Cherry Poppin' Daddies

2025-10-09T06:52:04Z

2601:249:9382:E110:68C5:C71A:BA14:AEF3: /* Former members */

{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Short description|American band}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Cherry Poppin' Daddies
| image = CherryPoppinDaddies2017.jpg
| landscape = yes
| alt = The band onstage
| caption = Cherry Poppin' Daddies performing in California in 2017
| origin = [[Eugene, Oregon]], U.S.
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Swing revival]]
* [[ska]]
* [[rock music|rock]]
* [[jazz]]
* {{nowrap|[[ska punk]]}}
}}
| years_active = {{flatlist|
* 1989–2000
* 2002–present
}}
| label = [[Space Age Bachelor Pad Records|Space Age Bachelor Pad]], [[Mojo Records|Mojo]], [[Rock Ridge Music|Rock Ridge]]
| website = {{URL|daddies.com}}
| current_members = * [[Steve Perry (Oregon musician)|Steve Perry]]
* [[Dan Schmid]]
* [[Dana Heitman]]
* Willie Matheis
* Zak Johnson
* Matt Hettwer
* Josh Hettwer
| past_members = See: [[#Band members|Cherry Poppin' Daddies former members]]
}}

The '''Cherry Poppin' Daddies''' are an American [[swing music|swing]] and [[ska]] band established in [[Eugene, Oregon]], in 1989. Formed by singer-songwriter [[Steve Perry (Oregon musician)|Steve Perry]] and bassist [[Dan Schmid]], the band has experienced numerous personnel changes over the course of its 30-year history, with only Perry, Schmid and trumpeter [[Dana Heitman]] currently remaining from the original founding lineup.

The Daddies' music is primarily a mix of [[swing music|swing]] and [[ska]], contrastingly encompassing both traditional [[jazz]]-influenced variations of the genres as well as contemporary rock and [[punk rock|punk]] hybrids, characterized by a prominent [[horn section]] and Perry's acerbic and [[innuendo]]-laced lyricism often concerning dark or political subject matter. While the band's earliest releases were mostly grounded in punk and [[funk rock]], their later studio albums have since incorporated elements from many diverse genres of [[popular music]] and [[Americana (music)|Americana]] into their sound, including [[rockabilly]], [[rhythm and blues]], [[soul music|soul]] and [[world music]].

Initially drawing both acclaim and controversy as a preeminent regional band, the Daddies gained wider recognition touring nationally within the American ska scene before ultimately breaking into the musical mainstream with their 1997 swing compilation ''[[Zoot Suit Riot (album)|Zoot Suit Riot]]''. Released at the peak of the 1990s [[swing revival]], ''Zoot Suit Riot'' sold over two million copies in the United States while its [[Zoot Suit Riot (song)|eponymous single]] became a radio hit, launching the Daddies to the forefront of the neo-swing movement. By the end of the decade, however, interest in the swing revival had swiftly declined, along with the band's commercial popularity. The resultant failure of their subsequent album ''[[Soul Caddy]]'' contributed to an abrupt hiatus in 2000.

The Daddies officially regrouped in 2002 to resume part-time touring, eventually returning to recording with the independently released ''[[Susquehanna (album)|Susquehanna]]'' in 2008. Their twelfth album, the swing and jazz-influenced ''At the Pink Rat'', was released in July 2024.
==History==

=== Formation ===
[[File:CPDSteveDan.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Singer [[Steve Perry (Oregon musician)|Steve Perry]] and bassist [[Dan Schmid]] played together in several Eugene punk bands prior to forming the Daddies.]]
Following his high school graduation in 1981, [[Steve Perry (Oregon musician)|Steve Perry]] left his hometown of [[Binghamton, New York]], for [[Eugene, Oregon]], to pursue [[track and field]] and a [[chemistry]] degree at the [[University of Oregon]].<ref name="Rocket">{{cite news |title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies |author=Chandler, John |newspaper=[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]] |date=August 13, 1997}}</ref><ref name="PoppinUp">{{cite news |title=The Daddies Are Poppin' Up from the Underground |author=Siegle, Lisa |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=March 15, 1991}}</ref> A [[punk rock]] devotee since adolescence, Perry soon became engrossed in Eugene's underground music scene, where he eventually met and befriended musician and fellow University student [[Dan Schmid]]. Sharing similar musical ambitions and a mutual disinterest in school, the pair agreed to drop out of college together and start a band, forming the punk trio The Jazz Greats in 1983, which evolved into the [[Paisley Underground]]-styled [[garage rock]] group Saint Huck, which lasted from 1984 to 1987.<ref name="AllMusicBio">{{cite web|author=Leahey, Andrew |title=Allmusic: Cherry Poppin' Daddies Bio |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p37881|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 15, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Timeline">{{Cite web|title=The Formative Years of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies |url=http://www.geocities.com/daddyworld2001/history.html |year=2001 |access-date=December 14, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20021015034432/http://www.geocities.com/daddyworld2001/history.html |archive-date= October 15, 2002}}</ref>

As the rise of [[grunge]] began to phase punk and hardcore out of the Northwest underground by the late 1980s, Perry set out to start a band that stood in defiant contrast to the shoegazing attitude of [[alternative rock]], showcasing high energy dance music and [[Frank Zappa|Zappa]]-esque theatricality in an attempt to create something that an audience would react to viscerally instead of passively.<ref name="ColoScene">{{Cite web |author=Young, Quentin |url=http://scenecolorado.com/articles/daddies.html |title=Interview with Dan Schmid of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies |publisher=www.scenecolorado.com |date=1998}}</ref><ref name="OregonLive">{{cite news|author=Foyston, John |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/ent/music/9809/mu980909_daddies_rev.html |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=September 6, 1998 |access-date=August 14, 2009 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20010622062913/http://www.oregonlive.com/ent/music/9809/mu980909_daddies_rev.html |archive-date= June 22, 2001}}</ref><ref name="Inland">{{cite news |title=Rockin' and Rollin' for a Good Cause |author=Cavendish, Jill |newspaper=[[The Pacific Northwest Inlander]] |date=April 6, 1994 }}</ref> Recruiting a [[horn section]] led by alto saxophonist [[Brooks Brown]], Perry and Schmid formed their latest band Mr. Wiggles – named so after a [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] song – in November 1988, playing their first show in [[Springfield, Oregon|Springfield]] as part of a [[benefit concert]] for workers of the Nicolai door manufacturing plant, who were then engaged in a [[strike action|union strike]].<ref name="Timeline" /><ref name="ColoScene" /><ref name="Lofi">{{cite journal |last=Kane |first=Laura |year=1998 |title=Pop Your Cherry |journal=Lo-Fi Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.registerguard.com/rg/entertainment/arts/31380860-60/ballet-daddies-eugene-zoot-riot.html.csp |title=Swing high, sweet Eugene |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=April 10, 2014 |author=Bjornstad, Randi}}</ref>

"My conception of punk", Perry told ''[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]]'', "was doing whatever the hell you wanted as long as it had vitality and wasn't overly stupid ... something exploratory and experimental", citing influence from genre-bending bands such as [[The Clash]] and the [[Meat Puppets]].<ref name="Rocket" /><ref name="Lofi" /> In their earliest incarnation, Mr. Wiggles played punk-inflected [[funk]] and [[soul music]], though Perry's songwriting soon grew to draw heavily from a newfound interest in [[jazz]], [[swing music|swing]] and [[rhythm and blues]], combining punk rock and jazz arrangements in what Perry described was a desire to contemporize American roots music by infusing it with punk energy and using modernist, socially aware lyricism.<ref name="ColoScene" /><ref name="Canoe">{{Cite journal |author=Bliss, Karen. |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies Will Blow Your Mind |journal=Jam! Showiz |publisher=Canoe.ca |date=July 28, 1998}}</ref>

===Early years (1989–1993)===
In 1989, the title of Mr. Wiggles was retired when the band switched to a new name, "[[wikt:cherry-popper|Cherry Poppin']] Daddies", derived from [[African-American Vernacular English|jive]] slang the members had overheard on a vintage [[race record]].<ref name="Bell1998">{{cite magazine |last1=Bell |first1=Carrie |title=The Modern Age |magazine=Billboard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Q4EAAAAMBAJ&q=poppin%20daddies%20%22modern%20age%22%20carrie&pg=PA105 |access-date=February 12, 2021 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |date=March 21, 1998 |language=en}}</ref> The band played their first show as the Cherry Poppin' Daddies at the [[W.O.W. Hall]] in Eugene on March 31.<ref name="Timeline" />

{{Listen
|filename = FlovillaThatchSoundSample.ogg
|title = "Flovilla Thatch vs. the Virile Garbageman" (1990)
|description = Sample of "Flovilla Thatch vs. the Virile Garbageman" from 1990's ''Ferociously Stoned'', exemplifying the brass-heavy funk rock sound common of the Daddies' early material.
}}
The Daddies sought to differentiate themselves from other Northwest rock bands of the era by having a horn section, featuring outlandish stage theatrics, and encouraging their audiences to dance.<ref name="Rocket" /> As Perry spoke of the Daddies' ideology, "It was our way of saying 'screw you' [to alternative rock 'phoniness'] ... we wanted to have fun, outrageously have a good blast without even thinking about it".<ref name="Miller1999">{{cite news |title=Daddies' Day |author=Miller, Bruce R. |newspaper=[[Sioux City Journal]] |date=April 9, 1999}}</ref><ref name="NWIMN">{{cite news |title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies |author=Faux, Dave |newspaper=Northwest Independent Music News |date=April 1994}}</ref> Nonetheless, by the end of 1989, the Daddies had built a strong and loyal following within Eugene's [[counterculture]], frequently selling out show and gathering critical acclaim."<ref name="EugenesBest">{{cite news |title=Eugene's Best |author=Glauber, Rich |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |date=April 6, 1989}}</ref><ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1">{{cite podcast |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/am-i-crazy-or-am-i-just-raving/id1334445824 |title=Am I Crazy or Am I Just Raving? – Episode 28: Howard Libes, Part 1 |website=www.henryschild.com |publisher=Henry's Child |date=July 27, 2018 |access-date=July 27, 2018}}</ref>

The Daddies recorded their first [[demo (music)|demo]] [[compact cassette|cassette]] ''4 From On High'' in July 1989, which included four tracks of [[funk rock]] and punk-influenced swing. The cassette sold over 1,000 copies in the Eugene and Portland areas, enabling the band to self-produce their debut LP ''[[Ferociously Stoned]]'', released the following year.<ref>{{cite news |title="Showcase" section |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=October 26, 1990}}</ref> Fusing punk rock and jazz horns with funk grooves, ''Ferociously Stoned'' drew favorable critical comparisons to contemporaries [[Faith No More]] and the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] while also becoming a regional best seller. The album set a record for advance sales in Eugene's record stores and remained for over a year on ''[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]]'''s Northwest Top Twenty list. The album helped expand the Daddies' Northwestern touring reach to as far as Alaska and Los Angeles by 1992.<ref name="PoppinUp" /><ref name="Dark">{{Cite web|author=Getlen, Larry |title=The Dark Side of Swing |url=http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/1998-07-30/music/the-dark-side-of-swing/ |publisher=[[New Times Broward-Palm Beach]] |date=July 30, 1998 |access-date=April 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Michigan">{{cite news|author=Harwin, Lise |title=Cherry Poppers Come Into Detroit |url=http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1996/oct/10-09-96/arts/art5.html |newspaper=[[Michigan Daily]] |date=October 9, 1996 |access-date=August 11, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041015223650/http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1996/oct/10-09-96/arts/art5.html |archive-date = October 15, 2004}}</ref>

