John Michael Cooley (born September 14, 1966) is an American songwriter, singer, and guitarist from

Tuscumbia, Alabama Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,423. The city is part of The Shoals metropolitan area. Tuscumbia was the hometown of Helen Keller, who lived at Iv ...

, near

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

. He is a member of the band

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members (Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alabama ...

Background

Cooley received his first guitar at age 8, spending time with a local bluegrass musician to pick up the instrument. In 1985, he formed the

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

-influenced band Adam's House Cat with

Patterson Hood Patterson David Hood (born March 24, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and co-founder of the band Drive-By Truckers. Early life Hood was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the son of Jan Patterson Adams and David Hood, the longtime bassist ...

. The band was chosen as a top ten Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s. After the end of Adam's House Cat, Cooley and Hood performed as a duo under the name " Virgil Kane." While living in

Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama, with a 2020 population of 76,143. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population o ...

they started a new band, "Horsepussy," before splitting for a few years. It was during this split that Hood moved to

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

and began forming what would become Drive-By Truckers with the intent of luring Cooley back into the fold.

With the Drive-by Truckers

Hood and Cooley formed

in 1996. Cooley contributed one song to their debut record ''

Gangstabilly ''Gangstabilly'' is the 1998 debut album of American rock band Drive-By Truckers. The album was recorded "live in the studio" over the course of two days and was produced by Andy Baker and Andy LeMaster. The album's cover art was created by Jim ...

'' and three songs to the follow-up, ''

Pizza Deliverance ''Pizza Deliverance'' is the second album released by Alabama rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 1999. It was recorded with high spirits in five days at Patterson Hood's house. The album was mixed by Andy LeMaster. The album cover art was c ...

''. Cooley wrote five songs for the breakout double album ''

Southern Rock Opera ''Southern Rock Opera'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2001. A double album covering an ambitious range of subject matter from the politics of race to 1970s stadium rock, ''Southern Rock Opera'' ...

'', which received a four star rating from Rolling Stone Magazine. Cooley added four songs to the Truckers' next two records ''

Decoration Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

'' and '' The Dirty South'', including his signature song "Carl Perkins' Cadillac". He wrote two songs for the follow-up ''

A Blessing and a Curse ''A Blessing and a Curse'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2006. It peaked at #50 on the ''Billboard'' 200, which was the highest charting for the band until 2008's follow up, '' Brighter Than Cre ...

'' and seven for ''

Brighter Than Creation's Dark ''Brighter Than Creation's Dark'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers. It was released on January 22, 2008 in the United States. Background Recorded during and after the acoustic Dirt Underneath Tour, the album ...

''. He has written three songs for each of the Truckers' records ''

Go-Go Boots Go-go boots are a low-heeled style of women's fashion boot first introduced in the mid-1960s. The original go-go boots, as defined by André Courrèges in 1964, were white, low-heeled, and mid-calf in height, a specific style which is sometimes ...

'' and ''

The Big To Do ''The Big To-Do'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released on March 16, 2010. It is their first album released on ATO Records, which they signed to after completing their four album deal with New West Records ...

'' and six songs for their 2014 release ''

English Oceans ''English Oceans'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released on March 4, 2014, by ATO Records. It was produced by long-time collaborator David Barbe and recorded during two weeks in the late spring of 2013. Wes F ...

''.

Solo career

In 2013, Cooley released his first solo effort ''The Fool on Every Corner'', a live album recorded at Atlanta's

The EARL ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. On June 15, 2014, Cooley, Patterson Hood, and Jason Isbell performed at a benefit concert in Florence, Alabama's Shoals Theater. The live acoustic concert was released as an album Mike Cooley Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell Live at the Shoals Theater on November 6, 2020. Cooley and Hood occasionally perform as an acoustic duo under the moniker, Dimmer Twins. On May 22, 2021, he performed at a

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...

Brookwood, Alabama Brookwood is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in September 1977. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town is 2,504 . History 2001 Mine Disaster On September 23, 2001, two separate explosions occurr ...

in support of striking workers during the 2021 Warrior Met Coal strike. Cooley lives in

Hoover, Alabama Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, United States. Hoover is the largest suburban city in Alabama and the 6th largest city in Alabama. The city had a population of 92,606 as of the 2020 US Census. Hoover ...

with his wife and children.

Drive-By Truckers contributions

Discography

;Live Albums *''The Fool on Every Corner'' (2013)

Sources

External links

Facebook PageLive Recording Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooley, Mike American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters American male singer-songwriters People from Tuscumbia, Alabama Living people 1966 births Drive-By Truckers members Guitarists from Alabama 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Singer-songwriters from Alabama