David Cook (singer) 2008-09: Major label debut and David Cook What was the first song released by David Cook? The first single released from the album, "Light Who owns XIX Records? I don't know. What season of American Idol was David Cook on? April 1, 2009, What do you think is the most interesting fact about David Cook? January 23, 2009, Cook announced he would be embarking on his first headlining national tour,
What other artists did David Cook work with?
In addition to to his band, what other artists did David Cook work with?
Cook worked with Espionage, Ed Roland (Collective Soul), Zac Maloy (The Nixons), Jason Wade (Lifehouse), Neal Tiemann (the Midwest Kings), Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra), Chantal Kreviazuk, and Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) on his self-titled, major label debut album. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo. On Ryan Seacrest's morning show On Air of KIIS-FM on September 5, 2008, the singer revealed that the CD release date would be November 18, 2008. The first single released from the album, "Light On" was announced on Cook's official site and debuted on September 23, 2008. By the week of October 10, 2008, the song had reached no. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified platinum January 20, 2010. This is followed by a dual release of Come Back to Me and Bar-ba-sol, with "Come Back to Me" being released to HAC radio stations and Bar-ba-sol to rock radio. The music video for "Come Back to Me" was released on April 4, 2009. His debut album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association for America (RIAA) for sales exceeding one-million units in January 2009. He was presented with his plaque while recording a performance that was aired during the April 1, 2009, episode of American Idol. On January 23, 2009, Cook announced he would be embarking on his first headlining national tour, the Declaration tour. Cook had earlier announced via his myspace blog that two former bandmates from Midwest Kings (MWK) would join his band, with Neal Tiemann as the lead guitar player, and Andy Skib on rhythm guitar and keyboard. Other members who joined later were Joey Clement (replaced later by Monty Anderson) on bass guitar, and Kyle Peek on drums and backing vocals. The tour began on February 13, 2009, in Tallahassee Florida, and was originally set to end in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 25, 2009. The tour however was extended twice - the first time through May 31, 2009, and then again starting from June 18, 2009, in Del Mar, California and finally ending December 1, 2009, in Charlotte, North Carolina after a total of 153 shows. On August 14, 2009, David Cook performed his 100th show at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee. On August 23, 2009 in an interview and at his concert in Yakima, Washington Cook announced that the band would be known as The Anthemic. CANNOTANSWER
Cook worked with Espionage, Ed Roland (Collective Soul), Zac Maloy (The Nixons), Jason Wade (Lifehouse),
David Roland Cook (born December 20, 1982) is an American rock singer-songwriter.  Cook rose to fame after winning the seventh season of American Idol in 2008.

Prior to Idol, Cook formed a high school band that released three studio albums and four live albums before releasing his first solo independent album, Analog Heart. After winning American Idol, he released his debut single "The Time of My Life", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number three and at number two on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, selling over 1.4 million copies and being certified platinum by the RIAA. His major-label self-titled debut album was released on November 18, 2008, and has also since been certified platinum by the RIAA. The album produced two top twenty singles; "Light On" and "Come Back to Me". His second major album This Loud Morning was released on June 28, 2011. The album produced two singles; "The Last Goodbye" and "Fade into Me".

After departing from RCA and releasing three stand alone singles, Cook became an independent artist and released his first single "Criminals" for his fourth studio album Digital Vein, which was released on September 18, 2015, with the latter two ("Laying Me Low" and "Wait For Me") being featured on the album. The album produced two more singles; "Broken Windows" and "Heartbeat".

Cook released his first EP, Chromance, featuring a more pop driven sound. Its lead single "Gimme Heartbreak" was released to promote the EP. The EP entered the US Indie charts at number five. His second EP, The Looking Glass, was released on April 16, 2021.

Early life
Cook was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Blue Springs, Missouri. His parents are Beth Foraker and Stanley Cook. He is the middle of three brothers – the late Adam Cook being older and Andrew younger. He is of German, Irish, and English descent.

Cook's interest in music began at a young age. He began singing in second grade, when his elementary school music teacher, Mrs. Gentry, gave him a part in a school Christmas performance. He proceeded to perform in virtually every Christmas and PTA program. He received his first guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, at the age of 13. He also participated in choir and drama programs in middle school and high school. At Blue Springs South High School, he performed in musicals, including The Music Man, West Side Story, and Singin' in the Rain. In addition to this, he was an active member in the Blue Springs South High School National Forensics League (or NFL), where he qualified for the national tournament twice for Duo Interpretation, an event that relies on performance and interpretation of a literary work. He graduated from Blue Springs South High School in 2001.