====Controversies and censorship====
Cherry Poppin' Daddies' early performances often included flamboyant costumes, [[Go-Go dancing|go-go dancers]], phallic stage scenery, prop-heavy skits, or choreographed dance numbers.<ref name="EugenesBest" /><ref name="Baddest">{{cite news |title=The Baddest Daddy |author=Glauber, Rich |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |year=1990}}</ref> Perry—then performing under his [[mad scientist]] stage persona of "MC Large Drink"<ref name="SKAb">{{cite journal |year=1998 |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies |journal=SKAb Pickers Magazine}}</ref>—would regularly engage in absurdist [[shock rock]] stunts, such as mock [[crucifixion in the arts|crucifixion]] and [[flag desecration|flag burning]].<ref name="Baddest" /><ref name="OldBio">{{Cite web|author=Perry, Steve |title=Official Band Biography |url=http://www.daddies.com/ |work=www.daddies.com |date=July 18, 2006 |access-date=July 16, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060718112027/http://www.daddies.com/ |archive-date = July 18, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Frieman2009">{{Cite web |url=http://www.penseyeviewnew.com/content/cherry-poppin-daddies |author=Frieman, Richie |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies |publisher=www.penseyeview.com |date=November 6, 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903180842/http://www.penseyeviewnew.com:80/content/cherry-poppin-daddies |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |access-date=November 21, 2021}}</ref> One of the band's stage props was known as the "Dildorado" or "The Dildozer", a riding lawnmower modified to look like a human penis that mimicked [[ejaculation]] by shooting colorful fluids from its tip.<ref name="OldBio" /><ref name="Kohnen2000">{{Cite web|author=Kohnen, John |title='The Infamous MotoPenis |url=http://cyber-dyne.com/~jkohnen/dildozer.html |year=2000 |access-date=October 4, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20001215080700/http://cyber-dyne.com/~jkohnen/dildozer.html |archive-date= December 15, 2000}}</ref>
[[File:CPDCensored.png|left|thumb|upright|The cover art for the 1990 CD release of ''[[Ferociously Stoned]]'', satirizing the controversy surrounding the band's name.]]
The band attracted controversy from [[Feminism|Feminist]] groups, who condemned the band's performances as pornographic, citing their name and sexually charged lyricism as a promotion of [[sexism]] and [[misogyny]]. Perry disputed such claims, defending the controversial elements as misinterpreted satire.<ref name="Baddest" /><ref name="Happen">{{cite news |title=Band Name Starts Controversy |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |date=April 13, 1989}}</ref><ref name="Complain">{{cite news |title=Name Misunderstood |author=Waldman, Rob |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=February 1, 1990 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vG4VAAAAIBAJ&pg=4781,44608&dq=cherry+poppin+daddies |access-date=March 27, 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In what ''Eugene Weekly'' called "the most hotly discussed topic in the local music scene" and "the Eugene flash point for the growing national debate on [[censorship]] [and] [[freedom of speech|free speech]]", the Daddies experienced controversy which nearly ended their burgeoning career.<ref name="Baddest" /> Vigilante protest groups habitually tore down or defaced the band's posters and sought [[boycott]]s against venues that would book the group and even newspapers which gave them a positive review.<ref>{{cite news |title=Letters to the Editor – "Objectionable Band" |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=March 24, 1991 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=63oVAAAAIBAJ&pg=4874,5881500 |access-date=August 7, 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The Daddies' concerts routinely became sites of organized [[picketing (protest)|picketing]] and, on one occasion, a [[bomb threat]].<ref name="Lofi" /><ref name="Baddest" /><ref name="SKAzaam">{{cite journal |last=Killen |first=Venus |year=1998 |title=An Evening with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies |journal=SKAzaam}}</ref> The band members themselves were frequent recipients of [[hate mail]], threats and physical harassment: once, Perry claimed, an irate protester threw a cup of hot coffee in his face as he was walking down the street.<ref name="Inland" /><ref name="Lofi" />

The Daddies initially refused to change their name on the grounds of [[artistic freedom]], but a number of venues refused to book them due to the negative publicity. The band was temporarily banned from the [[Woodmen of the World|W.O.W.]] Hall, where they had previously served as [[house band]].<ref name="Rocket" /> The group later bowed to community pressure, and performed under the name "The Daddies", "The Bad Daddies," and similar variations within Eugene, but performed under their original name while touring elsewhere.<ref name="Baddest" /><ref name="duBrowa2008">{{Cite web|author=duBrowa, Corey |title=Live Music Preview: Cherry Poppin' Daddies |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/music/index.ssf/2008/04/live_music_preview_cherry_popp.html |work=www.oregonlive.com |date=April 16, 2008 |access-date=August 14, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Phoenix">{{cite news |title=Poppin' Off |author=Holthouse, David |newspaper=[[Phoenix New Times]] |date=December 5, 1996 |url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1996-12-05/music/poppin-off}}</ref> As the Daddies retired the theatrical elements from their later live shows, the controversies surrounding the band waned and they returned to using their full name everywhere. Some minor complaints resurfaced during their mainstream success in the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Letters to the Editor: "Band Name Crude" |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=September 2000}}</ref>

===National touring and independent success (1994–1996)===
Throughout the early 1990s, the Daddies continued to remain a reliably popular and profitable draw in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California club circuit. Despite earning critical accolades from the local music press, including winning ''[[SF Weekly]]''{{'}}s title of "Best Unsigned Band" in 1994,<ref name="Cook1994">{{cite journal |last=Cook |first=X. Stephen |date=March 1994 |title=Daddies at DNA |journal=Synapse, Student Newspaper of UCSF}}</ref> the Daddies struggled to achieve wider recognition and distribution.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arts & Entertainment > Listener's Guide |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=October 1, 1993}}</ref> Following a number of changes in their member and managerial lineups, the group embarked on their first national tour in the fall of 1994, which was highlighted by a set at the [[CMJ Music Marathon]] festival and convention in New York City.<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1" /><ref name="Michigan" /> Upon returning to Eugene without any advantageous deals, the Daddies instead bought and constructed their own independent [[record label]] and recording studio, Space Age Bachelor Pad Records, where they self-produced and self-recorded their second studio album, ''[[Rapid City Muscle Car]]'', which was released in December 1994.<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1" /><ref name="InMusic">{{Cite web|author=Steininger, Alex |title=Interview with Steve Perry |url=http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/01h06.html |work=In Music We Trust |year=1997 |access-date=August 11, 2009}}</ref> Described by Perry as "an [[concept album|idea album]]"<ref name="LA Times" /> and "very [[psychedelia|psychedelic]]",<ref name="InMusic" /> ''Rapid City Muscle Car'' was a distinct departure from the upbeat dance music vibe of ''Ferociously Stoned'', showcasing a diverse range of disparate genres including [[ska punk]], [[psychedelic rock]], [[country music|country]], [[rockabilly]], [[big band]], [[hard rock]] and [[lounge music|lounge]].<ref name="NWIMN" /><ref name="Perry">{{Cite web |author=Perry, Steve |title='Rapid City Muscle Car' entry on the official Cherry Poppin' Daddies website |url=http://www.daddies.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=34&category=0 |publisher=www.daddies.com |access-date=March 31, 2010 |archive-date=January 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129072725/http://www.daddies.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=34&category=0 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While Perry has retrospectively cited ''Rapid City Muscle Car'' as his personal favorite Daddies album, he revealed in a 1995 interview with the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' that the album sold "okay" but ultimately didn't surpass sales of ''Ferociously Stoned''.<ref name="InMusic" /><ref name="LA Times">{{cite news |title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies |author=Locey, Bill |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=July 20, 1995 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-07-20-vl-25751-story.html |access-date=March 27, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Perry" />
{{Listen
|filename = CPD DonQuixote.ogg
|title = "Don Quixote" (1996)
|description = Released during ska music's commercial resurgence, ''Kids on the Street''{{'}}s heavy ska punk influences helped make it the Daddies' then-most successful album.
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The Daddies began dedicating themselves to full-time touring in 1995, playing over 200 shows across two or three national tours per year, including spots at prominent music festivals such as [[South by Southwest]] in [[Austin, Texas]].<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1" /><ref name="Michigan" /><ref>Cherry Poppin' Daddies, ''Kids on the Street'' Press Kit, 1996. "Played 200 dates in 30 states over the last year".</ref><ref name="Focus">{{cite journal |last=Warren |first=Mark |date=September 1997 |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies |journal=Focus Magazine |issue=84}}</ref> As the band gradually built fanbases and markets around the country, they began attracting interest from several high-profile record labels, among which reportedly included [[Hollywood Records]] and producers including [[Roy Thomas Baker]] and [[Terry Ellis (record producer)|Terry Ellis]].<ref name="NWIMN" /><ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1" /> However, when the suggestion or stipulation was made that the Daddies stick to one genre, Perry invariably rejected these offers, not wanting any outside influences controlling the band's sound.<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1" /><ref name="LA Times" /><ref name="SFWeekly">{{cite news |author=Tudor, Silke |title=House of Tudor |url=http://www.sfweekly.com/1997-08-06/music/the-house-of-tudor/ |newspaper=[[SF Weekly]] |date=August 6, 1997 |access-date=May 31, 2010 |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610020956/http://www.sfweekly.com/1997-08-06/music/the-house-of-tudor/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a similar mindset, not wishing to be pigeon-holed into any specific scene or genre, Perry at first refused to tour with ska bands, though after a highly successful and well-received tour with [[Fresno, California|Fresno]] ska band [[Let's Go Bowling]], he acquiesced, and the Daddies eventually carved out a lucrative niche within the national ska scene, forming regular touring partnerships with the likes of [[The Mighty Mighty Bosstones]], [[Reel Big Fish]] and [[Less Than Jake]].<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1" /><ref name="Michigan" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies: Swingin' Since 1989 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1427059/19971021/cherry_poppin_daddies.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030711165555/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1427059/19971021/cherry_poppin_daddies.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 11, 2003 |publisher=[[MTV]].com |date=October 21, 1997 |access-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/1996/09/26/chris-does-ska |title=Chris Does SKA |publisher=[[The Chronicle (Duke University)]] |date=September 25, 1996 |author=Hoover, Chris |access-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113084815/http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/1996/09/26/chris-does-ska |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While the mainstream's growing focus on punk and ska by the mid-1990s presented the Daddies with further commercial opportunities, Perry still insisted foremost on maintaining complete creative control of the band.<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast1" /> In February 1996, the Daddies released their third self-produced studio album on Space Age Bachelor Pad, ''[[Kids on the Street]]''. Another musical departure from their previous record, ''Kids on the Street'' was mostly a reflection of the band's growing punk and ska influences, eschewing the Daddies' trademark brassy funk and swing in favor of guitar-driven rock, punk and ska, as well as stylistic detours into jazz and country.<ref name="InMusic" /> Distributed by noted indie label [[Caroline Records]], ''Kids on the Street'' wound up becoming the Daddies' most successful release at the time, staying on ''[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]]''{{'}}s Retail Sales Top Twenty for over seven months and even working its way onto ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s Alternative Charts.<ref name="Michigan" /><ref name="Tortorici1999">{{Cite web|author=Tortorici, Frank |title=VH1: Cherry Poppin' Daddies |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/518930/19991007/cherry_poppin_daddies.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524232522/http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/518930/19991007/cherry_poppin_daddies.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 24, 2011 |work=[[VH1]].com |publisher=[[VH1]] |date=October 8, 1999 |access-date=August 12, 2009}}</ref>

===''Zoot Suit Riot'' and major label years (1997–1999)===
[[File:CPDSteveDana.jpg|left|thumb|Throughout the Daddies' many lineup changes, Perry and trumpeter [[Dana Heitman]] have remained the band's two constant fixtures since their formation.]]
By late 1996, ska had broken through into the American mainstream as one of the most popular forms of alternative music, catapulting such major label bands as Reel Big Fish and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones into the national spotlight.<ref>{{cite web |title=Third Wave Ska |url=https://www.allmusic.com/explore/style/d2773 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 10, 2009 |archive-date=February 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222065342/http://www.allmusic.com/explore/style/d2773 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Daddies, however, without the support of a record label, were ultimately left on the fringes of commercial visibility. Although ''Kids on the Street'' had sold well for an independent release, the band had continuing difficulty securing press and distribution outside of the Northwest, while the pressure of full-time touring was inevitably becoming both a personal and financial strain on the members.<ref name="Tangents">{{cite journal |last1=Fulmer |first1=Carl |last2=Coston |first2=Daniel |year=1998 |title=Tangents Magazine Interview |journal=Tangents Magazine}}</ref> The Daddies experienced at least fifteen lineup changes from 1996 to 1997, including the departure of original keyboardist Chris Azorr and co-founder Dan Schmid, leaving only Perry and trumpeter [[Dana Heitman]] as the sole remnants of the original lineup.<ref name="SKAzaam" /> Feeling they had finally hit a [[wikt:glass ceiling|glass ceiling]] as an independent band, Perry said the Daddies were left with one of two options at this time: either sign to a label or break up.<ref name="Canoe" /><ref name="Tangents" />

Despite primarily playing ska tours during this turbulent period of their career, the Daddies suddenly began attracting a sizable and enthusiastic audience for their swing music, owing heavily to the coincident public interest in the formerly underground [[swing revival]] movement due in part to the success of the 1996 film ''[[Swingers (1996 film)|Swingers]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/retro-swing-ma0000002749 |title=AllMusic > Retro Swing |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> Although the Daddies had occasionally played shows with notable swing revival bands like [[Royal Crown Revue]], they were not largely associated with the scene or subculture; when fans regularly began approaching the band's merchandise table asking which of their albums contained the most swing songs, the Daddies realized they lacked an album fully representing their swing side, prompting the band's manager to convince them to compile all of their swing songs onto one CD until they could afford to make a new album, using their available finances to record several bonus tracks for inclusion.<ref name="OregonLive" /><ref name="CelebCafe">{{Cite web |author=Miserandino, Dominick A |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Steve Perry |url=http://thecelebritycafe.com/interviews/cherry_popping_daddies.html |publisher=The Celebrity Cafe |date=October 2000 |access-date=August 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505000535/http://thecelebritycafe.com/interviews/cherry_popping_daddies.html |archive-date=May 5, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Clayton">{{cite news |title=Warped Tour Interview |author=Hollifield, Clayton |newspaper=[[The Daily of the University of Washington]] |date=July 7, 1998}}</ref><ref name="HowardLibesPodcast2">{{cite podcast |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/am-i-crazy-or-am-i-just-raving/id1334445824 |title=Am I Crazy or Am I Just Raving? – Episode 29: Howard Libes, Part 2 |website=www.henryschild.com |publisher=Henry's Child |date=August 2, 2018 |access-date=August 15, 2018}}</ref> The result, ''[[Zoot Suit Riot (album)|Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies]]'', became an unexpectedly popular item as the band went on tour, reportedly selling as many as 4,000 copies a week through their Northwest distributors.<ref name="OregonLive" />

While stopped in Los Angeles during another tour together, Reel Big Fish arranged a meeting between their label [[Mojo Records]] and the Daddies in the hopes of helping the band obtain a [[distribution deal]] for ''Zoot Suit Riot''.<ref name="Focus"/><ref name="HowardLibesPodcast2" /> Following negotiations between Perry and Mojo, however, the label instead signed the Daddies to a two-album [[recording contract]].<ref name="Clayton" /><ref name="HowardLibesPodcast2" /> ''Zoot Suit Riot'' was licensed and reissued by Mojo and given national distribution in July 1997, less than four months after its original release.

