The Cook Family Singers were originally formed in 1885 by David J Cook and his wife Martha, who hailed from

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. They had six children, and on Sunday afternoons after church they would pass time by perfecting their singing of harmonies and old gospel blend, developing a unique blend and harmony style that would become their signature sound, much like that of the

Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

and Happy Goodmans.

Biography

After several years of singing on a local level, the family was asked to perform at fairs and church functions throughout the country. The public response was overwhelming to the group as their popularity grew. Martha was every bit the perfectionist as she taught the children stage presence and how to deal with the public at large. She added the comic relief to the group. Not all six children sang in the original group, only three. After 18 years of performing, the Cooks became one of the country's premier gospel groups. David and Martha were at a point of retirement, so they handed the group over to their oldest son Lamaar Cook. Lamaar and the other two siblings continued as a trio until 1932 when two of Lamaar's children joined the group.

Grand Ole Opry

Maybelle Carter "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It ...

of the

heard the Cooks at the

1933 World's Fair A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. She asked the Cooks to go on the road with them, to which they gladly agreed. During their time with the Carter Family, they were heard by

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

, and Roy asked them to make their first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry show. The Cooks became one of the first regular gospel groups to perform 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 ...

Modern Cook Family

The final generation of Cook Family Singers consisted of June"Mama" Cook (died 1997) and several other family members. This generation was the most controversial of all. Donnell, who was not a full-time member of the group had a drinking problem that caused him at times to be very violent with his family. June was a model, but her career was cut short after Donnell hit her in the face with the butt of a gun during one of his drunken states. The youngest member of the group was their son

David L Cook 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 ...

. David, also known as "Little David," acted as the comic relief for the group. Donnell would become extremely violent with David, and after years of abuse, David developed several psychological disorders. David suffered from a

dissociative disorder Dissociative disorders (DD) are conditions that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity, or perception. People with dissociative disorders use dissociation as a defense mechanism, pathologically and involuntarily. The ind ...

in conjunction with

psychogenic amnesia Psychogenic amnesia or dissociative amnesia is a memory disorder characterized by sudden retrograde episodic memory loss, said to occur for a period of time ranging from hours to years to decades. More recently, "dissociative amnesia" has been d ...

. The family retired in 1980 which caused people to speculate that it was due to divorce, however, the Cooks were officially divorced the first time in 1970. David continued in the music industry singing pop and gospel. In 1990, David suffered what doctors believed was a full-blown stroke. After review, it was found that it was part of his disorder. The whole story was told on ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, con ...

'' in 1999 after David received a Dove Award nomination for Christian Country Album of the Year. June died on April 9, 1997 from complications of

COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce mu ...

.Gloria June Mercer Cook Donnell died on May 13, 2001 from complications of a brain

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...

. He was involved in an automobile accident in which his car came to rest between two trees. He was hospitalized and finally released. He never regained his sight or ability to recognize people. On May 13, 2001 he was re-admitted to the ''Singing River Hospital'' in

Pascagoula The Pascagoula (also Pascoboula, Pacha-Ogoula, Pascagola, Pascaboula, Paskaguna) were an indigenous group living in coastal Mississippi on the Pascagoula River. The name ''Pascagoula'' is a Mobilian Jargon term meaning "bread people". Choctaw na ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, where he died later that day.

David L Cook

David was five years old when he joined the group on the circuit.David L Cook history He was a part of the comic relief which would eventually turn into his career as decorated Christian recording artist and comedian.David L Cook awards and nominations David's story about childhood abuse and family dysfunction has been outlined in many television shows as well as talk shows. David has won seven

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s and eight Telly Awards for his work in television musicals and theme songs.David wins his sixth Emmy AwardCook wins Telly Awards

Discography

Final Generation Partial Discography

References

External links

David L. Cook Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook Family Singers, The Family musical groups Musical groups from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Country music groups from Florida Southern gospel performers American gospel musical groups Emmy Award winners Musical groups established in 1885 1885 establishments in Florida