on the acoustic guitar and modeled her vocals after Jefferson Airplane frontwoman Grace Slick.^> In light of Joni Mitchell‘s recent fame, Cheryl secured her first deal with the record branch of Ampex Corp.

Special Songs

Cheryl Dilcher released her debut album, Special Songs, in November 1970 on Ampex.

Special Songs presents an intimate folk-pop set built around Dilcher’s contoured vocal lines and bright acoustic figures, with harpsichord and piano adding brief flashes of color. The album reflects her early café repertoire, expanded with light ensemble parts arranged to spotlight her voice and guitar at the center.

Dilcher wrote all thirteen songs. Her multi-instrumental work on guitar, piano, harpsichord, and vocals shapes the album’s tone, while organist Amedeo Borsetti, flutist David Smith, bassist David Wagner, and drummer Mario Garcia support her across the set. Two bassists—Wagner and Lane Emley—appear on separate tracks, and guitarist John Adelson also adds organ and harmonica. Bette Midler and Jim Turner contribute background voices.

The songs fall into two spheres: inward pieces that trace private doubt and reflection, and outward sketches that frame small narrative moments with simple, direct imagery. Shorter vignettes like “Music Box” act as connective tissue between fuller songs.

A1. “A Better Day” (3:44) — portrays a shift from fatigue to cautious resolve as the narrator studies a path out of personal stagnation.
A2. “Mercy, Dear Lord, Mercy” (2:35) — centers on a plainspoken plea for steadiness during emotional strain.
A3. “Three Wishes” (2:40) — follows a narrator who weighs imagined outcomes against real limitations.
A4. “Richard Never Cries” (2:46) — depicts a withdrawn figure whose restraint unsettles those around him.
A5. “Do I Have to Wait Very Long” (3:30) — conveys the tension of delayed connection.
A6. “Song by a Bird” (3:25) — frames a fleeting moment of escape through natural imagery.
A7. “Music Box” (0:30) — a brief harpsichord miniature that bridges the album’s halves.

B1. “How I’d Like to Go Home” (3:18) — expresses a restless pull toward familiarity.
B2. “Cotton Joe” (2:50) — sketches a small character portrait with clipped, rhythmic pacing.
B3. “Little Miss No One” (2:33) — follows a narrator who confronts invisibility and self-worth.
B4. “Happy Times” (2:30) — contrasts upbeat phrasing with a subcurrent of doubt.
B5. “Goodbye” (3:58) — addresses the finality of parting with steady, unadorned lines.
B6. “Save the World” (3:45) — turns outward to frame fragile optimism against broader unrest.

Sessions occurred in 1970 with producer Johnny Dee and an in-house engineering team assembled by Ampex.

Butterfly

Cheryl Dilcher released her second album, Butterfly, in July 1973 on A&M.

Butterfly widens Dilcher’s palette with denser arrangements that place her twelve-string patterns against piano, organ, brass, and a full rhythm team under producer Jeff Barry. Several tracks move with a quicker, clipped pulse that contrasts the acoustic focus of her debut. Dilcher wrote all twelve songs.

She divides the set between brief, voice-forward vignettes and fuller ensemble tracks that push a firmer rhythmic pace. “Deep Down Inside” and “So Sad” keep her acoustic lines centered while the keyboards add bright, percussive accents. “Rainbow Farm” shifts to a looser, campfire cadence with light piano flourishes.

Side B pivots to sharper, bass-driven pieces: “High,” “Chocolate Candy,” and “All Woman” move with a taut backbeat that frames her more assertive delivery. “Irma” introduces a vaudeville-tinged sequence shaped by the piano’s clipped stride patterns, while “Good Morning World” leans toward a country-rock cadence with brisk strumming and upbeat phrasing.

A1. “Butterfly” (1:49)
A2. “Deep Down Inside” (3:27)
A3. “Sweet Mama” (2:32)
A4. “Rainbow Farm” (3:02)
A5. “So Sad” (2:54)
A6. “Can’t Get Enough of You” (2:55)

B1. “Irma” (3:54)
B2. “High” (2:44)
B3. “Good Morning World” (2:50)
B4. “Once Upon a Crime” (2:59)
B5. “Chocolate Candy” (1:56)
B6. “All Woman” (2:56)

Sessions took place at A&M Studios in Hollywood with producer Jeff Barry and engineers Norm Kinney and Tommy Vicari (“Irma”). Clarence McDonald and Mike Melvoin split the keyboard parts. Chuck Rainey and Jack Conrad traded off on bass.

Butterfly features art direction by Roland Young and illustration by David Willardson, issued in an Ivy Duo-Pak sleeve with a die-cut butterfly mask and a printed inner sleeve with lyrics.