====Mainstream breakthrough====
As swing music steadily gained commercial momentum throughout 1997, sales of ''Zoot Suit Riot'' increased dramatically; by December, Mojo was moving 12,000 units per week.<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast2" /> In January 1998, the label informed the Daddies of their decision to push the album's [[Zoot Suit Riot (song)|title track]] as a major single and distribute it among mainstream radio stations.<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast2" /> The Daddies, who were beginning work on their next studio album, ardently protested this move, believing that a swing song would never receive airplay and were concerned that the band would end up having to recoup the marketing costs.<ref name="Lofi" /><ref name="Tangents" /><ref name="Clayton" /> Mojo nevertheless persisted, and much to the band's surprise, "Zoot Suit Riot" soon found regular rotation on stations such as Los Angeles' influential [[KROQ-FM]], helping establish swing music in the mainstream and leading to its eventual commercial breakthrough, with the Daddies at the forefront.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine |last=Morris |first=Chris |date=March 1998 |title=2 Daddies Swing Big |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |volume=110 |issue=12 |page=112 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Interview with Cherry Poppin' Daddies |url=http://www.amctv.com/about/cherrypoppin1.html |work=www.amctv.com |publisher=[[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] |date=c. 2001 |access-date=March 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010208171927/http://www.amctv.com/about/cherrypoppin1.html |archive-date=February 8, 2001}}</ref> By mid-1998, the Daddies had emerged as one of the most successful bands of the swing revival: after climbing to number one on ''Billboard'''s [[Top Heatseekers]], ''Zoot Suit Riot'' became the first album of the swing revival to crack the Top 40 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], peaking at number 17 and spending an ultimate total of 53 weeks on the charts.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Zoot Suit Riot: Billboard Charts |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=cherry poppin' daddies|chart=all}} |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> In June 1998, the album had sold 500,000 copies in the United States, going on to surpass sales of 1.4 million by August.<ref name="HowardLibesPodcast2" /><ref name="SkaSuit">{{cite news |title=Newfound Popularity of Ska Suits These Daddies Just Fine |author=Stout, Gene |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |date=July 3, 1998 |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1998/9807030008.asp }}</ref><ref name="RIAA">[https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS RIAA – Cherry Poppin' Daddies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626051113/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS |date=June 26, 2007 }} Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 9, 2010</ref>
{{Listen|filename=ZootSuitRiot.ogg|title="Zoot Suit Riot" (1997)|description=Though never intended as a single, "[[Zoot Suit Riot (song)|Zoot Suit Riot]]" became the Daddies' breakout hit and one of the most popular songs of the swing revival.|format=[[Ogg]]|pos=right}}
Suddenly finding themselves in hot demand, the Daddies immediately started touring again. Spending the majority of 1998 and 1999 on the road, the band were now playing close to 300 shows a year, carrying out both headlining and supporting tours of the United States while traveling internationally as one of the headliners on the 1998 [[Warped Tour]] beside [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]], [[NOFX]] and [[Bad Religion]].<ref name="RollingStone" /> By this time, the group's touring conditions had greatly improved, thus enticing Dan Schmid – who had originally left the band due to health concerns – to return as the Daddies' bassist at Perry's request.<ref name="Hagestedt1999">{{Cite web|author=Hagestedt, Andre |title=Oregon's Sugar Daddies |url=http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/8991/daddies.html |publisher=Oregon Offbeat(s) |date=c. 1999 |access-date=March 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021003532/http://geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/8991/daddies.html|url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2009}}</ref>

Although the Daddies were experiencing commercial success under the guise of swing revivalists, having been declared the "leaders" of the movement by ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'', the band openly contested being labeled a [[retro]] act at the exclusion of their dominant ska and punk influences and modernist lyricism.<ref name="Dark" /><ref name="RollingStone">{{cite magazine |last=duBrowa |first=Corey |date=December 1998 |title=Poppin' Off: Cherry Poppin' Daddies Take a Swing at Swing |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref name="Post" /> While still vocal supporters of both the swing revival and its bands, the Daddies adamantly tried to disassociate themselves from the swing scene and in particular its [[nostalgia]]-based mentality: Perry explained to ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' in July 1998, "it's not our mission to be a swing band. I'm not a guy from the '40s. That's why we play ska and use heavy guitars",<ref name="Himmelsbach1998">{{cite magazine|last=Himmelsbach |first=Erik |date=July 1998 |title=New Jack Swing |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=14 |issue=7 |page=36 |issn=0886-3032}}</ref> noting elsewhere "I can't fully take us out of the retro classification, but we harp on the fact that we're contemporary music".<ref name="Dark" /> Thusly, the Daddies avoided touring with swing bands, selecting [[Rock en español|Latin rock]] group [[Ozomatli]] and ska/soul band [[The Pietasters]] as support on their first headlining U.S. tour, and opening for Argentine rock band [[Los Fabulosos Cadillacs]] on their 1998 North American tour.<ref name="Billboard" /><ref name="Devenish1998">{{Cite web|author=Devenish, Colin |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies Rev Up for Fall Tour |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/500925/19980901/cherry_poppin_daddies.jhtml |publisher=[[VH1]].com |date=September 1, 1998 |access-date=April 22, 2010}}{{dead link|date=November 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> At one point, the Daddies attempted to arrange a tour with [[Primus (band)|Primus]] which never materialized;<ref name="Post">{{cite news |title=Meet the Cherry Poppin' Daddies |author=Theil, Shayla |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=September 19, 1997 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/music/features/cherrypoppindaddies091997.htm }}</ref> said Perry, "I know there are people who come to our shows who'd like nothing more than for us to play swing 24/7 ... there are plenty of bands who want to be swing bands and swing bands only. We're trying to find the audience who'll let us write songs and just be who we are".<ref name="Chandler1998">{{cite news |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – No Mercy For Swine |author=Chandler, John |newspaper=[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]] |date=May 13, 1998}}</ref>

{{quote box
|quote = I figured the swing scene would be a hybrid of [[The Clash]] and The [[Cotton Club]] ... [b]ut then when other bands did swing music, they did a kind of '50s version. They kept it very clean and vanilla. Most of it has to do with nice people having manners and dressing up. That's not what we wanted. We wanted to be [[The Rolling Stones]] of swing, not [[The Beatles]] of swing.
|author = —Steve Perry, commenting on the retro aesthetics of the swing revival
|source = 2016<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roguevalleymessenger.com/it-still-means-a-thing-the-cherry-poppin-daddies-complicated-relationship-with-swing/ |title=It Still Means a Thing: The Cherry Poppin' Daddies Complicated Relationship with Swing |author=Gross, Josh |date=March 17, 2016 |publisher=Rogue Valley Messenger |access-date=March 27, 2016 |archive-date=April 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423171650/http://www.roguevalleymessenger.com/it-still-means-a-thing-the-cherry-poppin-daddies-complicated-relationship-with-swing/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|width = 33%
|align = left
}}

During the height of the Daddies' popularity, Perry found the band's mainstream notoriety was causing an alienating effect on his personal life, claiming it to have negatively changed his relationships with friends and even subjected him to occasional heckling from strangers who recognized him in public.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://alibi.com/music/26120/Cherry-Poppin-Daddies.html |title=Music Interview: Cherry Poppin' Daddies |date=December 2008 |publisher=Alibi.com |author=McCormack, Simon |access-date=July 9, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Virgin">{{Cite web|author=Koffman, Linda |title=A Not So Cheery Cherry Daddy |url=http://www.virginmegamagazine.com/default.asp?aid=21 |work=www.virginmegamagazine.com |date=June 20, 1998 |access-date=August 12, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030517105041/http://www.virginmegamagazine.com/default.asp?aid=21 |archive-date = May 17, 2003}}</ref> He would later recall, "It's a total cliché, but [fame] doesn't make you happy. There's a lot missing. Success has given people the right to yell at me on the street, but I don't really feel like it's given me any dignity".<ref name="Taylor2000">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |title=Riotous Homecoming: Daddies return with new album, updated sound |date=September 15, 2000 |author=Taylor, Lewis}}</ref> Already feeling burnt out from the Daddies' constant touring, Perry's frustration was only exacerbated by the media's persistent dismissal of the Daddies as a retro novelty act, though he later claimed to have felt pressured to maintain the image due to audience and media expectations.<ref name="Chandler1998" /><ref name="Virgin" /><ref name="Graff2000">{{Cite web|author=Graff, Gary |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies Album Preview |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=114254&page=1 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=October 23, 2000 |access-date=August 14, 2009}}</ref> When the band began to face criticism and accusations of [[selling out]] from their Northwest fanbase,<ref name="Binelli1998">{{cite magazine |last=Binelli |first=Mark |date= December 24, 1998 |title=Daddies Night |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue= 802/803}}</ref><ref name="2002Int">{{cite news |title=Group reprises grand Daddy of all good times |author=Taylor, Lewis |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=September 20, 2002}}</ref> the Daddies fought to further push themselves away from their mainstream typecasting: in a 1999 interview, responding to their place in the swing scene, Perry retorted "[we'll] unapologetically play ska right in the face of people who want to hear swing".<ref>{{Citation|title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies to perform at Marywood |publisher=[[Marywood University]] |date=April 1999}}{{full citation needed|date=May 2024}}</ref>

''Zoot Suit Riot'' had sold over two million copies in the United States by the time the swing revival's mainstream popularity had declined, finally slipping off the charts in January 2000.<ref name="AllMusicBio" /> With their touring schedule finally coming to a close, the Daddies commenced work on their next studio album.