He was also an avid baseball player (pitcher) during high school and once gave up a home run to Albert Pujols in an American Legion Baseball game. After an injury, he focused more on music. He earned a theater scholarship to the University of Central Missouri, but he abandoned theater after two semesters, graduating from the school in 2006 with a degree in graphic design. While in college, he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. After his college graduation, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to pursue a career in music, telling his mother, "I just want to give myself until I'm 26 years old to get a job."

Early music career
David Cook formed a band with his friend Bobby Kerr while at high school. The band was initially named Red Eye, later changed to Axium. He wrote his first song, "Red Hot", when he was fifteen. He was encouraged by Evan Sula-Goff of 8stops7 to make an album when he went to Cook's school to judge a contest, Mr. Jaguar, where David Cook and his band performed Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City". The band had some success when one of their songs, "Hold", was selected to be played in movie theaters across the country, and they were named one of the top 15 independent bands in the country by "Got Milk?" contest as well as the best Kansas City band in 2004. The band produced three studio albums – Matter of Time, Blindsided, and The Story Thus Far, as well as a number of live albums including Alive in Tulsa.

Axium, however, broke up in 2006 and David Cook moved to Tulsa where he joined Midwest Kings, a band he once opened for. He was the bassist for their EP Incoherent With Desire to Move On. Members of that band Andy Skib and Neal Tiemann later became part of David Cook's post-Idol band The Anthemic.  He recorded and self-released a solo album Analog Heart in 2006. He had also recorded his second solo album (unreleased) prior to appearing on Idol, and was working as a bartender to support himself.

American Idol
Cook originally did not plan to try out for the show. He went to the auditions in Omaha, Nebraska, initially to support his younger brother (who did not make it to Hollywood) and then, prompted by mother and brother when a show producer noticed him, David auditioned himself. He performed Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" for his audition. For his first Hollywood audition, Cook performed "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. On the second song in Hollywood, he sang "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. Cook took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments. Besides his Hollywood audition, he also accompanied himself on electric guitar for his performances of "All Right Now", "Hello", "Day Tripper", "I'm Alive", "Baba O'Riley", "Dare You to Move", and "Dream Big", and on acoustic guitar for "Little Sparrow", "All I Really Need Is You", and "The World I Know". His white, left-handed Gibson Les Paul electric guitar has the letters "AC" on it; as Cook told TV Guide, "I have two brothers, Adam and Andrew. So, because of superstition, I put their initials on everything growing up." Starting from the Top 12-week, he also wore (and continues to wear) an orange wristband to support a 7-year-old fan, Lindsey Rose, with leukemia.

Another of Cook's performances, The Beatles' "Day Tripper", was credited to Whitesnake. Seattle-based band Doxology has claimed that Cook's performance of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" was based on a version the band recorded over a year ago. On April 1, before performing his self-arranged rendition of Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow" on American Idol, Cook told Ryan Seacrest in the interview session that his performance of "Eleanor Rigby" was based on Neil Zaza's and Doxology's versions. He also reiterated the credits of Whitesnake and Chris Cornell. Despite the controversy, critics praised Cook for choosing versions of songs that fit his vocal style. Cook's arrangements of "Happy Together", "Hello", "Little Sparrow", "Always Be My Baby", "All I Really Need Is You", "Baba O'Riley", "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", "Dream Big" and "The World I Know" were original arrangements.

Cook won the seventh season of American Idol on May 21, 2008, receiving 56 percent of the votes, with 12 million votes over David Archuleta, the runner-up. Cook then sang "The Time of My Life", the winning song of the 2008 American Idol Songwriter's Competition. In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. During the final show, identical commercials promoting Guitar Hero featured Cook and fellow finalist Archuleta mimicked the Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business where he dances in his underwear playing an air guitar.

