Betsy Cook
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Betsy Cook is an American-born singer, songwriter and musician. Since the late 1970s, she has worked mainly in the United Kingdom and collaborated with various
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
artists such as
Gerry Rafferty Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947– 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. His solo hits in th ...
, Ray Jackson, Lindisfarne, George Michael,
Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
,
Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
and
Marc Almond Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...
. She later became affiliated with the acclaimed producer
Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...
and worked on several of his projects in the late 1980s and early 1990s before releasing her own album, ''
The Girl Who Ate Herself ''The Girl Who Ate Herself'' is the debut album by American-born singer-songwriter Betsy Cook. It was released in 1992 by EastWest Records. Background Prior to the release of the album, Cook was a songwriter, session musician, and backing vocal ...
'', in 1992. As a songwriter, Cook was nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
in 1988 for the song " Telling Me Lies".


Career

Cook worked for many years as a session musician and backing vocalist for a variety of artists. Her earliest work was with
Gerry Rafferty Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947– 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. His solo hits in th ...
, providing backing vocals on his 1979 album '' Night Owl''. The album was produced by the London-born producer Hugh Murphy, whom Cook married.AllMusic.com - Linda Thompson ''"One Clear Moment"'' (album)
/ref> The album also featured contributions from Richard Thompson and his wife Linda Thompson, with whom Cook would begin a working relationship. The same year, she also worked on albums by
Mike Heron James Michael Heron (born 27 December 1942) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work in the Incredible String Band in the 1960s and 1970s. Career Heron was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and attended th ...
and the singer/comedian
Richard Digance Richard Digance (pronounced DYE-jance; born 24 February 1949) is an English comedian and folk singer. Early life Digance was born in Plaistow, East London. After his family moved to nearby East Ham, he attended Vicarage Lane Primary Sch ...
. Cook would work with Rafferty again as a backing vocalist on his 1980 album '' Snakes and Ladders'', and as backing vocalist and keyboard player on Ray Jackson's "In The Night" album that year, again produced by Hugh Murphy.AllMusic - Betsy Cook credits
/ref> In 1981, Cook worked as a session musician for
Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
and
Sally Oldfield Sally Patricia Oldfield (born 3 August 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She is the sister of composers Mike and Terry Oldfield. Early life Born in Dublin, Ireland, Oldfield was raised in the Roman Catholic faith of her mother, Maureen. Sp ...
, and also for Irish singer-songwriter
Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...
, playing various keyboard instruments on his album '' Hard Station'', which was also produced by Hugh Murphy.Paul Brady - Official Website ("Hard Station" page)
Cook would work with Brady again on his 1983 album '' True for You'', on his 1984 live album ''
Full Moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means ...
'' and again on his 1991 album ''
Trick or Treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". Th ...
''. Cook and Linda Thompson began writing songs together in the 1980s, and Thompson's 1985 solo album ''One Clear Moment'' contained eight tracks that were written by or co-written with Cook. Cook also began recording her own material in 1984-85 when she co-produced the tracks "Nothing Ventured" and "Wonderland" with husband Hugh Murphy at the UK's Birdland Studios.Betsy Cook - ''The Girl Who Ate Herself'' (liner notes) Although without her own recording deal at the time, "Wonderland" was later covered by the British singer
Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
for his 1986 album '' Between Two Fires'' which Cook worked on as a backing vocalist. The track was released as the first single from the album and reached the UK Top 30. Also in 1986, Cook began what would be a longterm working relationship with producer
Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...
and his associate
Stephen Lipson Stephen J. Lipson (born 16 March 1954) is an English record producer, audio engineer, guitarist and songwriter. As a record producer, he has worked with many artists including Annie Lennox, Propaganda, Act, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Will Youn ...
by providing backing vocals on the second
Frankie Goes To Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (singer), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (FGTH drummer), Peter ...
album ''
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
''. Cook then collaborated with George Michael by playing keyboards on his hugely successful debut solo album ''
Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...
'', which was released in 1987. In 1988, Cook appeared with Linda Thompson at the Grammy Awards performing the song " Telling Me Lies" which was originally written by them for Thompson's 1985 album ''One Clear Moment''.Linda Thompson bio (AllMusic)
/ref> The song had been nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Country Song The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter. There ha ...
after it had been covered by
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
and Emmylou Harris collectively for their platinum-selling album '' Trio'' in 1987. The "Trio" version of the song had already been a Top 3 hit on the Billboard Country Singles Chart. In 1988, Cook once again worked with Gerry Rafferty, playing electric piano on his album ''
North and South North and South may refer to: Literature * ''North and South'' (Gaskell novel), an 1854 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell * ''North and South'' (trilogy), a series of novels by John Jakes (1982–1987) ** ''North and South'' (Jakes novel), first novel ...
''. She also returned to working with Horn and Lipson the same year when she worked as a session musician on ''
Laughter, Tears and Rage ''Laughter, Tears and Rage'' was the sole album produced by Act - the short musical collaboration between Thomas Leer and ex-Propaganda vocalist Claudia Brücken. Originally scheduled to be titled ''Name Dropping: Songs for Young Sinners'' it wa ...
'', the debut album by Act and also on ''The Power of Six'' album by the vocal group Mint Juleps. Cook later worked with the singer
Marc Almond Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...
, providing keyboards and backing vocals on his 1990 album '' Enchanted''. She would work with Almond again on his 1991 album '' Tenement Symphony'', produced by Trevor Horn. By this time, Cook had begun working on her own album of material that Horn, Lipson and
Bruce Woolley Bruce Martin Woolley (born 11 November 1953) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He wrote songs with artists such as The Buggles and Grace Jones, including "Video Killed the Radio Star" and " Slave to the Rhythm", an ...
were co-producing with her.
Ian Stanley Ian Christopher Stanley (born 28 February 1957) is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He was previously a member of the English band Tears for Fears for most of the 1980s, and played a key role in the making of their multi-plat ...
(formerly of the band
Tears For Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new ...
and now a successful producer himself) was also enlisted. The resulting album, ''
The Girl Who Ate Herself ''The Girl Who Ate Herself'' is the debut album by American-born singer-songwriter Betsy Cook. It was released in 1992 by EastWest Records. Background Prior to the release of the album, Cook was a songwriter, session musician, and backing vocal ...
'', was released in 1992, preceded by the 1991 single " Love Is The Groove". The two tracks that Cook had recorded in the mid 1980s with husband Hugh Murphy ("Nothing Ventured" and "Wonderland") were also included, although additional production and instrumentation were added to the final versions on the album. Further singles "How Can I Believe?" and "Docklands" were released from the album. Cook continued to work with Horn and his associates, and was a session musician on Seal's 1994 album which Horn produced. She also co-wrote the track "Storm", which was recorded by Grace Jones and was co-written and co-produced by Bruce Woolley for the soundtrack album to the 1998 film version of '' The Avengers''. Previously unreleased material that Cook had co-written and recorded with Linda Thompson in the 1980s was released on Thompson's 1996 collection ''Dreams Fly Away - A History of Linda Thompson'' and on her 2001 collection ''Give Me A Sad Song''.