===''Soul Caddy'' and mainstream decline (2000)===
In the fall of 1999, the Daddies returned to the studio to record their fourth album, ''[[Soul Caddy]]''. A loose concept album reflecting Perry's disillusionment over the cultural zeitgeist and his experience with fame - as he described it, a "bittersweet" record about "being alienated and hoping to connect"<ref name="Virgin" /> - ''Soul Caddy'' marked a continuation of the band's musically varied format, intended to introduce a truer perspective of the Daddies' sound and personality to both their swing-based fans and a wider audience.<ref name="Graff2000" /><ref name="Ink19">{{Cite web |author=Feifer, Jason |title=Listen Up, They've Got Something to Say |url=http://www.ink19.com/issues/november2000/inkSpots/cherryPoppinDaddies.html |work=Ink19.com |date=October 2000 |access-date=August 10, 2009 |archive-date=February 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213095336/http://www.ink19.com/issues/november2000/inkSpots/cherryPoppinDaddies.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Rentilly2000">{{cite journal |last=Rentilly |first=J. |date=November 2000 |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies |journal=[[Gallery (magazine)|Gallery]]}}</ref> Drawing from the rock and pop of the 1960s and 1970s, ''Soul Caddy'' interwove swing and ska with [[glam rock]], [[soul music|soul]], [[psychedelic pop]], [[folk music|folk]] and funk.<ref name="Taylor2000" /><ref name="SoulDaddies">{{cite news |title=Soul Daddies: Hometown Boys Play the Celebration Sunday |author=Salvia, Vanessa |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |date=September 14, 2000 }}</ref><ref name="Gonzaga2000">{{cite news |author=Gonzaga, Samantha |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies Fuse Caribbean Pop and Folk in Their Latest Release 'Soul Caddy' |newspaper=The Daily Titan of [[California State University, Fullerton]] |date=November 2, 2000}}</ref>

Despite allowing the Daddies creative control over its production, Mojo's response to ''Soul Caddy'' was considered tepid at best.<ref name="SoulDaddies" /> Claiming that the new material was not like "the Cherry Poppin' Daddies people know and love", the label did little to promote neither the album nor its glam-styled single "[[Diamond Light Boogie]]", at one point releasing the latter without the band's name on it, allegedly due to hesitancy over marketing a rock single from a band primarily known for swing music.<ref name="OrgQuart">{{Cite web |author=duBrowa, Corey |title=Dropping In |url=http://www.oregonquarterly.com/autumn2008/feature3.php |publisher=[[Oregon Quarterly]] |year=2008 |access-date=August 11, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211220628/http://www.oregonquarterly.com/autumn2008/feature3.php |archive-date=February 11, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Salmon2008">{{cite news |author=Salmon, Ben |title=A different kind of revival: Cherry Poppin' Daddies are back, doing what they've always done |url=http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/NEWS0107/807110314/1002&nav_category= |newspaper=[[Bend Bulletin]] |date=July 11, 2008 |access-date=May 30, 2010 |archive-date=March 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313083835/http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/NEWS0107/807110314/1002&nav_category= |url-status=dead }}</ref> With virtually no publicity behind it, ''Soul Caddy'' was quietly released in October 2000. Met by a public largely unaware of the Daddies' eclectic background, ''Soul Caddy'' was received negatively by both fans and critics, one of the more prevalent criticisms being its lack of swing tracks.<ref name="Meta">{{cite web |title=Soul Caddy on Metacritic |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/cherrypoppindaddies/soulcaddy?q=Soul%20Caddy |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=August 11, 2009 |archive-date=July 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711002511/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/cherrypoppindaddies/soulcaddy?q=Soul%20Caddy |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some reviewers chastised the band for what was being seen as an abandonment of their swing "roots" in favor of a trendier sound,<ref name="Greenlee2001">{{cite news |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Soul Caddy |author=Greenlee, Steve |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=February 15, 2001 }}</ref> while a few criticized the Daddies' entire musical aesthetic — [[UGO Networks|UGO]]'s ''Hip Online'' stated bluntly, "covering five or six genres on one album is just insane".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Soul Caddy |url=http://www.hiponline.com/music-reviews/cherry-poppin-daddies-soul-caddy/ |publisher=Hip Online |date=October 17, 2000 |access-date=August 11, 2009}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'' placed ''Soul Caddy'' on their list of the 10 worst albums of 2000, the reviewer wondering what made a swing band "think it could get away with an album of recycled psychedelic pop".<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]] |author=Barrera, Sandra |date=December 31, 2000 |title=A Year of Unforgettable – and Unforgivable – Sour Notes |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+YEAR+OF+UNFORGETTABLE+-+AND+UNFORGIVABLE+-+SOUR+NOTES.-a083416469 |access-date=December 24, 2010 |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022081806/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+YEAR+OF+UNFORGETTABLE+-+AND+UNFORGIVABLE+-+SOUR+NOTES.-a083416469 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Despite some moderate critical praise including a glowing review from [[AllMusic]], who called the album's "impressively surprising" array of sounds "refreshing coming from a band who was assumed to be generic retro swing",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://allmusic.com/album/soul-caddy-r494345/review |author=Wilson, MacKenzie |title=Soul Caddy – Cherry Poppin' Daddies |publisher=[[allmusic]].com |access-date=December 23, 2010}}</ref> ''Soul Caddy'' failed to achieve the chart success or commercial attention of its predecessor. The Daddies' accompanying national tour fared just as poorly, showing a marked decline in attendance while audiences reacted unfavorably towards the band's decreased focus on playing swing music.<ref name="2002Int" /> Speaking retrospectively in a 2002 interview, Perry recalled "we went out on tour and most people saw us as a swing band because of the success of ''Zoot Suit Riot''...we felt this tension to be something we weren't".<ref name="2002Int" /> Facing low ticket sales and their own dissatisfaction over the tour's outcome, the Daddies brought their scheduled tour to an early close, reaching a mutual decision upon taking an indefinite hiatus in December 2000.<ref name="2002Int" /> "A lot of it was just fatigue", Perry explained, "We'd be on the road for a long time and we had no life outside of Cherry Poppin' Daddies. I think everybody was interested in doing other things".<ref name="ReviewedMusicInt">{{cite web |url=http://reviewedmusic.com/2011/interview-steve-perry-cherry-poppin-daddies/ |publisher=Reviewed Music |date=April 7, 2011 |access-date=June 10, 2011 |title=Interview: Steve Perry (Cherry Poppin' Daddies) |author=Hay, Nils |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324192115/http://reviewedmusic.com/2011/interview-steve-perry-cherry-poppin-daddies/ |archive-date=March 24, 2012 }}</ref> The Daddies were released from Mojo shortly thereafter, though guitarist [[Jason Moss (musician)|Jason Moss]] would later comment that the band were kicked "to the curb" after ''Soul Caddy''{{'}}s poor commercial performance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.campuscircle.com/review.cfm?r=6397 |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies: The Cherry Hath Long Popped |author=Bialos, China |date=August 7, 2008 |publisher=Campus Circle}}</ref>

===Hiatus and limited touring (2001–2006)===
[[File:CPDDanDustin.jpg|left|thumb|Dan Schmid and [[Dustin Lanker]], pictured here playing with the Daddies, continued as the pop duo [[The Visible Men]] during the Daddies' hiatus.]]
With nearly a decade of full-time band activity come to a rest, the Daddies parted ways to pursue other musical endeavors, remaining active in various local bands. Most notably, Perry and Moss started the theatrical [[glam punk]] group [[White Hot Odyssey]], releasing an album on [[Jive Records]] in 2004 before disbanding the following year, while Schmid and keyboardist [[Dustin Lanker]] formed the piano rock trio [[The Visible Men]], recording two studio albums and touring extensively until their own disbandment in 2007. Around this time, Schmid also toured as bassist for [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]] frontman [[Black Francis]]{{'}} band, recording on his 2007 album ''[[Bluefinger]]'' as well as recording on [[Pete Yorn]]{{'}}s Francis-produced [[Pete Yorn (album)|self-titled album]] in 2010. Lanker later joined California ska punk band the [[Mad Caddies]] as a touring member, eventually becoming a permanent member in 2013. Drummer Tim Donahue, after a stint with The Visible Men, worked as a [[session musician]], recording on albums for artists including [[TobyMac]] and [[Shawn McDonald]] and playing in [[Yngwie Malmsteen]]{{'}}s band for his 2001 European tour.<ref name="Donahue">{{Cite web|author=Donahue, Tim |title=Tim Donahue – Bio |url=http://www.rockdrummer.com/about-2 |publisher=www.rockdrummer.com |access-date=August 11, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tim-donahue-p174967 |title=Tim Donahue | Allmusic |website=[[allmusic]]}}</ref>

Over the next few years, all Daddies activity was put on further hold as the members returned to their family lives and full-time jobs, while Perry chose to resume his education at the University of Oregon, graduating in 2004 with a [[Bachelor of Science|B.S.]] in [[molecular biology]].<ref name="OrgQuart" /> In February 2002, after over a year without playing, the Daddies ended their hiatus by headlining at The Festival at Sandpoint in [[Sandpoint, Idaho]], which was followed by a series of sporadic appearances at various music festivals throughout the Northwest.<ref name="2002Int" /> Despite the sudden resurgence of activity, the band resolutely announced no future plans for recording new material or undertaking any extensive tours.<ref name="2002Int" /> Favoring a change of pace from their formerly intensive touring habits, the Daddies began scheduling their performances entirely around the band members' desire and personal availability, playing as few as eight to ten shows a year and limiting their appearances largely to Northwest shows or commissions for one-off "swingin' hits" concerts at various festivals and venues across the United States.<ref name="2002Int" /><ref name="Hager2004">{{cite news |title=Golf still rocks for the Daddies |author=Hager, Hank |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=20040625&id=X05WAAAAIBAJ&pg=4018,5862184 |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=June 25, 2004}}</ref>

===''Susquehanna'' and return to independent label (2006–2009)===
Following four years of relative inactivity as the band maintained their relaxed touring pace, Perry began writing material for a new Daddies album in early 2006, claiming to have come to the realization of a cathartic reliance on songwriting.<ref name="Spectre2008">{{Cite web |author=Spectre, Rob |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddy Man – Steve Perry |url=http://www.dreamnotoftoday.com/?series=568 |work=DreamNotofToday.com |date=June 19, 2008 |access-date=June 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409051423/http://www.dreamnotoftoday.com/?series=568 |archive-date=April 9, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In an April 2006 radio interview, he confirmed that the band was in preparation to record a new studio album, noting that the music would cover new territory for the Daddies, drawing heavily on [[Tropical music|tropical]] elements.<ref name="Maxim2006">{{Cite journal |author=Maxim, Bryce |title=Radio interview with Steve Perry |journal=Backstage Atlanta |publisher=[[WMLB]] AM |date=April 8, 2006}}</ref> Throughout the fall of 2006, the band carried out several small tours throughout the United States, where much of this new material was debuted.
[[File:CherryDaddies2007.jpg|right|thumb|The Daddies performing in California in 2007. Guitarist [[Jason Moss (musician)|Jason Moss]] played with the band from 1992 to 2010, serving the longest tenure of any non-original member.]]
Self-produced and recorded in Eugene during the summer of 2007, the Daddies' fifth album, ''[[Susquehanna (album)|Susquehanna]]'', was released via [[Online distribution|digital download]] exclusively through the band's website in February 2008, receiving a limited CD release several months later. Taking the shape of a narrative concept album which Perry detailed as a portrait of "various relationships in decay", ''Susquehanna'' featured prominent strains of [[Latin American music|Latin]] and [[Caribbean music|Caribbean]]-influenced music, incorporating flourishes of [[flamenco]], [[Latin rock]] and [[reggae]] into the band's traditional fare of swing and ska.<ref name="SusqAll">{{cite web|author=MacNeil, Jason |title=Susquehanna > Overview |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1346306|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[Allmusic]].com |year=2008 |access-date=June 14, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Fitzpatrick2009">{{Cite web |author=Fitzpatrick, Brian |title=Music Review: Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Susquehanna |url=http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-cherry-poppin-daddies-susquehanna1/ |work=[[Blogcritics]] |publisher=www.blogcritics.com] |date=September 25, 2009 |access-date=July 7, 2010 |archive-date=September 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927144330/http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-cherry-poppin-daddies-susquehanna1/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> While its low-profile [[DIY ethic|DIY]] release went mostly unnoticed by the mainstream media, response from internet-based publications ranged from mixed to positive, with reviewers once again polarized over the album's eclectic blend of genres.<ref name="Celebrity">{{Cite web |author=Groff, Mallory |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Susquehanna |url=http://thecelebritycafe.com/cd/full_review/13299.html |publisher=The Celebrity Cafe |date=March 14, 2008 |access-date=August 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319133448/http://thecelebritycafe.com/cd/full_review/13299.html |archive-date=March 19, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Sawdey2008">{{cite magazine|author=Sawdey, Evan |title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Susquehanna |url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/the-cherry-poppin-daddies-susquehanna/ |magazine=[[PopMatters]] |date=June 10, 2008 |access-date=August 11, 2009}}</ref> The Daddies embarked on another full-length tour in support of ''Susquehanna'' in mid-2008, followed by a headline tour of Europe, their first visit to the continent since 1998.<ref name="Arts">{{Cite web|author=Mohler, Bennett |title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies Are Back |url=http://media.www.lcctorch.com/media/storage/paper1259/news/2008/11/20/Arts/The-Cherry.Poppin.Daddies.Are.Back-3556038.shtml |publisher=The Torch |date=November 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224154631/http://media.www.lcctorch.com/media/storage/paper1259/news/2008/11/20/Arts/The-Cherry.Poppin.Daddies.Are.Back-3556038.shtml |archive-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref>