Performances

Post-Idol career

A week following Cook's American Idol victory, in the Billboard chart week ending May 25, 2008, Cook broke several Billboard chart records. Most notable was his record shattering feat of having 11 songs debut on the Hot 100 that week, beating the previous record set by Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) in 2006 when she had six songs debut on the chart. Cook's first single, "The Time of My Life" led the pack, debuting at number three on the Hot 100. Cook's eleven charting songs also gave him the most songs by one artist on the Hot 100 of any week in the Nielsen SoundScan era (which began in 1991), and the most of any era since The Beatles placed 14 songs on the chart the week of April 11, 1964. In addition, that same week Cook also broke the record for the most debuts on Billboard'''s Hot Digital Songs chart, where he placed 14 debut entries, the record for which was previously six, set by Bon Jovi in 2007. Cook's 17 entries had a combined total of 944,000 digital downloads in the first week of selling.

Cook also signed an endorsement deal with Skechers that ran through December 2009.

Cook's photo was also featured on the cover of The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009, along with President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.

2008–09: Major label debut and David Cook

Cook worked with Espionage, Ed Roland (Collective Soul), Zac Maloy (The Nixons), Jason Wade (Lifehouse), Neal Tiemann (the Midwest Kings), Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra), Chantal Kreviazuk, and Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) on his self-titled, major label debut album. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo. On Ryan Seacrest's morning show On Air of KIIS-FM on September 5, 2008, the singer revealed that the CD release date would be November 18, 2008.

The first single released from the album, "Light On" debuted on September 23, 2008. By the week of October 10, 2008, the song had reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified platinum January 20, 2010. This is followed by a dual release of Come Back to Me and Bar-ba-sol, with "Come Back to Me" being released to HAC radio stations and Bar-ba-sol to rock radio. The music video for "Come Back to Me" was released on April 4, 2009.
His debut album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association for America (RIAA) for sales exceeding one-million units in January 2009. He was presented with his plaque while recording a performance that was aired during the April 1, 2009, episode of American Idol.

Cook had earlier announced via his myspace blog that two former bandmates from Midwest Kings (MWK) would join his band, with Neal Tiemann as the lead guitar player, and Andy Skib on rhythm guitar and keyboard. Other members who joined later were Joey Clement (replaced later by Monty Anderson) on bass guitar, and Kyle Peek on drums and backing vocals. The Declaration Tour began on February 13, 2009, in Tallahassee, Florida, and was originally set to end in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on April 25, 2009. The tour however was extended twice – the first time through May 31, 2009, and then again starting from June 18, 2009, in Del Mar, California, and finally ending December 1, 2009, in Charlotte, North Carolina, after a total of 153 shows. On August 23, 2009, in an interview and at his concert in Yakima, Washington, Cook announced that the band would be known as The Anthemic.

2010–11: This Loud Morning

Cook began to concentrate working on this his second album after his first major tour, The Declaration Tour, concluded in December 2009. While on the tour, he put down some riffs and lyrical ideas, and started song-writing as a band towards the end of the tour. In an interview with Idolatry's Michael Slezak on February 8, 2010, Cook revealed that he was hard at work on his second album. He had been collaborating with Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk, Matt Squire, Gregg Wattenberg, John Rzeznik, Sam Hollander and Dave Katz, Claude Kelly, Brian Howes, David Hodges, Tommy Henriksen, Steven Van Zandt, Kevin Griffin, Zac Maloy, Ryan Tedder, Jim Irvin, Jamie Jamie Houston, Ryan Star & Julian Emery and Max Martin. Besides that, he also collaborated with members of his band, The Anthemic – Neal Tiemann and Andy Skib. In an April interview with HitQuarters – recorded in March – the producer-songwriter Steve Mac said that Cook had recently visited his Rokstone Studios in London where together with Mac he had also been writing with Savan Kotecha and Andrew Frampton. He had hoped initially that a single would be ready for release in April 2010 and the album that summer. However, a producer for the album was not announced until May, and recording started in June that year with producer Matt Serletic at the helm. On March 31, 2011, Cook tweeted that the title of his new single would be The Last Goodbye and debuted on April 19, 2011. This Loud Morning was released on June 28, 2011. He has also stated that at the beginning his goal was to make an album that "really, really pushed the concept of dynamic".

Cook toured in support of This Loud Morning with a 2011 Fall Tour, co-headlining with Gavin DeGraw and with Carolina Liar in support, for 22 shows across 15 states beginning October 9, 2011, in State College, Pennsylvania, and ending November 10, 2011, in Athens, Georgia.Cook's second single, "Fade into Me", was released to coincide with the tour. Cook tweeted that there would be "more dates/info to come" In this tour, Devin Bronson replaced Neal Tiemann as the lead guitarist.

