CAT
TRICKS
is the brainchild
of recording artist LAUREN WOOD and
photographer/musician SHERRY RAYN BARNETT. They both live
in Los Angeles in homes that reflect their eccentric fixation with a B-movie
Technicolor world filled with cats. In fact, their love of animals is encoded
in their DNA. LAUREN's family owned the largest pet shop in the U.S.
when she was growing up and "How Much is That Doggie in the Window?" was
written was written about her Dad's store. SHERRY tracks her
cat obsession back to her first childhood box camera that she used to photograph
her pet B&W cat in every position imaginable.
Both
firmly believe that cats should have not only basic animal rights but
human rights as well. These felines have been given the opportunity to
act, dress and choose their careers as they please, just as their humans
have. They sleep in their own PJ's, spend their days in custom made
t-shirts and basically enjoy their everyday "normal" home environment.
Gifted
with a mutual appreciation of the absurd, CAT TRICKS debuted as
a satirical 50's retro slide show entitled "YOUR CAT & YOU".
An audio/visual "how to" of cat care, in which every "right" suggestion
was interpreted by a totally "wrong" photograph, it was first shown in
a darkened night club as a prelude to one of LAUREN's performances,
When the normally jaded L.A. crowd became more and more hysterical with
each succeeding image, through the haze of smoke and the eerie light of
the slide projector, the two looked at each other wide-eyed and declared
“I SMELL MONEY!”. On that fateful night, CAT TRICKS GREETING CARDS
was born.
CAT
TRICKS has since evolved into a viable independent card line with
more than 100 images of birthday , holiday & everyday cards.
Best selling images such as "I HATE MOUSEWORK" , "THE RABBI" and "A NUN'S
TALE" are published nationwide on t-shirts, magnets, calendars & postcards
and have been viewed by television audiences worldwi
SHERRY
RAYN BARNETT
is a photographer/musician/entrepreneur, or as she describes
herself, "a guitographer". Growing up in a household spearheaded by
a mother who encouraged everything creative and eclectic, SHERRY discovered
her first loves early on - a tuxedo cat, a basset hound, and an accordion.
After one too many polkas, and the onset of puberty, she reconsidered her
choices and entered her teens with a guitar and camera in hand. Self-taught,
on her dad's vintage camera collection, she was soon photographing
performers for New York City’s underground music scene while attending the
(Famed) SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS. After graduating as a classical guitar
major, her focus shifted to finding a way to have her first photograph
- of her dog and cat - published.
Thus
began her career in what was to become a "Who's Who" of music photography.
Over the years, her images have been seen in publications including ROLLING
STONE, CIRCUS, CREEM, GUITAR PLAYER and more recently in the pages of
GOLDMINE, ACOUSTIC GUITAR and COUNTRY MUSIC MAGAZINE. Her clients have
included SONY, VERVE/POLYGRAM and WARNER BROS. RECORDS. Artists as diverse
as NINA SIMONE, CHARLIE HADEN and MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER have used her
work for promotion as well as record & CD releases. She has photographed
literally hundreds of performers including the legendary JANIS JOPLIN.
SHERRY is currently represented by the MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES.Since moving
to Los Angeles, where she began her collaboration with LAUREN WOOD, SHERRY
has also traveled internationally as lead guitarist for THE MUSTANGS,
a country-rock band. Rarely leaving home without a camera, her photo files
have expanded to include a remarkable array of roadside marvels, and animal
subjects of almost any humorous kind. In keeping with her love of
animal art, music and the absurd, she dreams of turning her house into
an offbeat museum, complete with guitar-shaped pond, pop-up cows and perhaps
a very miniature golf course.
LAUREN
WOOD Surrounded
by a quirky collection of 50's-era decor, a couple of star felines &
a dog named 'Norman Rappaport', singer/songwriter LAUREN WOOD looks at home.
She is, in fact ... at home. The charmingly wacky pop artist is a voice
familiar to audiences worldwide. From her inauspicious beginning as one
third of CHUNKY, NOVI & ERNIE, a post-psychedelic trio of cousins
from Pittsburgh, LAUREN WOOD has since recorded four albums for Warner
Bros. Records. Each release has pictured her cat somewhere on the cover,
leading up to the appropriately titled "CAT TRICK", which further
succeeded in satisfying LAUREN's lifelong desire to immortalize her
pets.
Although
her recording success dates back to the early 80's with "PLEASE DON'T
LEAVE", a Top 20 duet with Michael McDonald, she's best known as the
singer and writer of the international hit song "FALLEN", from
the PRETTY WOMAN soundtrack, selling over 15 million copies and
earning her multi-platinum record status.
Her
songs have also been recorded by Cher, Dusty Springfield, Gladys Knight,
Sammy Hagar, Johnny Mathis, and many more. She starred as "Little Tu"
in a cult-classic full-length video called "They Must Be Told", with cameos
by Linda Ronstadt, Buck Henry, PeeWee Herman, and, of course, her black
and white cat, "The Bunny".
LAUREN
is currently heard singing the theme song on NBC’s hit sitcom "Just
Shoot Me". She and her eclectic cat family have made numerous television
appearances and she also does voiceovers and writes music for cartoons.
You can find her latest CD, "LAUREN WOOD" on Bad Art
Records in your local record store or from top online music retailers
or at her website: at LaurenWood.com.
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