In July 2009, the Daddies announced having signed to independent label [[Rock Ridge Music]] for the release and national distribution of two albums, a re-issue of ''Susquehanna'' and ''[[Skaboy JFK|Skaboy JFK: The Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies]]'', a compilation of the band's ska material culled from their first five albums.<ref name="PressRelease">{{Cite web|title=Official Press Release: Cherry Poppin' Daddies to Release Two Albums in September |url=http://www.readjunk.com/news/music/cherry-poppin-daddies-to-release-two-albums-in-september%E2%80%8F/ |work=www.readjunk.com |date=July 14, 2009 |access-date=August 11, 2009}}</ref> Perry explained that fans had been suggesting the concept of a ska collection for years, and that such an album might help show a different side of the Daddies than the "swing band" persona they're generally recognized for.<ref name="Arts" /> ''Skaboy JFK'' was released in September 2009 to a largely positive critical reception, followed by further touring into 2010, taking the Daddies back across Europe and the United States, as well as appearing alongside [[Fishbone]] and [[The Black Seeds]] at the 11th [[Victoria Ska Fest]] in [[British Columbia]], where the band played the first all-ska set of their career.<ref name="Chamberlain2010">{{cite news|title=Band ready for its first attempt at all-ska gig |author=Chamberlain, Adrian |date=July 9, 2010 |newspaper=[[Times Colonist]]}}</ref>

===''White Teeth, Black Thoughts'' (2010–2013)===
Shortly after the release of ''Skaboy JFK'', Perry already began announcing plans for the Daddies' next studio album, revealing the band would be returning to swing music for their first all-swing album since ''Zoot Suit Riot''.<ref name="Barnes2010">{{Cite web |url=http://www.thesouthend.wayne.edu/index.php/article/2010/07/cherry_poppin_daddies_to_play_free_concert_at_campus_martius_park_friday |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies to play free concert at Campus Martius Park Friday |author=Barnes, Donald |date=July 25, 2010 |publisher=[[The South End]] |access-date=August 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128011418/http://thesouthend.wayne.edu/index.php/article/2010/07/cherry_poppin_daddies_to_play_free_concert_at_campus_martius_park_friday |archive-date=November 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Gagliardi2011">{{cite web |url=http://lunamagazine.com.au/music/interviews/2134 |title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies Swing Into Australia |date=February 25, 2011 |access-date=June 10, 2011 |author=Gagliardi, Matteo |publisher=Luna Magazine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425013504/http://lunamagazine.com.au/music/interviews/2134 |archive-date=April 25, 2012 }}</ref> Initial production on the album, titled ''[[White Teeth, Black Thoughts]]'', began in March 2011, though lasted infrequently throughout the year as the Daddies continued to carry out several more successful international tours, including two separate sold-out tours of Australia in 2011 and 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/news/tournews/173257/cherry-poppin-daddies-announce-special-oneoff-australian-show-2012.htm |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies Announce Australian Tour 2012 |date=June 20, 2012 |publisher=ToneDeaf}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://themusic.com.au/interviews/all/cherry-poppin-daddies-steve-perry/ |title=Season of Swing |magazine=The Music |author=Wandmaker, Kristy |date=October 30, 2012 |access-date=April 15, 2013 |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416215101/http://themusic.com.au/interviews/all/cherry-poppin-daddies-steve-perry/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> During this time, the band experienced major changes within their touring lineup after longtime keyboardist Dustin Lanker departed the group in 2012, prompting the Daddies to decide to continue touring without a live keyboardist. Several months later, trombonist Joe Freuen was added to the band, marking the first time the Daddies had ever included a full-time trombone player in their official lineup.
[[File:CPDHorns.jpg|thumb|left|The Daddies' [[horn section]], traditionally a trio of trumpet and alto and tenor saxophones, became a quartet with the addition of trombonist Joe Freuen in 2012.]]
In mid-2012, Perry finally elaborated on the production status of the new album, revealing that the band had written enough material to release ''White Teeth, Black Thoughts'' as a [[double album]], consisting of the main all-swing album and a bonus disc of "[[Americana (music)|Americana]]"-influenced rock songs in styles including [[rockabilly]], [[country music|country]], [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] and [[western swing]], the latter disc featuring guest appearances from accordionist [[Buckwheat Zydeco]] on a [[zydeco]] song and former [[Captain Beefheart]] guitarist [[Zoot Horn Rollo]] on a [[psychobilly]] track.<ref name="GazetteSwingin">{{cite news |url=http://www.gazettetimes.com/entertainment/music/still-swingin-hot/article_eaefc3a2-035a-11e2-a819-0019bb2963f4.html |title=Still swingin' hot |date=September 21, 2012 |author=Frye, Cory |newspaper=[[Corvallis Gazette-Times]]}}</ref><ref name="DaddiesPledge">{{cite web |url=http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/cherrypoppindaddies |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies: Swing with our New Album |date=June 20, 2012 |publisher=[[PledgeMusic]]}}</ref> On June 20, 2012, the Daddies launched a [[PledgeMusic]] campaign to help finance the final stages of the album's production, successfully reaching its target on August 14 and continuing to collect pledges into the following year, ultimately raising 133% of its goal.<ref name="DaddiesPledge" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jackseattle.cbslocal.com/2012/11/28/steve-perry-and-the-daddies-still-poppin-after-23-years/ |title=Steve Perry And 'The Daddies' Still Poppin' After 23 Years |author=Coyle, Chris |date=November 28, 2012 |publisher=Jack Seattle |access-date=December 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417013041/http://jackseattle.cbslocal.com/2012/11/28/steve-perry-and-the-daddies-still-poppin-after-23-years/ |archive-date=April 17, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Preceded by the release of two singles and music videos for the songs "[[I Love American Music]]" and "The Babooch", ''White Teeth, Black Thoughts'' was released independently on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records on July 16, 2013. Following the low-key DIY release and promotion of ''Susquehanna'' and ''Skaboy JFK'', the Daddies worked to heavily publicize ''White Teeth, Black Thoughts'', receiving coverage by major news outlets including ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' and ''[[USA Today]]'', while the band later appeared on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]-owned [[KTTV]] program ''[[Good Day L.A.]]'' to perform "I Love American Music", their first major television appearance since the 1990s.<ref name="WTBTBillboard">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1569297/cherry-poppin-daddies-white-teeth-black-thoughts-exclusive-album-premiere |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies, 'White Teeth, Black Thoughts': Exclusive Album Premiere |author=Graff, Gary |date=July 8, 2012 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref><ref name="USADaddies">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/07/02/cherry-poppin-daddies-video-premiere/2482461/ |title=Video premiere: Cherry Poppin' Daddies' 'The Babooch' |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=July 2, 2013 |author=Mansfield, Brian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myfoxla.com/story/22930702/weekend-roundup-viver-brasil-downtown-flea-cherry-poppin-daddies?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9130506 |title=Weekend Roundup: Viver Brasil, Downtown Flea & Cherry Poppin' Daddies |author=Yvette, Mar |date=July 25, 2013 |publisher=[[KTTV]] }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Despite not experiencing any chart success, the album received generally positive critical reviews, and the Daddies carried out a brief fifteen-city tour of the United States during the summer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.punknews.org/article/51949/tours-the-cherry-poppin-daddies |title=Tours: The Cherry Poppin' Daddies |publisher=Punknews.org |date=June 13, 2013}}</ref>

In January 2014, it was announced that the [[Eugene Ballet]] had collaborated with the Daddies for production entitled ''Zoot Suit Riot'', a dance show set to the music of and featuring live accompaniment from the band, featuring choreographed dance routines set to thirteen of the Daddies' songs, ranging from their biggest swing hits to their lesser-known rock, pop and psychedelic songs. ''Zoot Suit Riot'' played at Eugene's [[Hult Center for the Performing Arts]] on April 12 and 13, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://eugeneweekly.com/20140123/bravo/daddies-do-ballet |title=The Daddies Do Ballet |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |date=January 23, 2014 |author=Messman, Lauren |access-date=March 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312213457/http://eugeneweekly.com/20140123/bravo/daddies-do-ballet |archive-date=March 12, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Cover albums and ''Zoot Suit Riot: 20th Anniversary Edition'' (2014–2018)===
During the initial writing and recording period of ''White Teeth, Black Thoughts'', the Daddies began playing select shows billed as "The Cherry Poppin' Daddies Salute the Music of the [[Rat Pack]]", playing an equal mix of the band's own swing songs as well as covers of songs popularized by the "Rat Pack" of [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Dean Martin]] and [[Sammy Davis, Jr.]]<ref name="DaddiesPotawatomi">{{cite web |url=http://paysbig.com/blog/2013/10/17/q-and-a-with-the-cherry-poppin-daddies-frontman-steve-perry/ |title=Q&A with The Cherry Poppin' Daddies' Frontman Steve Perry |publisher=[[Potawatomi Bingo Casino]] |date=October 17, 2013}}</ref> In a July 2013 interview with ''Billboard'' magazine, Perry revealed that the band had concurrently recorded a [[tribute album]] featuring these songs and would be releasing it after touring behind ''White Teeth, Black Thoughts''.<ref name="WTBTBillboard" /> ''[[Please Return the Evening|Please Return the Evening — the Cherry Poppin' Daddies Salute the Music of the Rat Pack!]]'' was released on July 29, 2014, promoted by music videos for the album's covers of the Sinatra staples "[[Come Fly with Me (1957 song)|Come Fly with Me]]" and "[[Fly Me to the Moon]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/2014/07/video-premiere-cherry-poppin-daddies-come-fly/ |title=Video Premiere: Cherry Poppin' Daddies, "Come Fly With Me" |date=July 23, 2014 |magazine=[[American Songwriter]] |author=Williams, Emily}}</ref><ref name="HuffDaddies2014">{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ragogna/from-filmore-east-to-the_b_5750146.html?ir=Entertainment |title=From Fillmore East To The Moon: Chats with ABB's Jaimoe, CPD's Steve Perry, POTM's Shear Brothers and Cris Cab ... Plus! |author=Rigogna, Mike |date=September 9, 2014 |work=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref>

The following December, Perry expressed plans on the Daddies' official [[Facebook]] page to further explore the band's swing and jazz influences with another cover album, this time centered on the hot jazz of the [[Cotton Club]] era of the 1920s and 1930s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/notes/cherry-poppin-daddies/daddies-soon-to-bring-the-boop-a-doo/10152844456277207 |title=Daddies soon to bring the Boop-A-Doo!!! |publisher=[[Facebook]] |author=Perry, Steve |date=December 3, 2014}}</ref> Production on what would eventually be entitled ''[[The Boop-A-Doo]]'' began in Spring 2015 in Eugene, utilizing vintage recording techniques as well as the use of pre-1940s instruments to achieve an authentic jazz-era sound.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mclgdrnk/statuses/566309533329264640 |title=mclgdrnk Twitter update |date=February 13, 2015 |publisher=[[Twitter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mclgdrnk/statuses/575500684730093568 |title=Twitter update |date=March 10, 2015 |publisher=[[Twitter]] |author=Perry, Steve}}</ref> ''The Boop-A-Doo'' was released on January 22, 2016, promoted by a music video for the 1930 [[Eubie Blake]]/[[Andy Razaf]] song "That Lindy Hop", directed by Perry.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://eugeneweekly.com/blog/new-cherry-poppin-daddies-music-video-features-eugene-swing-dancers |title=New Cherry Poppin' Daddies music video features Eugene swing dancers |date=March 9, 2016 |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |author=Cipolle, Alex V.}}</ref>

Initially, the Daddies announced that ''Please Return the Evening'' and ''The Boop-A-Doo'' would comprise two parts of a planned trilogy of cover albums designed to showcase the band's swing and jazz influences.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.daddies.com/bio.cfm |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies press bio |date=April 2015 |publisher=www.daddies.com |access-date=May 31, 2015 |archive-date=May 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531110019/http://www.daddies.com/bio.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although Perry revealed in a November 2016 interview that the Daddies' third volume of cover songs would focus on either [[western swing]] or a [[Babs Gonzales]]/"[[beatnik]]"-style [[bebop]], as of March 2019, there have been no further updates on the status of this album.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://knkx.org/post/daddies-still-have-us-rocking-rhythm |title=The Daddies Still Have Us Rocking in Rhythm |author=Beeson, Abe |date=November 23, 2016 |publisher=[[KNKX]]}}</ref>

During this period, Perry was also occupied with the task of remixing and remastering the Daddies' ''Zoot Suit Riot'' compilation, having re-obtained the rights from Jive Records in 2014. Speaking on the project, he lamented that production of ''Zoot Suit Riot'' had been rushed and that only first takes had been used, noting that there could have been "2 or 3 more" takes of the songs "if we had known the future back in 1996", noting "after 25 years [of the band], I would like to make the record sound a little better".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/2014/09/12/cherry-poppin-daddies-swing-mac-2/ |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies swing into the Mac |date=September 12, 2014 |publisher=[[Sun-Times Media Group]] |author=Alleman, Annie |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006073915/http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/2014/09/12/cherry-poppin-daddies-swing-mac-2/ |archive-date=October 6, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://radiostudent.si/glasba/r%C5%A1-intervju/cherry-poppin-daddies |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies |author=Kraner, Sabrina |publisher=Radio Student FM89.3 |date=September 24, 2014}}</ref><ref name="InstaDaddies">{{cite web |url=http://instagram.com/p/ubym3utOPK/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/ubym3utOPK |archive-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=limited|title=21 October, 2014 |publisher=[[Instagram]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''Zoot Suit Riot: The 20th Anniversary Edition'' was released on CD and vinyl on January 13, 2017, featuring five bonus live tracks recorded during the band's 1998 tours. In promotion of the album's re-release, the Daddies played select dates throughout the country, performing the album in its entirety.