2012–16: Label change, independent, and Digital Vein

On May 10, 2012, Cook performed a new song, "The Last Song I'll Write for You" on the eleventh season of American Idol. Before the performance, Cook confirmed to Shirley Halperin of the Hollywood Reporter that he was without a recording contract, having departed from RCA, and was self-releasing "The Last Song I'll Write for You". On April 30, 2013, Cook released a new single, "Laying Me Low", through XIX Recordings, the record label of American Idol creator Simon Fuller, although Cook shortly departed from Fuller's label.

Cook co-penned country music singer David Nail's 2014 single, "Kiss You Tonight" from his album I'm a Fire. On March 24, 2015, Cook signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music.

Cook's move to Nashville saw his newfound role as producer of his fourth album, often citing his move as the source of creativity. He worked with previous songwriters like Zac Maloy, Kevin Griffin, David Hodges, and Andy Skib (who also contributed as engineer). Cook also collaborated with Jerry Flowers, Earth to Andy members Andy Waldeck and Chris Reardon (with Reardon also serving as co-producer on one track – "Laying Me Low"), local Nashville writers Blair Daly and Chad Carlson, former bandmate Devin Bronson, and Steven Miller. "Criminals" was the first official single from the album released on July 31, 2015. Digital Vein was released on September 18, 2015, through Cook's own independent label, Analog Heart Music.

Cook promoted the album on the Digital Vein Tour throughout late 2015 and early 2016. The first half of the tour, with opening act Andrew Ripp, consisted of 33 shows in 24 states, beginning on September 30, 2015, in Phoenix, Arizona, and ending on November 21, 2015, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this tour, Daniel Damico replaced Andy Skib and Devin Bronson as the lead guitarist and keyboardist, drummer Adam Reidelbach replaced Nick Adams, and Andy Wildrick replaced Monty Anderson as the bass guitarist.

His second single "Broken Windows" was released on February 22, 2016, and coincided with the second half of the tour. Featuring opening act Tony Lucca, the run consisted of 18 shows in 14 states, beginning on February 23, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and ending on March 19, 2016, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

2017–present: Chromance, Kinky Boots, and The Looking Glass
On March 27, 2017, Cook teased a thirty-second clip on social media with the quote "#gimmeheartbreak", indicating that his new single, "Gimme Heartbreak", which was released on June 23, 2017.

An EP, Chromance, was released on February 16, 2018. Cook made his Broadway debut playing Charlie Price, in Kinky Boots on April 3, 2018, and would play a limited run through May 5. Cook returned to Kinky Boots for a second limited run starting July 17 to September 9, 2018. From October 25 to November 20, 2018, Cook embarked on Acoustic Tour.On October 26, 2018, Cook released his stand alone single, "Death of Me."

On June 26, 2020, he released his single, "Reds Turn Blue," from The Looknig Glass. In an interview with People, Cook explains that the title is a reference to the manic highs and lows of anxiety and states that the song is "kind of a letter from my anxiety to me," after publicly announcing that he had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder two years after winning American Idol. On December 4, 2020, he released the second single, "Strange World", from the EP. Cook released his second EP, The Looking Glass, on April 16, 2021. Cook released his third single, "Fire", from the EP on March 19, 2021.

Other performances
Cook appeared at the 2008 Glamour magazine Women of the Year Awards as a guest of Mary Steenburgen to surprise honoree Hillary Clinton, a fan of American Idol. He sang one of Clinton's favorite songs, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", which he also sang during the Top 3-week on Idol.

Cook appeared in several promotions for the November 1, 2008, episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Ben Affleck. Cook performed two songs on the program, the first "Light On" and the second "Declaration".

In 2009, Cook performed songs from his debut album for the troops during a USO tour, where he was able to visit seven bases. He returned to later USO tours in 2014 and 2016.

On August 11, 2009, Cook performed "Starseed" with Canadian alternative rock band, Our Lady Peace at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas.

On February 18, 2010, Cook performed with the original line-up of his band, Midwest Kings (which included Neal Tiemann and Andy Skib), in Tulsa, Oklahoma, performing songs from the band's discography.