A&M promoted the album with “Deep Down Inside” (b/w “Rainbow Farm”) in September 1973. “Can’t Get Enough of You (My Man)” followed as the second single (b/w “Good Morning World”) later that year.

Magic

Cheryl Dilcher released her third album, Magic, in June 1974 on A&M.

Magic shifts Dilcher into a fuller trio-centered sound with guitarist Rick “Robin” Beilke, bassist Randy Koontz, and drummer Joe Aglio, supported by keyboardist Clarence McDonald, pedal-steel player Rusty Young, and saxophonist Nino Tempo. Jeff Barry’s production keeps her twelve-string patterns framed by tight rhythm parts and occasional brass or steel accents. Dilcher wrote all ten songs on the album.

The sequence moves between brisk rock-and-roll runs, slower acoustic passages, and brief stylistic detours. “Magic” opens with an acoustic instrumental built on clipped strums and descending figures. “Devil Song” broadens the texture with pedal-steel shading, while “Fantasy” expands into a longer mid-tempo piece that centers her contoured vocal lines over steady keyboard support.

Side B turns to firmer, rhythm-driven tracks: “Who’s the Captain (Of Rock ’n Roll)” pushes a more forceful pace, “The Good Times” settles into a lighter, forward pulse, and “Dance” stretches to five minutes with extended guitar patterns. “You’re the One” and “Together” return to compact arrangements with her voice and guitar at the front.

A1. “Magic” (2:58)
A2. “Home to Me” (3:15)
A3. “Devil Song” (4:10)
A4. “It’s a Secret” (3:33)
A5. “Fantasy” (4:43)

B1. “Who’s the Captain (Of Rock ’n Roll)” (3:20)
B2. “The Good Times” (3:27)
B3. “Together” (3:16)
B4. “You’re the One” (2:56)
B5. “Dance” (5:29)

Sessions occurred in early 1974 at A&M Studios in Hollywood with producer Jeff Barry and engineer Norm Kinney, assisted by Milt Calice. Bernie Grundman handled mastering.

A&M promoted the album with “The Good Times” (b/w “Together”) in July 1974.

Blue Sailor

Cheryl Dilcher released her fourth and final album, Blue Sailor, in September 1977 on Butterfly.

Blue Sailor presents a denser, radio-aimed production than her prior albums, shaped by two producers (Jim Taylor and John Stronach) and a large cast of studio players. Dilcher fronts the material on twelve-string and acoustic guitar with support from drummer Craig Krampf, bassist Erik Scott, keyboardist Steve Hardin, percussionist Joe Lala, and three backing singers, plus select guests that include organist Al Kooper (on “Ellie”), slide-guitar player Lowell George (on “Keep On Walkin’”), and synthesist W. Michael Lewis.

The set splits between tight, mid-tempo pieces built on steady rhythm lines and slower tracks with broader vocal contours. “Run and Hide” opens with clipped guitar figures against a firm backbeat, while “Ellie” adds organ shading around her higher-register lines. “Shake Me Up” pushes a more forceful pace with layered rhythm guitars, and “Here Comes My Baby” broadens into a slower, heavier arrangement. Side B pivots from the long, atmospheric “Blue Sailor” to the forward drive of “Keep On Walkin’,” which features electric slide figures. “Lovin’ Woman” and “Follow the Love” return to compact, rock-leaning arrangements with sharper turns in the vocal phrasing.

A1. “Run and Hide” (3:38)
A2. “Ellie” (3:09) — features organ by Al Kooper
A3. “Shake Me Up” (3:44)
A4. “What Do I Do Now?” (3:25)
A5. “Here Comes My Baby” (3:59) — features rhythm guitar by Al Kooper
B1. “Blue Sailor” (4:58)
B2. “Keep On Walkin’” (4:04) — features slide guitar by Lowell George
B3. “Lovin’ Woman” (3:06)
B4. “Follow the Love” (3:09)

Sessions occurred in August 1977 at the Record Plant in Los Angeles with producers Jim Taylor and John Stronach and engineers Bruce Hensal and Stronach. Kendun Recorders mastered the album.

Blue Sailor credits Dilcher, Taylor, and Stronach with the arrangements; Lewis arranged the strings. Glenn Ross handled art direction and design from photographs by Bob Levy and Buddy Rosenberg.

Butterfly supported the album with the “Lovin’ Woman” b/w “Follow the Love” single in late 1977.

Discography:

• Special Songs (1971)
• Butterfly (1973)
• Magic (1974)
• Blue Sailor (1977)

Sources:

• Discogs: Cheryl Dilcher
• 45worlds: Cheryl Dilcher
• 45cat: Cheryl Dilcher
• MusicBrainz: Cheryl Dilcher