===''Bigger Life'' (2019–present)===
While the Daddies dedicated most of the 2010s to playing and recording swing and jazz music, Perry first revealed in a 2014 interview with ''[[HuffPost|The Huffington Post]]'' that he had started writing new non-swing songs for the next original Daddies album, describing his ambitions of making a "[[psychobilly]]/[[Frank Zappa|Zappa]]/''[[American Idiot]]''/[[Robert Crumb|R. Crumb]] type record that paints a picture of the American socio political scene", emphasizing his desire to experiment with rockabilly and [[roots rock]].<ref name="HuffDaddies2014" /> Over the next four years, Perry gave sporadic updates on Twitter and in interviews on the development of this new album of originals, describing it in 2016 as "a little like ''Ferociously Stoned 2''", featuring a primary emphasis on rock and funk, and then later in 2017 as "swing-ska-rockabilly-psychobilly".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mclgdrnk/status/686732917758758919?lang=en |title=cherrypoppindaddies on Twitter |date=January 11, 2016 |publisher=[[Twitter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://registerguard.com/rg/entertainment/35457608-67/suit-up-for-a-riot-the-cherry-poppin-daddies-still-have-that-genre-breakin-swagger.html.csp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416204049/http://registerguard.com/rg/entertainment/35457608-67/suit-up-for-a-riot-the-cherry-poppin-daddies-still-have-that-genre-breakin-swagger.html.csp |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 16, 2017 |title=Suit Up for a Riot: The Cherry Poppin' Daddies Still Have That Genre-Breakin' Swagger |date=April 14, 2017 |author=Cipolle, Alex |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]]}}</ref> Production on the album began in late 2017, and on May 8, 2018, Perry announced on Twitter that the mixing process had begun on the finished product, now titled ''[[Bigger Life]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mclgdrnk/status/993883211037007873 |title=Twitter update |author=Perry, Steve |date=May 8, 2018 |publisher=[[Twitter]]}}</ref>

On March 12, 2019, the Daddies premiered the first single and music video from ''Bigger Life'' on their YouTube channel, a ska punk song entitled "Gym Rat", later followed by two additional singles and music videos for the songs "Diesel PunX", a rockabilly-styled song influenced by the science fiction sub-genre of [[dieselpunk]], and the [[Celtic punk]]/[[folk punk]]-influenced "Yankee Pride". ''Bigger Life'' was released on CD and vinyl on June 14, which was celebrated with a show at Eugene's W.O.W. Hall the same day, where the Daddies debuted a new stage show focusing exclusively on the band's repertoire of ska and ska-punk songs, a set they continued to perform at select shows and festivals, including the 2019 Victoria Ska Fest. The Daddies had been scheduled to perform as part of the Supernova International Ska Festival located in Virginia in June 2020, though the festival was ultimately canceled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]].

On January 31, 2020, the Daddies released the standalone single "Faux Nice, Mock Fancy", a glam rock-styled song recorded during the ''Bigger Life'' sessions. In a Facebook post announcing the single, Perry detailed that he planned to release various unreleased songs as singles throughout the year as he started work on new material.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/CherryPoppinDaddies/photos/a.445266271259/10156488942061260/?type=3&theater |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/118565146259/10156488942061260 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |url-access=limited|publisher=[[Facebook]] |author=Perry, Steve |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Facebook Update January 31, 2020 |date=January 31, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> This started with the single and video release of "Platform Shoes", another glam rock-styled song from the deluxe edition of ''White Teeth, Black Thoughts'', in mid-March and a cover of Canadian rock band [[The Kings]]{{'}} 1980 hit "Switchin' to Glide" in mid-May.

In an October 2022 interview, Perry revealed that he had spent much of the pandemic writing three albums worth of original material, including an all-swing album, a ska-pop-funk album and a psychobilly album.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opPrFHaTt0A |title=Ep 293 The Cherry Poppin Daddies it's a Zoot Suit Riot to the Bigger Life! |publisher=Laughing Monkey Music |date=October 22, 2022}}</ref>

On July 13, 2023, the Daddies premiered the first single from an upcoming untitled album, "Lowdown Appreciator". On November 30, the band premiered another new single, "Kings of Swing", which was accompanied by the unveiling of the new album's title - ''At the Pink Rat'', its album art and a projected release date of July 26, 2024.

==Musical style and lyricism==
The Daddies are generally classified as a [[swing music|swing]] and/or [[ska]] band by the media, and their music is largely composed of various interpretations of both genres, ranging from traditional jazz and [[big band]]-influenced forms to modernized rock and punk [[fusion (music)|fusions]]. During their commercial breakthrough in the 1990s, critics conceived terms such as "punk swing",<ref>{{cite news |title=Music Sideshow |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=August 2, 2002}}</ref> "power swing"<ref name="Phoenix" /> and "big band punk rock"<ref>{{cite news |title=SXSW SAT CONTINUED |newspaper=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |date=November 5, 1997}}</ref> to describe the Daddies' unique approach to these fusions, mixing "the propulsion of swing beats and rabbit-punch bursts of brass with grimy rebel-rock guitars to give the jumpin' jive sound a much-needed facelift".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.westword.com/2000-11-09/music/cherry-poppin-daddies/ |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Music Review |magazine=[[Westword]] |author=Schild, Matt |date=November 9, 2000}}</ref> ''[[The Pacific Northwest Inlander]]'' wrote of this style in 1994, "atop the swing of the band's jazz you can hear strains of [[Parliament-Funkadelic]], crumbs of barrelhouse rhythm and blues, snippets of ska, and huge whiffs of in-your-face punk rock", likening the Daddies to "[[Cab Calloway]]-meets-[[Johnny Rotten]], or the [[Duke Ellington]] Orchestra pumped up on steroids and caffeine".<ref name="Inland" />
{{Listen
|filename = RapidCityMuscleCar.ogg
|title = ''Rapid City Muscle Car'' (1994)
|description = Samples of five songs from ''Rapid City Muscle Car'', illustrating the eclectic mix of genres typical of most Daddies albums, here showcasing ska punk, funk rock, country, hard rock and big band swing.
}}
The Daddies themselves used to facetiously classify their music as "swing-core",<ref>{{cite news |title=Hard-Core Swing |newspaper=[[The Daytona Beach News-Journal]] |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NJ&p_theme=nj&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB520B35F072247&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=November 20, 1998}}</ref> exemplified by the fast [[tempo]]s and frequent use of [[distortion (music)|guitar distortion]] in their swing material, as well as "[[third wave ska|third wave]] swing", owing to their prominent ska influence.<ref name="OregonLive" /><ref name="Post" /><ref name="CPDterms">{{cite web |url=http://archives.timesleader.com/1999/1999_05/1999_03_17_CHERRY_POPPIN__DADDIES_TO_SWING_AT_MARYWOOD_THE_CHERRY_POPPIN__D.html |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies to swing at Marywood |date=March 17, 1999 |access-date=September 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201946/http://archives.timesleader.com/1999/1999_05/1999_03_17_CHERRY_POPPIN__DADDIES_TO_SWING_AT_MARYWOOD_THE_CHERRY_POPPIN__D.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Levy1998">{{cite magazine|author1=Levy, Adam |author2=Swenson, Kyle |title=Jitterbuggin' Punks Reinvent the Big Band |url=http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/swingkid/jan-00/6616 |magazine=[[Guitar Player]] |date=November 1998 |access-date=August 11, 2009}}</ref> In recent years, however, Perry has dismissed attempts to apply labels to the Daddies' music, often casually describing them in vaguer terms as "a rock band with horns" or "a dance band that uses jazz a bit".<ref name="Frieman2009" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.axs.com/news/cherry-poppin-daddies-steve-perry-plays-it-straight-68026 |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies' Steve Perry plays it straight |author=Weber, Carol Banks |date=October 15, 2015 |publisher=AXS}}</ref> Perry has compared the Daddies' style of musical eclecticism with that of [[Fishbone]], [[Mink DeVille]] and [[Oingo Boingo]], while also citing major influence from [[The Specials]] and [[Roxy Music]], as well as from [[Fletcher Henderson]], [[Jimmie Lunceford]] and Duke Ellington on his composing and arrangements.<ref name="Lofi" /><ref name="InMusic" /><ref name="ReadJunk">{{Cite web|author=Manuud, Ray |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies |url=http://www.readjunk.com/interviews/cherry-poppin-daddies/#more-17484 |work=www.readjunk.com |publisher=ReadJunk |date=August 12, 2009 |access-date=April 2, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Binelli1998a">{{cite magazine |last=Binelli |first=Mark |date= June 25, 1998 |title=Cherries on top |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue= 789 |page=31 |issn=0035-791X}}</ref><ref name="Britt1999">{{Cite web|author=Britt, John |title=There's A Zoot Suit Riot Goin' On |url=http://www.flagpole.com/Issues/04.07.99/cherrypoppin.html |publisher=[[Flagpole Magazine]] |date=April 7, 1999 |access-date=April 3, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20021019234607/http://www.flagpole.com/Issues/04.07.99/cherrypoppin.html |archive-date= October 19, 2002}}</ref>

Alongside the constants of swing, ska, and on earlier recordings, funk, each of the Daddies' studio albums feature a collective assortment of varied and often diametrically opposed genres of music. Some of the musical styles the band has experimented with include [[blues music|blues]],<ref name="Inland" /> [[country music|country]],<ref name="Lofi" /> [[disco]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies at Club Lingerie |newspaper=Factor X magazine |date=March 1994}}</ref> [[Dixieland]],<ref name="Chandler1998" /> [[flamenco]],<ref name="SusqAll" /> [[folk music|folk]],<ref name="Gonzaga2000" /> [[glam rock]],<ref name="SoulDaddies" /> [[hardcore punk]],<ref name="KOTSreview">{{cite news |author=Mitchell, Grace |title=New CD Covers a Broad Range |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=February 19, 1996}}</ref> [[jump blues]],<ref name="Season">{{cite news |author=Hughley, Marty |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies are back in season |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=January 21, 1991}}</ref> [[lounge music|lounge]],<ref name="Phoenix" /> [[psychedelic pop]],<ref name="Season" /> [[rhythm and blues]],<ref name="SoulDaddies" /> [[reggae]],<ref name="SusqAll" /> [[rockabilly]],<ref name="OrgQuart" /> [[soca music|soca]],<ref name="Celebrity" /> [[soul music|soul]],<ref name="SoulDaddies" /> [[western swing]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Swing Daddies |newspaper=[[The Pantagraph]] |date=April 9, 1999}}</ref> and [[zydeco]].<ref name="Ink19Review">{{cite web |url=http://ink19.com/issues/august2013/musicReviews/cherryPoppinDaddies.html |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – White Teeth, Black Thoughts |publisher=Ink 19 |date=August 2013 |author=Gauze, Carl F. |access-date=August 23, 2013 |archive-date=February 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204161636/http://ink19.com/issues/august2013/musicReviews/cherryPoppinDaddies.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> As opposed to playing fusions, the Daddies perform each genre separately, contrasting one style against another so that the album's musical texture continually changes.<ref name="Latin">{{cite news |title=Latin Lover |author=Salvia, Vanessa |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |date=April 24, 2008 |url=http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/04/24/music1.html |access-date=April 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123105432/http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/04/24/music1.html |archive-date=November 23, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Perry has explained that the group's "[[wikt:detournement|detournement]]" of using vastly different genres is both a means for band experimentation and evolution beyond their typically swing and ska-oriented live shows, as well as an artistic choice, lending each song a distinctive musical personality and using certain genres to effectively fit – or ironically contradict – the tone of the lyrics.<ref name="Canoe" /><ref name="Virgin" /><ref name="SongfactsInt">{{Cite web|title=Steve Perry of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies: Songwriter Interview |url=http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/steve_perry_of_cherry_poppin_daddies/ |publisher=Songfacts.com |date=October 8, 2009 |access-date=June 14, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Markunas2010">{{Cite web|author=Markunas, Jeff |title=Cherry Poppin' Daddies – Steve Perry Gets Cosmic |url=http://www.cwgmagazine.com/columns/othersideofcountry/2010/02/cherry-poppin-dadies-steve-perry-gets-cosmic/ |publisher=CWGmagazine.com |date=February 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302042400/http://www.cwgmagazine.com/columns/othersideofcountry/2010/02/cherry-poppin-dadies-steve-perry-gets-cosmic/ |archive-date=March 2, 2010}}</ref>