Since his American Idol win, Cook attended many of the show's promotional events. On February 12, 2009, Cook appeared on the morning news program, Good Morning America and talked about Walt Disney World Resort's new attraction, The American Idol Experience, where he performed "Light On" and covered "Go Your Own Way" with fellow winner Carrie Underwood. He and all the other six winners received a mic-shaped statue from the creator of the franchise, Simon Fuller to honor them for winning the competition. On August 7, 2009, Cook performed the Fleetwood Mac hit "Little Lies" with American Idol season 8 winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert on ABC's Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series in Central Park. Cook performed "Lie" in a Christmas TV variety special hosted by Carrie Underwood.

Cook also made numerous returns to American Idol. On May 20, 2009, Cook performed "Permanent" during the finale of eighth season in honor of his late brother Adam, where proceeds from the live single went to Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2). During the March 17, 2010, episode of American Idol, Cook sang the Rolling Stones song "Jumpin' Jack Flash". On March 7, 2011, Cook released the send-off song for the tenth season, the Simple Minds song "Don't You (Forget About Me)", played upon an elimination. He later performed "The Last Goodbye" on the stage on April 21, 2011. He returned in the eleventh season to perform "The Last Song I'll Write for You" and once more in the twelfth season to sing "Laying Me Low". Cook mentored the top 8 finalists during "Songs from the 1980s" week in the thirteenth season. He mentored once more with two semi-finalists during the fifteenth season, dueting with C.J. Johnson on "The World I Know" and Olivia Rox on his own song "Light On". On April 7, 2016, he returned one last time, performing a David Bowie medley in tribute with fellow winners Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Phillip Phillips, and Nick Fradiani.

Personal life

In May 2008, Cook asked Season 2 American Idol alum and TV Guide Network correspondent Kimberly Caldwell for a dinner date while on the red carpet before the show's seventh-season finale. During a radio interview with XL 106.7 on October 13, 2008, Cook revealed that he and Caldwell were "still seeing each other." In a November 2008 interview with People magazine, Cook said his relationship with Caldwell was a "nice break from the chaos" of post-Idol fame. They ended their relationship in December 2008.People reported on March 31, 2009, that David was canceling dates on his current tour due to "family matters". Cook's elder brother, Adam, had been diagnosed with brain cancer since 1998 and died on May 2, 2009. On May 3, 2009, at the "Race for Hope" in Washington, D.C., Cook announced the death of his brother during the awards speech, and stated that he "couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now." He finished the 5k with a time of 28 minutes. His team raised $136,376.16 for the cause. Donations were accepted through September 30, 2009. On the finale of the 8th season of American Idol, Cook sang his song "Permanent" in honor of his brother. Audio of the performance was made available on iTunes, and the proceeds from the sale of it were put toward brain cancer research.

Cook married longtime girlfriend, Racheal Stump, in a private ceremony in Nashville on June 20, 2015.

Influences
His musical influences include Our Lady Peace, Alice in Chains, Big Wreck, Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, Chris Cornell, The Goo Goo Dolls, Switchfoot, and Collective Soul. Immediately after winning American Idol, Cook was asked backstage by Entertainment Weekly who his top five favorite bands were. Our Lady Peace and Big Wreck were on this short list, as well as the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World and 8stops7.

Backing band

Current members
 Jeffrey B. Scott – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2016–present)
 Mike Ball – bass guitar (2017–present)
 Thomas Branch – drums / percussion (2019–present)

Former members
 Joey Clement – bass guitar (2008–2009)
 Neal Tiemann – lead guitar (2008–2011)
 Kyle Peek – drums, backing vocals (2008–2011)
 Andy Skib – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2008–2014)
 Devin Bronson – lead guitar (2011–2014)
 Monty Anderson – bass guitar (2009–2015)
 Nick Adams – drums (2012–2015)
 Daniel Damico – lead guitar, keyboards (2014–2016)
 Andy Wildrick – bass guitar (2015–2016)
 Joshua Zarbo – bass guitar (2016)
 Adam Reidelbach – drums (2015–2016)

Discography

AlbumsAnalog Heart (2006)David Cook (2008)This Loud Morning (2011)Digital Vein (2015)

Extended PlaysChromance (2018)The Looking Glass'' (2021)

Tours
Headlining
The Declaration Tour (2009)
This Loud Tour (2011)
Digital Vein Tour (2015–16)
Acoustic Tour (2018)

Co-headlining
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008
2011 Tour with Gavin DeGraw