Songwriter

Many of Cook's songs have been covered by other artists: " Telling Me Lies", which Cook co-wrote with Linda Thompson for Thompson's 1985 album ''One Clear Moment'', was covered by
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
and Emmylou Harris for their platinum-selling album '' Trio'' in 1987. The song reached #3 on the US Billboard Country Singles Chart and was also nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Country Song in 1988. "Insult To Injury", which Cook also co-wrote with Linda Thompson was later covered by Fairport Convention at their 25th Anniversary concert which was released on record and video in 1994. " Love Is The Groove", which was Cook's first single in 1991 and written by herself and Bruce Woolley, was covered by Cher on her 1998 album '' Believe''. "Cry Of A Waking Heart", which was also co-written by Cook with Bruce Woolley, was recorded by Donna Summer for her 1991 album ''
Mistaken Identity Mistaken identity is a defense in criminal law which claims the actual innocence of the criminal defendant, and attempts to undermine evidence of guilt by asserting that any eyewitness to the crime incorrectly thought that they saw the defenda ...
''. "Docklands" was Cook's third single, written by herself and Trevor Horn, and released in 1992. However, it was first recorded by the a cappella soul group Mint Juleps for their 1988 album ''The Power Of Six'' (which was produced by Horn and on which Cook performed as a musician and vocals arranger). After Cook's version had been released, it was then later covered by Stevie Nicks for her 1994 album '' Street Angel''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Betsy American women singer-songwriters American multi-instrumentalists American expatriates in England Songwriters from Kentucky Living people People from Mayfield, Kentucky Year of birth missing (living people) Kentucky women musicians 21st-century American women