Kristy Lee Cook
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Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984) is 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, ...
singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
and television personality. She was the seventh place finalist on the seventh season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. In 2005, Cook released her first album called ''Devoted''. In June 2008, Cook signed to 19 Recordings and
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville is an American record label that serves as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & ...
. She released her post-''Idol'' album, '' Why Wait'', on September 16, 2008. This album produced her first chart single, " 15 Minutes of Shame", a Top 30 hit on the '' Billboard'' country charts. Her first single for
Broken Bow Records BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan ...
, "Airborne Ranger Infantry", was released on October 16, 2012. Cook hosted the 2010 TV show ''Outdoor's 10 Best'', and was a main judge on the 2011 competition show ''Wanted: Adventure Host.'' She starred in the 2011
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show ''
Goin' Country ''Goin' Country'' is a Reality television, reality show, produced by Wes Whatley with Orion Multimedia, that began airing Sunday mornings at nine in August 2010 on the Versus (TV channel), Versus channel. It follows former American Idol contestant ...
.'' Since 2015, she has hosted the show ''The Most Wanted List.''


Personal life

Cook was born in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, to Larry and Carlene Cook. She is the youngest of three children. Her brother-in-law is retired American football quarterback John Dutton of the
Arena Football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...
League. She lives in
Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...
.


Early career

In 2001, at the age of 17, Cook signed her first contract with BMI. According to her RMG page, she signed with
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
/
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville is an American record label that serves as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & ...
in 1999, and was the first artist signed to
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
' production company. Spears agreed to make a cameo appearance in her first music video. However, RCA placed Cook and other younger artists on hold and then dropped her. Cook then moved to
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
, in an attempt to pursue her career and to gain more experience. She began
modeling A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...
and appeared in commercials. In 2005, Ren-Hen Records released her first album, ''Devoted''. During this time, Kristy Lee performed for two years at Cowboy's nightclub in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
, singing eight songs per night with the band Six Shooter. In 2007, Cook returned to Selma, Oregon, to prepare for the ''American Idol'' audition. To raise funds for her audition and travel expenses, she sold her "really good" barrel horse. She had hoped to earn enough money to repurchase her horse on her return. However, the night she was eliminated, she commented that the person to whom she had sold the horse was unwilling to sell it back.


''American Idol''


Overview

Cook auditioned for ''American Idol'' in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, by singing "
Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
". All three judges liked her voice and sent her straight through to Hollywood. In Hollywood, her first song did not impress the judges. For her second and final chance, she sang "Amazing Grace" again; she was then selected as one of the top 24 contestants in the semi-finals. She was the first female performer of the season and sang "Rescue Me". The judges did not care for her performance but gave her props since she was the first of the night and she had
bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
. On March 12, Cook was placed in the bottom three with Syesha Mercado and David Hernandez. She was declared safe. On March 19, she was placed in the bottom three again with
Carly Smithson Carly Sarah Smithson ( Hennessy; born 12 September 1983) is an Irish soul and pop rock singer who was the sixth place finalist on the seventh season of ''American Idol''. In 2001, Smithson released her first studio album for MCA Records called ...
and
Amanda Overmyer Amanda Lindsay Overmyer (born October 26, 1984) is an American rock singer-songwriter who was the eleventh place finalist on the American Idol (season 7), seventh season of ''American Idol.'' Biography Overmyer grew up in Camden, Indiana, and ...
, but she survived again, ensuring herself a spot in the ''American Idol'' Top 10 Concert Tour for the coming summer. Once again, on April 2, she was placed in the bottom three with her two roommates,
Ramiele Malubay Ramiele Macrohon Malubay (born September 6, 1987), also known as Ramiele, is a Filipino- American singer and the ninth place finalist on the seventh season of the television series ''American Idol.'' Biography Ramiele Macrohon Malubay was bor ...
and Brooke White. Malubay was eliminated.


Performances

* When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Cook was among the bottom three but was declared safe second when David Hernandez was eliminated. * When Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Cook was among the bottom three but declared safe second when
Amanda Overmyer Amanda Lindsay Overmyer (born October 26, 1984) is an American rock singer-songwriter who was the eleventh place finalist on the American Idol (season 7), seventh season of ''American Idol.'' Biography Overmyer grew up in Camden, Indiana, and ...
was eliminated.
* When Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Cook was among the bottom three but declared safe second when
Ramiele Malubay Ramiele Macrohon Malubay (born September 6, 1987), also known as Ramiele, is a Filipino- American singer and the ninth place finalist on the seventh season of the television series ''American Idol.'' Biography Ramiele Macrohon Malubay was bor ...
was eliminated.