Theatre

Awards and nominations

See also
List of Idols winners

References

External links

1982 births
Living people
American alternative rock musicians
American Idol winners
American male singer-songwriters
American rock bass guitarists
American rock guitarists
American male bass guitarists
American rock singers
American rock songwriters
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of English descent
Singer-songwriters from Missouri
University of Central Missouri alumni
Musicians from Houston
Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma
People from Blue Springs, Missouri
Alternative rock singers
Alternative rock bass guitarists
Alternative rock guitarists
Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma
Singer-songwriters from Texas
19 Recordings artists
RCA Records artists
XIX Entertainment artists
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
20th-century American bass guitarists
21st-century American bass guitarists
Guitarists from Missouri
Guitarists from Oklahoma
Guitarists from Texas
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers
The list of songs written and performed by David Cook comprises original songs recorded by American singer-songwriter David Cook for his studio albums, cover versions of songs by other artists performed by Cook, and original songs written by Cook that were recorded and released by other artists.

Original songs
David Cook's original songs include those written and/or recorded by Cook and released on a studio album or on a single album. Cook has released four studio albums and 14 singles.

Unreleased original songs
Many songs written, recorded, and performed by David Cook have never been released. Many of these have been registered with professional music and copyright bodies, including the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and Warner/Chappell Music. Several have also been acknowledged and discussed by Cook in interviews, or by other sources.

Cover songs and featured performances
David Cook has covered a number of songs during his career. Because Cook has performed some of the covers several times, the year listed for each is the year in which he first performed or released it.

Original songs performed by other artists
Cook has written several songs, but only a few are recorded by other artists. The track "No Reply" was written and originally intended to be featured in Cook's self-titled debut album, but the track was later sent to Frankie Negrón and was recorded and released as a single in 2010, where the track was later included in the album Independence Day.

In 2014, Cook wrote the track "Kiss You Tonight", along with writers Jay Knowles and Trent Summer, for country artist David Nail, which was released as the second single for the album I'm a Fire. This was the third song Cook wrote for himself after relocating to Nashville in 2012, but he felt that the song didn't suit him. Summer recorded the demo and was sent to Joe Fisher at UMG who put it on hold for David Nail.

References David L. Cook (born November 11, 1968) is an American Christian country music singer, songwriter and comedian.

Born to Donnell and June (née Mercer) Cook, David is the oldest of six children. He has written more than 2,500 songs and has won multiple Emmy and Telly Awards. His song, "Drop that Rock", was featured on his album In the Middle of It All and garnered a Dove Award nomination for Christian Country Album of the Year in 1999.

In all of Cook's overseas recordings his surname is Cooke to distinguish it from his work in the United States. The male members of The Cook Family Singers have always used just their middle initials as a trademark, a trait beginning back in 1885 when the first such group was formed.

In 1990 Cook was diagnosed with a dissociative disorder and psychogenic amnesia reportedly brought on by an abusive father. In 1999 Cook's story was used as a lead story with The 700 Club.

Biography
Cook was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi; after two years, his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cook began his musical career at age five, singing with his family's group, The Cook Family Singers. After his parents' divorce, the group continued without Donnell, but in 1980, the group disbanded because of June's health issues. He continued singing both gospel and secular music.

Early life
Early in life, Cook was abused by his father, who had a severe drinking problem. While intoxicated, Cook's father reportedly became violent towards his family. After many years of this abuse Cook developed many psychological problems that ended up following him through to his life as an adult. He developed a severe dissociative disorder and psychogenic amnesia. He recalled having periods of "missing time" but never really understood the cause. In 1990, doctors finally diagnosed the disorders after Cook experienced what they thought was a severe stroke and was rushed to the Coral Springs Medical Hospital in Fort. Lauderdale.

He checked himself out of the hospital and disappeared from his Florida home and was found five months later in a Charlotte, North Carolina, hospital with similar health complaints. Cook had been around Charlotte for five months and no one realized there was anything wrong until he started developing stroke symptoms again. Doctors diagnosed his problems, which were not organic, and referred him to see the proper specialists. He claims to have had no recollection of leaving Florida, nor what he had done during his five months in Charlotte. When asked, he stated that, "It was like someone switching off a light and then switching it back on." Cook's story has been told through different media. The 700 Club did a full-length documentary about his life, which aired worldwide. Cook wrote a religious self-help book, Inspirational Words about the issues he overcame.