===Lyrical===
[[File:CPDSteveGuitar.JPG|left|thumb|As sole composer and lyricist, Steve Perry is credited as the creative force behind the Daddies.]]
Steve Perry is the Daddies' sole lyricist, and writes the majority of his songs in a fictional [[narrative]] format he credits as being influenced by [[Randy Newman]], [[Ray Davies]] and [[Jarvis Cocker]], often told about or through the [[unreliable narrator|unreliable perspective]] of downtrodden characters struggling against adversity.<ref name="Rocket" /><ref name="Inland" /><ref name="Dark" /><ref name="BluesInt11">{{cite web |url=http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/steve-perry-of-cherry-poppin-daddies-talks-about-the-daddies-the?xg_source=activity |date=December 30, 2011 |publisher=blues.gr |author=Limnios, Michael |title=Steve Perry of Cherry Poppin' Daddies talks about the Daddies, the Swing Revival and the Original Swing Area}}</ref> Recurring themes in the Daddies' lyrics include sex, death, [[working class]] life, [[class consciousness]], [[alcoholism]], [[family dysfunction]], [[loneliness]] and [[social alienation]], frequently utilizing humor and [[satire]].<ref name="Dark" /><ref name="Baddest" /><ref name="SFWeekly" /> Perry often incorporates commentary on contemporary [[Politics of the United States|American politics]] into his music, such as addressing issues relating to the [[2008 financial crisis]] on ''[[White Teeth, Black Thoughts]]'' (2013) and exploring themes of race and class during the [[First presidency of Donald Trump]] on ''[[Bigger Life]]'' (2019).<ref name="USADaddies"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ghettoblastermagazine.com/2013/from-the-horses-mouth-steve-perry-cherry-poppin-daddies-on-white-teeth-black-thoughts/ |title=From The Horse's Mouth: Steve Perry (Cherry Poppin' Daddies) on White Teeth Black Thoughts |date=June 28, 2013 |author=Anderl, Timothy |publisher=Ghettoblaster Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/05/protest-music.html |title=Trump-Era Protest Music Draws On Personal Stories |date=May 7, 2019 |magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |author=Danton, Eric R. |access-date=July 25, 2019 |archive-date=May 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508003248/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/05/protest-music.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[The Register-Guard]]'' has described Perry's lyrics as "ribald [and] often despairing", "[probing] the underbelly of society, stabbing at oppressors such as ... the pressure to conform",<ref name="PoppinUp" /> while ''[[The New York Times]]'' has lauded them as "vivid poetry" containing "an inventiveness missing from most of the other swing bands' lyrics".<ref>{{cite news |title=Critic's Notebook: It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing |author=Ratliff, Ben |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 7, 1998}}</ref>

The Daddies have often been criticized for their seeming juxtaposition of lurid subject matter and [[profanity]] with jazz and swing music,<ref name="YanowSwing">{{cite book |title=''Swing'' |last=Yanow |first=Scott |author-link=Scott Yanow |year=2000 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=0-87930-600-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/swing00yano/page/463 463–464] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/swing00yano/page/463 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cpyu.org/Page.aspx?id=76995 |title=The Cherry Poppin' Daddies |publisher=Center for Parent/Youth Understanding |year=1998 |access-date=November 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124094334/http://cpyu.org/Page.aspx?id=76995 |archive-date=November 24, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> though Perry has defended the band's predilection towards "darker" lyricism and visuals, calling to attention his interest in the era's [[film noir]] and [[avant-garde]] artistic movements.<ref name="SwinginHotCorvallis">{{cite news |url=http://www.gazettetimes.com/entertainment/music/still-swingin-hot/article_eaefc3a2-035a-11e2-a819-0019bb2963f4.html |title=Still Swingin' Hot |date=September 21, 2012 |author=Frye, Cory |newspaper=[[Corvallis Gazette-Times]]}}</ref> A prominent example of this includes the two [[Zoot Suit Riot (song)#Music videos|music videos]] for the Daddies' hit single "Zoot Suit Riot", which – in addition to being written about the [[Zoot Suit Riots|1943 race riots]] – both featured pervasive [[surrealism|surrealist]] imagery inspired by the films of [[Luis Buñuel]], specifically his 1929 short ''[[Un Chien Andalou]]''.<ref name="SwinginHotCorvallis" /><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=SPIN |title=SPINchat: Steve Perry |date=June 18, 1998 |volume=14 |issue=6}}</ref> "We wanted to be darker, weirder and stranger", Perry stated in a 2012 interview, "and unfortunately, with other [swing] bands it was 'Back then everyone dressed nice and was nice'. That's not true. You don't know anything about that era at all".<ref name="SwinginHotCorvallis" />

Most of the Daddies' studio albums are written to varying extents as [[concept album]]s, featuring either recurring lyrical themes or an abstract narrative. According to Perry, this lyrical interconnectedness is intended as means of providing an album with threads of thematic stability against wildly varying musical styles.<ref name="Canoe" /><ref name="Lepire2009">{{Cite web|author=Lepire, Brian |title=New Cherries to Pop: Interview with Steve Perry about the Rise and Return of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies |url=http://www.staythirstymedia.com/200910-038/html/200910-steve-perry-cpd-interview.html |publisher=Stay Thirsty Media |date=October 3, 2009 |access-date=April 3, 2010}}</ref>

==Reception, criticism and influence==
In their native Oregon, the Daddies have been called "a Northwest institution",<ref name="WillametteArticle">{{cite news |newspaper=[[Willamette Week]] |url=http://wweek.com/editorial/3602/13345/ |title=Sparkle and Fade |author=Jarman, Casey |date=November 18, 2009 |access-date=December 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223043442/http://wweek.com/editorial/3602/13345 |archive-date=February 23, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> having been inducted into the [[Oregon Music Hall of Fame]] in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.omhof.org/honorees |title=Oregon Music Hall of Fame Honorees |date=October 2009 |publisher=www.omhof.org |access-date=November 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924061710/http://www.omhof.org/honorees |archive-date=September 24, 2009 }}</ref> ''[[The Register-Guard]]'' has credited the band with shaping Eugene's alternative musical culture in the 1990s, while ''[[Eugene Weekly]]'' added likewise, "when some people think of the Northwest music scene, they think of [[grunge]]. If you're a Eugenean, however, you might think of swing, thanks to [the] Cherry Poppin' Daddies".<ref name="CPDRGWOW">{{cite news |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/It%27s+been+30+years+since+WOWathon%3F-a0139735841 |title=It's been 30 years since WOWathon? |author=Lamberson, Carolyn |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=December 9, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Eugene Weekly]] |date=November 12, 2009 |title=Eugene Weekly – Arts Calendar}}</ref> Seattle's ''[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]]'' commented on the band's influence in 1997, stating "[t]he Daddies were busting out the swing before the [[Squirrel Nut Zippers]], stirring cocktails before [[Combustible Edison]] and skating the ska before [[Sublime (band)|Sublime]] ... the band shakes out an incredible variety of sounds with peerless verve and polish."<ref name="Rocket" />
[[File:CPDWOWHALL.jpg|right|thumb|The Daddies performing at Eugene's W.O.W. Hall in 2008. ''[[The Register-Guard]]'' has described the historic music venue as "the house that the Daddies built".<ref name="CPDRGWOW" />]]
Together with the controversies surrounding the early years of their career, the band have also attracted a fair amount of professional criticism in their home state. ''[[The Portland Mercury]]'' have been frequent detractors of the Daddies, deriding them as "at best, an edgeless recycle of a rather particular musical fashion movement; at worst, a self-conscious parody of the genre they purport to love",<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.portlandmercury.com/music/up--coming/Content?oid=32801 |newspaper=[[The Portland Mercury]] |date=December 30, 2004 |author=Pennington, Zac |title=Music > Up & Coming |access-date=March 21, 2011 |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127172103/https://www.portlandmercury.com/music/up--coming/Content?oid=32801 |url-status=dead }}</ref> while the ''[[Willamette Week]]'', in an article detailing the band's polarizing reception, described the negative consensus of the Daddies as "an annoying white-boy funk rock band who, seeing the opportunity, milked the swing revival for all it was worth".<ref name="WillametteArticle" /> Jazz critic and author [[Scott Yanow]] vociferously criticized the band as the choice "whipping boy for the Retro Swing movement" in his 2000 book ''Swing!'', writing them off as "a punk rock band who has chosen to masquerade as Swing, at least until a better fad comes along", spotlighting the Daddies' "mediocre" rhythm section and profane lyricism as a case for making them "a band to avoid".<ref name="YanowSwing" />

The Daddies are more widely recognized, however, as one of the first bands to revive swing music in the musical mainstream, helping spearhead the [[swing revival]] of the late 1990s which paved the way for the larger successes of [[Big Bad Voodoo Daddy]] and the [[Brian Setzer Orchestra]].<ref name="AllMusicBio" /><ref name="Billboard" /> Although the Daddies have been cited as an influence on [[ska punk]] bands the [[Mad Caddies]] and [[Spring Heeled Jack U.S.]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.punktastic.com/interviews/65 |title=Interview – Mad Caddies |date=April 28, 2003 |publisher=Punktastic.com |access-date=December 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307073556/http://www.punktastic.com/interviews/65 |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NureJlAQG58 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211116/NureJlAQG58| archive-date=November 16, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Bostonska.net interview with Ron Ragona and Tyler Jones – Part Three |date=October 23, 2013 |publisher=Bostonska.net}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''[[SF Weekly]]'' once claimed the group has "never gotten the accolades it deserves" for their eclectic funk-ska repertoire.<ref name="SFWeekly" /> The ''[[Phoenix New Times]]'' expressed similar sentiments, listing the "woefully unsung" Daddies as among the bands that defined the Northwest's "alternative to [[alternative rock|alternative]]", "[delivering] rock with more complexity than three-chord guitar riffs and social critique without heavy-handed cynicism".<ref name="Phoenix" /><ref name="Cook1994" /> In a 2008 retrospective feature posted on [[Rolling Stone|RollingStone.com]]{{'}}s The Capri Lounge, a blog run by the editors of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine, the Daddies were declared as "one of the most misunderstood bands of the nineties".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/caprilounge/2008/07/reexamining-the-cherry-poppin.php |title=The Capri Lounge – Reexamining the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (For Real) |publisher=[[Rolling Stone]].com |date=July 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025084604/http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/caprilounge/2008/07/reexamining-the-cherry-poppin.php |archive-date=October 25, 2008 }}</ref>

===Band name===
{{quote box
|quote = [The band name] definitely doesn't mean what people think if they giggle when they hear it. We had a show and needed a name. Being punk, we wanted an up-yours name like [[Butthole Surfers]]. It came from the lyrics in a [[race record]]. Now it's our cross to bear and explain in every interview. I assure you we don't cruise high schools for dates.
|author = —Steve Perry, commenting on the Daddies' name in 1998
|source = ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''<ref name="Bell1998" />
|width = 33%
|align = left
}}
The Daddies have also retained a more ignominious recognition for their off-color band name which has persisted beyond the initial controversies which pegged the band's early years. The Daddies frequently appear on lists of the worst band names of all time, including those by ''[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]'', the ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'', the ''[[Toronto Sun]]'', and [[VH1]], the last of which called it "quite possibly the most offensive band name ever, made all the more ridiculous by the fact that these outwardly bragging virgin-sexers had a completely innocuous mainstream hit song".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7856-a-feature-about-nothing-the-1990s-in-lists/4/ |title=A Feature About Nothing: The 1990s in Lists |publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]] |date=September 7, 2010 |access-date=August 15, 2015 |archive-date=February 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220063248/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7856-a-feature-about-nothing-the-1990s-in-lists/4/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/music/article/The-dumbest-band-names-of-all-time-6100788.php#photo-7574451 |title=The Dumbest Band Names of All Time |newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |date=February 25, 2015 |author=Varizi, Aidin}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/26/most-controversial-band-names |title=Most controversial band names |date=July 26, 2012 |newspaper=[[Toronto Sun]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2012-05-18/the-15-lamest-bands-with-really-intense-names/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707001153/http://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2012-05-18/the-15-lamest-bands-with-really-intense-names/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 7, 2014 |title=The 15 Lamest Bands with Really Intense Names |publisher=[[VH1]] |date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> A 2009 issue of ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' magazine placed the Daddies in third place in a [[bracket (tournament)|bracket chart]] of the worst band names, while in 2013, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' included the Daddies on their list of "The Thirteen Dumbest Band Names in Rock History", noting that the [[incest]]uous interpretation of the name is "the last thing anyone wants to visualize while listening to music".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Worst Band Names Ever |date=March 2009 |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |url=http://diogenesclub.net/images/skabba_full.jpg |access-date=August 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103138/http://diogenesclub.net/images/skabba_full.jpg |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-thirteen-dumbest-band-names-in-rock-history-20130701 |title=The Thirteen Dumbest Band Names in Rock History |date=July 1, 2013 |author=Greene, Andy |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref>