Post-''Idol'' career, 2008-2009

After ''American Idol'', Cook was interviewed on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...
'', ''
Live with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
'' and on
WNYW WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagsh ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. She performed with the other top 10 finalists on the '' American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008'' which ran from July 1 to September 13, 2008. She sang "Squeezin' the Love Outta You" ( Redmon and Vale), "
God Bless the USA "God Bless the U.S.A." (also known as "Proud to Be an American") is an American patriotic song written and recorded by American country music artist Lee Greenwood, and is considered to be his signature song. The first album it appears on is his 1 ...
" (
Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He also plays the saxophone. Active since 1962, he has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the ''Billboa ...
), which she performed on Top 10 night during the season, and "Cowgirls" (
Kerry Harvick Kerry Kersh (née Harvick) (born September 10, 1974) is an American country music artist. Kersh starred on the first season of the Oxygen Network show ''The Bad Girls Club''. Music career At age 19, Kersh performed on a local radio show, where sh ...
). In
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, she replaced "God Bless the USA" with " Anyway" (
Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and reloc ...
), which she had performed on Top 8 night during the season. Cook announced on June 29, 2008, that she had once again signed with
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville is an American record label that serves as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & ...
and with 19 Recordings. On August 12 of that year, " 15 Minutes of Shame" was released as the first single for Cook's upcoming studio album. It entered the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
charts at number 58 a week before its release and peaked at number 28. Her album, '' Why Wait'', released on September 16, 2008, was produced by the Nashville singer-songwriter
Brett James Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville. James' compositions have been credited on 494 recordings by a wide variety of artists. Signed to Career Records ( ...
. In the fall of 2008 and 2009, Cook performed "
The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
" at
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
football games hosted by both
Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...
and
Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...
. On October 25, 2008, Cook made her first appearance on the ''
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
''. Arista Nashville announced on December 10, 2008, that Cook and the label had parted ways.


Broken Bow Records

On August 4, 2010, it was announced Cook had signed with
Broken Bow Records BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan ...
. On October 16, 2012, Cook's first single from Broken Bow Records, "Airborne Ranger Infantry", was released. She was inspired to write the songs after reading poems written by her father, Larry Cook, about his experiences in the Army during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. "We took lines directly from the poems and put them into the song," Kristy said. "I wouldn't have written the song if my dad hadn't written those poems, because he doesn't really talk about much. The cool thing is that it gives perspective to someone who doesn't know what it's like to know how they feel and what they're experiencing. It was really important for us to make sure it was right, and exactly what they would say." Cook's second Broken Bow single, "Wherever Love Goes", was released to country radio on August 12, 2013. The song was originally recorded by Cook as a duet with labelmate
Randy Houser Shawn Randolph Houser (born December 18, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal South Records in 2008, he charted the single "Anything Goes". It was a top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' country singles chart a ...
on his 2013 album ''
How Country Feels ''How Country Feels'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Randy Houser. It was released on January 22, 2013, through Stoney Creek Records. Houser wrote seven of the album's fifteen tracks. The album was produced by Derek G ...
''; the single version changes the vocal parts from the original to make Cook more prominent. Cook has been released from her record deal with Broken Bow Records and her album believed to have been scrapped.


TV career

Cook hosted ''Outdoor's 10 Best'' in 2010. She appeared as a judge in the same year in ''Wanted: Adventure Host''. She starred in a reality show, ''
Goin' Country ''Goin' Country'' is a Reality television, reality show, produced by Wes Whatley with Orion Multimedia, that began airing Sunday mornings at nine in August 2010 on the Versus (TV channel), Versus channel. It follows former American Idol contestant ...
'', which documented her two loves of hunting and singing, in 2011. Since 2015, she has hosted the hunting show ''The Most Wanted List.''


Charity work

Cook founded the Kristy Lee Horse Heaven Foundation, which specializes in caring for, saving and training horses. "I love horses with all my heart, and they have always been there for me through the good and the difficult times. The least I can do is to give back to them in appreciation of all they have done and meant to me." Cook also enters the horses in gymkhanas and other horse events.


Discography


Studio albums


Extended plays


Singles


Music videos


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Kristy Lee 1984 births Living people 21st-century American singers People from Josephine County, Oregon Singer-songwriters from Oregon American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American Idol participants Arista Nashville artists BBR Music Group artists 21st-century American women singers American hunters