Health
On November 11, 2009, Cook was diagnosed with a parathyroid tumor in his neck. Doctors assessed that the tumor was pressing against his vocal cords making it virtually impossible for him to perform. He was treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Music

Cook's first solo Christian album, Come Follow Me, was released in 1985. The album was written and produced by singer/producer Frank X. Loconto, a former member of the group Lane Brothers. In 1986, he signed with the American Musical Academy of Arts Association (AMAAA), and released another album, Personal Feelings.

In 1997, Mountainview Records released Cook's album, In the Middle of it All, which earned him a Gospel Music Association Dove Award nomination for Christian Country Album of the Year in 1999. However, after a fallout with Mountainview records in 1999, he started his own record label, DLC Records. During this period Cook created a comedy character, named Mortermer Crabbottom, in the tradition of comedic Southern characters like Gomer Pyle.

Cook recorded an album in character, Split Personality, based on the life and times of Mortermer Crabbottom growing up in fictional Crabbottom USA. In 1999, the Country Gospel Music Association inducted Cook into its Hall of Fame, along with Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Andy Griffith, Jody Miller and Lulu Roman.

In 2012 Cook co-wrote "Hands of Hope" with David Meece and Bruce Carroll. The song was fashioned along the same lines as "We Are the World", which featured many famous voices from the music industry. The song went number one on the charts and remained there for two weeks. The song was used as the theme song for Turning Point Centers for Domestic Violence. On May 5, 2012 NATAS announced that the song Hands of Hope garnered Cook, Meece and Carroll the Emmy nomination for best Arrangement/Composer of a television theme song.

In 2021, Cook in partnership with Skip Martin the lead singer of the group Kool and the Gang recorded a version of the classic Curtis Mayfield song, People Get Ready. Martin approached Cook and requested he lend his voice to the project along with fellow artists, AZ Yet, The Dazz Band, Doug E. Fresh, Taylor Dayne, Howard Hewitt, John P. Kee, Steve Perry, Ray Parker Jr., Cece Peniston, Tony Terry, Neal McCoy and Stevie Wonder. All of the artists donated their talent to help raise awareness and funds for St. Judes Children's Research Hospital.

Television
In August 2007, Cook joined in partnership with the Firebird Arts Alliance. He was asked by David Tang, the president of Firebird, to write and produce a theme song for the television series New South Crossings. The theme song was "Meet Me at the Crossroads". Cook won an Emmy Award on January 24, 2009 for his work on the series audio and soundtrack.

Cook appeared in an episode, "Master Class", in which Cook worked with younger artists. He shows them the ins and outs of working together musically, and during the episode they perform the actual theme song for the series. On June 27, 2010, Cook won another Emmy award, this time for writing and singing the theme song, Meet Me at the Crossroads

In August 2013, Cook began working on his new television series, Written N Black & White. He is listed as one of the stars of the show along with fellow comedian, Trina Jeffrie. The two play an interracial newlywed couple who are comedians and their parents are clueless of the marriage. Although the series is said to take place in New York, the actual taping is done in Fort Mill, South Carolina at the former PTL Studios, which had housed the Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker PTL network back in the 1980s.

Awards (Partial listing from 1997 to present)

In July 2006, the International Country Gospel Music Association inducted Cook and fellow artists, Mike Manuel, Gayla Earlene, Doug DeRamus and Marijohn Wilkin into the Hall of Fame.

In January 2009, Cook won his 5th Emmy Award for his work on the series, New South Crossings and he took home his sixth Emmy for the composing and arranging of "Meet Me at the Crossroads" in June 2010.

Cook was nominated on May 6, 2011 for three Emmy Awards for the documentary, The Award Goes To: A Look Back at the Legends, and at the June 18 telecast, he won his 7th Emmy® for Outstanding Excellence in a Live Event

In 2015 Cook hosted the Mississippi Music Awards and was given the prestigious Mississippi Marvel Award for all of his work with new artists coming up in the business. During the 2015 AMG Heritage Awards, Cook was presented with a "Citation of Excellence" from the North Carolina Secretary of State, Elaine Marshall. The citation was given to Cook for the development of continued arts programing and mentoring he has implemented across the country.

Entrepreneurship
In 1988, Cook had incorporated Cook's Car Care Company in his native Fort Lauderdale. Eventually he transferred his interests to certain family members. The company is still in business today under different ownership. He incorporated Cook Productions International in 1989 with his business partner Edward Cook. Cook sold his interests in 1992, which dissolved the Florida division.