Steve Perry has expressed ambivalence about the name's controversy, conceding it's "probably the most heinous name in the history of rock"<ref name="CelebCafe" /> though also trying to contextualize it within the band's roots in the 1980s Northwest punk rock scene: in a 2020 interview, he explained "it's a lot harder to understand the name now that the counter-cultural mentality has faded, but in that time, the idea was you wanted to choose a band name that would attract other punk rock kids and keep others at bay".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jan/30/working-together-seamlessly-steve-perry-of-cherry-/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=January 30, 2020 |title=Working together seamlessly: Steve Perry of Cherry Poppin' Daddies is ready to share stage with symphony |author=Hammett, Stephanie}}</ref> In a 2000 interview, he further detailed the contrast between the Daddies' name and their unexpected breakthrough into the wider cultural mainstream, saying "Pop culture is trying to offend no one. We didn't come out of that; we came from the loyal opposition. We came out of the punk movement. How can I deny that? I started this band a long time ago, and we just used [the name]. We didn't know that in 10 years we'd turn into some sort of happy, peppy, feel-good things."<ref name="CelebCafe" />

Although Perry has occasionally voiced regret over not having changed the Daddies' name early in their career, he has more recently come to embrace the controversy around the name as his "[[Holden Caulfield]] red hunting hat - a badge of honor", dismissing critics who choose to demonize the name based on literal interpretation than the jazz-era [[African American Vernacular English|jive slang]] it drew from as "outrage addicts".<ref name="InMusic" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/98/04/30/features/story3.html |title=Daddies bring new moves to brassy swing |newspaper=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |date=April 30, 1998 |author=Berger, John}}</ref><ref name="SongfactsInt"/>

==Band members==
===Current members===
* [[Steve Perry (Oregon musician)|Steve Perry]] (MC Large Drink) – [[lead vocalist|lead vocals]], [[rhythm guitar]] (1989–present)
* [[Dan Schmid]] (Dang Oulette) – [[bass guitar|bass]] (1989–1996, 1998–present)
* [[Dana Heitman]] – [[trumpet]] (1989–present)
* Willie Matheis – [[tenor saxophone]], [[bari saxophone]] (2010–present)
* Zak Johnson – [[lead guitar]], [[banjo]], [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]] (2015–present)

===Former members===
{{div col}}
* Tim Arnold – drums (1989-1990)
* James Gossard – lead guitar (1989–1990)
* John Fohl – lead guitar (1990–1992)
* James Phillips – tenor saxophone (1989–1992, 1996) (deceased, 1961–2011<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129782090948968700 |newspaper=[[Portland Tribune]] |title=Sandy Grade School principal dies at age 49 |date=February 15, 2011 |access-date=February 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220201218/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129782090948968700 |archive-date=February 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>)
* [[Brooks Brown]] – alto saxophone (1989–1994)
* Adrian P. Baxter – tenor saxophone (1993–1996)
* [[Adam Glogauer]] – drums (1996)
* Sean Oldham – drums (1996)
* Jason Palmer – drums (1996) (2009 – studio recordings)
* Brian West – drums (1990–1996) (deceased, 1966–2018<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/registerguard/obituary.aspx?n=brian-west&pid=187951029& |publisher=[[Legacy.com]] |date=January 24, 2018 |title=Brian West (1966–2018)}}</ref>)
* Chris Azorr – [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]] (1990–1997)
* Rex Trimm – alto saxophone (1996–1997)
* Hans Wagner – drums (1996–1997)
* Naiya Cominos – bass (1995–1996)
* Darren Cassidy – bass (1996–1998)
* [[Johnny Goetchius]] – keyboards (1998–2000)
* Ian Early – alto saxophone (1997–2006)
* Tim Donahue – drums (1997–2008)
* Sean Flannery – tenor saxophone (1996–2008)
* Jesse Cloninger – tenor saxophone (2008–2010)
* [[Jason Moss (musician)|Jason Moss]] – guitar (1992–2010, 2024, 2025)
* [[Dustin Lanker]] – keyboards, backing vocals (1997–1998, 2000–2012)
* Kevin Congleton – drums (2008–2013)
* Joe Manis – alto and baritone saxophones (2006–2013)
* William Seiji Marsh – lead guitar, backing vocals (2010–2014)
* Chris Ward – lead guitar, banjo, backing vocals (2014–2024)
* Paul Owen – drums (2013–2017)
* Andy Page – alto saxophone, clarinet (2013–2019)
* Joe Freuen – trombone (2012–2019)
* Oscar Watson III- drums
* Josh Hettwer – [[alto saxophone]] (2016–2023)
* Matt Hettwer – [[trombone]], [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]] (2019–2023)
{{div col end}}

====Timeline====
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:18
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:110 top:0 right:20
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1989 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1989
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1989
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4

Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_rhythm_guitar
id:backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:guitar value:green legend:Lead_guitar
id:banjo value:drabgreen legend:Banjo
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:trumpet value:yelloworange legend:Trumpet
id:trombone value:coral legend:Trombone
id:alto value:skyblue legend:Alto_saxophone
id:tenor value:tan2 legend:Tenor_saxophone
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:bars value:gray(0.95)
id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album
id:other value:gray(0.5) legend:Other_release

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData =
at:11/20/1990 color:black layer:back
at:12/12/1994 color:black layer:back
at:02/06/1996 color:black layer:back
at:10/03/2000 color:black layer:back
at:02/19/2008 color:black layer:back
at:07/16/2013 color:black layer:back
at:07/29/2014 color:black layer:back
at:01/22/2016 color:black layer:back
at:06/14/2019 color:black layer:back
at:07/26/2024 color:black layer:back
at:06/01/1989 color:other layer:back
at:06/01/1997 color:other layer:back
at:02/09/2007 color:other layer:back
at:06/01/1992 color:other layer:back
at:11/01/1997 color:other layer:back

BarData =
bar:Steve text:"Steve Perry"
bar:Dana text:"Dana Heitman"
bar:Joe text:"Joe Freuen"
bar:Matt text:"Matt Hettwer"
bar:Brooks text:"Brooks Brown"
bar:Rex text:"Rex Trimm"
bar:Ian text:"Ian Early"
bar:Joe2 text:"Joe Manis"
bar:Andy text:"Andy Page"
bar:Josh text:"Josh Hettwer"
bar:James2 text:"James Phillips"
bar:Adrian text:"Adrian Baxter"
bar:Sean text:"Sean Flannery"
bar:Jesse text:"Jesse Cloninger"
bar:Willie text:"Willie Matheis"
bar:James text:"James Gossard"
bar:John text:"John Fohl"
bar:Jason text:"Jason Moss"
bar:William text:"William Seiji Marsh"
bar:Chris text:"Chris Ward"
bar:Zak text:"Zak Johnson"
bar:Chris2 text:"Chris Azorr"
bar:Dustin text:"Dustin Lanker"
bar:Nathan text:"Nathan Grant"
bar:Johnny text:"Johnny Goetchius"
bar:Dan text:"Dan Schmid"
bar:Darren text:"Darren Cassidy"
bar:Naiya text:"Naiya Cominos"
bar:Tim text:"Tim Arnold"
bar:Brian text:"Brian West"
bar:Adam text:"Adam Glogauer"
bar:Sean2 text:"Sean Oldham"
bar:Jason2 text:"Jason Palmer"
bar:Hans text:"Hans Wagner"
bar:Tim2 text:"Tim Donahue"
bar:Kevin text:"Kevin Congleton"
bar:Paul text:"Paul Owen"
bar:Oscar text:"Oscar Watson III"

PlotData =
width:11
bar:Steve from:01/01/1989 till:end color:vocals
bar:James from:01/01/1989 till:04/01/1990 color:guitar
bar:John from:04/01/1990 till:06/01/1992 color:guitar
bar:Jason from:06/01/1992 till:07/01/2010 color:guitar
bar:William from:07/01/2010 till:10/01/2014 color:guitar
bar:William from:07/01/2010 till:10/01/2014 color:backing width:3
bar:Chris from:10/01/2014 till:06/01/2015 color:guitar
bar:Chris from:10/01/2014 till:06/01/2015 color:banjo width:3
bar:Zak from:06/01/2015 till:end color:guitar
bar:Zak from:06/01/2015 till:end color:banjo width:7
bar:Zak from:06/01/2015 till:end color:backing width:3
bar:Dan from:01/01/1989 till:05/01/1996 color:bass
bar:Naiya from:11/01/1995 till:05/01/1996 color:bass
bar:Darren from:05/01/1996 till:06/01/1998 color:bass
bar:Dan from:06/01/1998 till:end color:bass
bar:Chris2 from:01/01/1990 till:05/01/1997 color:keys
bar:Dustin from:05/01/1997 till:06/01/1998 color:keys
bar:Dustin from:05/01/1997 till:06/01/1998 color:backing width:3
bar:Johnny from:06/01/1998 till:08/01/2000 color:keys
bar:Dustin from:08/01/2000 till:07/01/2012 color:keys
bar:Dustin from:08/01/2000 till:07/01/2012 color:backing width:3
bar:Nathan from:07/01/2012 till:end color:keys
bar:Nathan from:07/01/2012 till:end color:backing width:3
bar:Dana from:01/01/1989 till:end color:trumpet
bar:Joe from:09/01/2012 till:01/01/2019 color:trombone
bar:Matt from:01/01/2019 till:01/01/2023 color:trombone
bar:Brooks from:01/01/1989 till:12/25/1994 color:alto
bar:Rex from:01/01/1996 till:05/01/1997 color:alto
bar:Ian from:05/01/1997 till:03/01/2006 color:alto
bar:Joe2 from:03/01/2006 till:09/01/2013 color:alto
bar:Andy from:09/01/2013 till:01/01/2019 color:alto
bar:Josh from:01/01/2019 till:01/01/2023 color:alto
bar:James2 from:01/01/1989 till:10/01/1992 color:tenor
bar:Adrian from:01/01/1993 till:12/31/1996 color:tenor
bar:Sean from:01/01/1996 till:05/01/2008 color:tenor
bar:Jesse from:05/01/2008 till:06/01/2010 color:tenor
bar:Willie from:06/01/2010 till:end color:tenor
bar:Tim from:01/01/1989 till:05/01/1990 color:drums
bar:Brian from:05/01/1990 till:01/01/1996 color:drums
bar:Adam from:01/01/1996 till:04/01/1996 color:drums
bar:Sean2 from:04/01/1996 till:07/01/1996 color:drums
bar:Jason2 from:07/01/1996 till:09/01/1996 color:drums
bar:Hans from:09/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 color:drums
bar:Tim2 from:06/01/1997 till:05/01/2008 color:drums
bar:Kevin from:05/01/2008 till:10/01/2013 color:drums
bar:Paul from:10/01/2013 till:01/01/2018 color:drums
bar:Oscar from:01/01/2019 till:01/01/2024 color:drums
}}

==Discography==
{{Main|Cherry Poppin' Daddies discography}}

'''Studio albums'''
{{div col |colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Ferociously Stoned]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Rapid City Muscle Car]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Kids on the Street]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Soul Caddy]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Susquehanna (album)|Susquehanna]]'' (2008)
* ''[[White Teeth, Black Thoughts]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Please Return the Evening]]'' (2014)
* ''[[The Boop-A-Doo]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Bigger Life]]'' (2019)
* ''At the Pink Rat'' (2024)
{{div col end}}

'''Compilations'''
* ''[[Zoot Suit Riot (album)|Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Skaboy JFK|Skaboy JFK: The Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies]]'' (2009)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{cc}}
* [https://www.daddies.com/ The Official Cherry Poppin' Daddies website]
* [http://www.facebook.com/CherryPoppinDaddies Cherry Poppin' Daddies] at [[Facebook]]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p37881}}

{{Cherry Poppin' Daddies}}
{{Good article}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Musical groups established in 1989]]
[[Category:American ska musical groups]]
[[Category:American ska punk musical groups]]
[[Category:American swing musical groups]]
[[Category:American funk rock musical groups]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Oregon]]
[[Category:Swing revival ensembles]]
[[Category:Third-wave ska groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:2000 disestablishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2000]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in music]]
[[Category:Rock Ridge Music artists]]
[[Category:Naming controversies]]

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Cherry Poppin' Daddies