Jeffrey Alan Cook (August 27, 1949 – November 7, 2022) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist. He was best known for being a founding member of the band

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, in which he contributed to lead vocals, guitar,

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

, piano and other musical instruments.

Life and career

Jeffrey Alan Cook was born in

Fort Payne, Alabama Fort Payne is a city in and county seat of DeKalb County, in northeastern Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 14,877. European-American settlers gradually developed the settlement around the former fort. It grew rapid ...

, and was of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Native American descent. He was a graduate of Fort Payne High School and

Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree, master's, educati ...

. He obtained a

broadcast engineer Broadcast engineering is the field of electrical engineering, and now to some extent computer engineering and information technology, which deals with radio and television broadcasting. Audio engineering and RF engineering are also essential par ...

license three days after his fourteenth birthday, and worked at a local radio station as a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

while still in high school.Jeff Cook and the AGB: Jeff Cook biography
/ref> Cook co-founded the band Wildcountry, along with his cousins

Randy Owen Randy Yeuell Owen (born December 13, 1949) is an American country music artist. He is best known for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band that saw tremendous mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Alabama became ...

and Teddy Gentry, in 1972 (the name was changed to Alabama in 1977). He contributed lead as well as backing vocals, lead guitar, keyboard, and fiddle to the group's productions. Since the band ceased active production and performance in 2004, Cook has formed the groups Cook & Glenn and the Allstar Goodtime Band, with which he performed. In addition to his performance work, Cook founded Cook Sound Studios, Inc., in his native Fort Payne, and also established radio statio
WQRX-AM
which he later sold, in adjacent

Valley Head, Alabama Valley Head is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. Although the town incorporated in 1921, it was also listed as being incorporated on the 1890 U.S. Census. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the p ...

. Cook is also noted for his culinary endeavors, having operated a restaurant and marketed his own sauce. Cook endorsed the 2008 presidential candidacy of former

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

governor

Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomina ...

, and made appearances with the candidate in Alabama. Cook was inducted into the

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (MHOF) in Nashville honors all musicians regardless of genre or instrument. The MHOF timeline starts with the beginning of recorded music and inductees are nominated by current members of the American Feder ...

in 2019.

Personal life and death

Cook toured in 2022 with Alabama for their 50th Anniversary tour. On April 11, 2017, Cook disclosed that he was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

four years earlier. He stopped touring regularly with Alabama in 2018. Cook died from complications of the disease in

Destin, Florida Destin is a city located in Okaloosa County, Florida. It is a principal city of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida, metropolitan area. Located on Florida's Emerald Coast, Destin is known for its white beaches and emerald green ...

, on November 7, 2022, at the age of 73.

Solo discography

*2005: ''On Fire'' *2008: ''Just Pickin *2009: ''Ashes Won't Burn'' *2009: ''Jeff Cook Presents Christmas Joy'' *2009: "Tribute to a Soldier" (single with

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...

and Ken Randolph) *2010: ''Shaken... Not Stirred'' *2011: ''2 Rock 4 Country'' *2011: ''Bits & Pieces / Odds & Ends'' *2012: ''Shaken Not Stirred'' *2018: ''Why Not Me'' with William Shatner

References

https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1416074853

External links

Jeff Cook and the AGB
official website
The Alabama Band
official website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Jeff 1949 births 2022 deaths Alabama (American band) members Alabama Republicans American country fiddlers American country singer-songwriters American people of English descent American people of Native American descent Deaths from Parkinson's disease Neurological disease deaths in Florida People from Fort Payne, Alabama Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Members of the Country Music Association Singer-songwriters from Alabama Jacksonville State University alumni