In 1999 Cook started DLC Records after leaving Mountainview Records due to contractual and other disputes. While on the label Cook took his 1999 project, In The Middle of it All, up the charts garnering several No. 1 singles, a Dove Award nomination and became the number one selling Christian country artists of all time. He incorporated Cook Enterprises to administer his contracts and personal business affairs, which included a children's television show development agreement with his management group, Five Star Music which produced a weekly show called, Crabbottom USA, taped at local television station, WHTV TV-39, a Nashville Tennessee based station.

In 2004, Cook was presented with the opportunity to become the CEO and controlling partner for the International Academy of Music Arts and Sciences (IAMAS Corporation). Years earlier, the company merged with its daughter company, The American Musical Academy of Arts Association, which proved profitable as there was an upswing in demand for Christian-based music and distribution opportunities. This was profitable as IAMAS was able to use its history in the entertainment industry as a door to help boost other smaller companies into existence. In 2004, the entertainment industry took a huge hit with the incoming markets of Napster, iTunes, and Amazon.com. IAMAS, no longer able to compete, decided to sell off only its American division and retain its overseas holdings. Since IAMAS Corporation had handled Cook's contracts since 1980, Cook offered to buy the company for an undisclosed amount. His offer was accepted and he officially filed for corporation status on November 24, 2004.

In 2005, Cook became the president of the Charlotte Civic Orchestra, a two year appointment. He retired from this position in 2007, and is no longer affiliated with the Charlotte Civic Orchestra. The organization is a 501(c)(3) company, and is entirely composed of volunteers. In January 2011, Cook and several others launched the Artists Music Guild, a network based company that connects artists with industry professionals who advise them and lead them in the proper course for career mapping. Cook is listed as the executive board president. On July 9, 2018 Cook purchased the Good Shepherd Funeral Home in Indian Trail which was once owned and ran by fellow Christian recording stars, Tony Greene and TaRanda Greene. Cook purchased the funeral home and instilled Clay Cox as a partner and the chief operations officer. Cook and Cox rebranded the funeral home and changed the name from Good Shepherd to Life and Legacy Funerals and Cremations.

After the retirement of longtime manager Mickey Hiter, Cook signed with Pink Hammer Entertainment out of Los Angeles, California in August 2012.

Artists Music Guild
Cook and other entertainment industry insiders started the Artists Music Guild in January 2011 to reduce the risks of artists being taken advantage of in a predatory industry.
On November 11, 2011, The Artists Music Guild held its inaugural convention at the historic Heritage USA complex. The inaugural convention was filmed for a PBS special, A Walk Through the History of Music in the United States, with more than 2000 people in attendance. Cook has stated that his main goal for making the Heritage USA the official home of the Artists Music Guild's convention was to heal the broken people who were affected by the fall of PTL. The convention reunited several of the former PTL Singers, including Toni Bogart, Brian Keith, Lee Young and Sandy and Russell Hosey. Also in attendance were many of the employees who lost their jobs amid the sexual and financial scandal which caused the fall of the Bakker's ministry. Cook posited that "by reuniting these individuals who have not performed together in over twenty plus years it would allow them to come together on their own terms and walk out of the complex without someone telling them they could never come back. It was the ultimate form of healing the hurts from the past." In 2015 the Guild became the parent company for the Mississippi Music Foundation in an effort to build a youth orchestra and a better outreach to educating and developing young and upcoming artists. Cook was added to the advisory board and became the official spokesperson and face of the foundation.

Rumor of Cook's death
On October 3, 2012, mainstream media reported that Cook had been killed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina after being struck by a car. Web crawlers picked up the story and the rumors went nationwide. The story was later confirmed to be that of a David Lee Cook, a North Carolina Department of Transportation worker who had been killed while removing a tree from the road during hazardous conditions. The original news organization released an explanation story after finding out of their mistake.

References

External links

 David L Cook Official Web Page
 [ All Music Group] Cook profile at allmusic.com
 Artists Music Guild Artists Music Guild Official Web Page

1968 births
Living people
American child musicians
Christian writers
American country singer-songwriters
Composers of Christian music
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American businesspeople
Assemblies of God people
American performers of Christian music
People from Pascagoula, Mississippi
Musicians from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Writers from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Singer-songwriters from Mississippi
Southern gospel performers
American Pentecostals
Emmy Award winners
Singer-songwriters from Florida
Country musicians from Mississippi
Country musicians from Florida