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 popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
and television personality. She was the seventh place finalist on the seventh season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. In 2005, Cook released her first album called ''Devoted''. In June 2008, Cook signed to
19 Recordings 19 Recordings Inc. (registered in the United Kingdom as 19 Recordings Ltd.) is a New York–based record label owned by 19 Entertainment. Founded in London by British entrepreneur Simon Fuller in 1999 as the music division of 19 Entertainment, th ...
and
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville was an American record label that served as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specialized 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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' country charts. Her first single for
Broken Bow Records BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan had the f ...
, "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 ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
show '' Goin' Country.'' Since 2015, she has hosted the show ''The Most Wanted List.''


Personal life

Cook was born in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
, 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 Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, an ...
League. She lives in
Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, 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 owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
/
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville was an American record label that served as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specialized 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 has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
' 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 a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, in an attempt to pursue her career and to gain more experience. She began modeling 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 Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
, 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, by singing "
Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...
". All three judges liked her voice and sent her straight through to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * 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 and Amanda Overmyer, 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 and Brooke White. Malubay was eliminated.


Performances

* When
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest is the host of '' Wheel of Fortune'', having hosted since replacing long-time host Pat Sajak in September 2024. Seacrest co-hosted and ser ...
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 was eliminated. * When Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Cook was among the bottom three but declared safe second when Ramiele Malubay was eliminated.


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

After ''American Idol'', Cook was interviewed on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
'', ''
Live with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American Broadcast syndication, syndicated breakfast television, morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show ...
'' and on
WNYW WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the Flagship (broadcasting), flagship of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secauc ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. 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" (
Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching the number one. He has ...
), which she performed on Top 10 night during the season, and "Cowgirls" ( Kerry Harvick). In
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, she replaced "God Bless the USA" with " Anyway" (
Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocated to Nashville, T ...
), 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 was an American record label that served as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specialized 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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...
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. 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 by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
" at
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
football games hosted by both Vanderbilt Commodores and
Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...
. On October 25, 2008, Cook made her first appearance on the ''
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
''. 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. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan had the f ...
. 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 (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. "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. Houser has racked up over half a dozen hits and over 1 billion streams. His How Country Feels album topped the country radio charts with the title ...
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 Broken Bow Records, Stoney Creek Records. Houser wrote seven of the album's fifteen tracks. The album was ...
''; 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'', 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
gymkhana Gymkhana () (, , , , ) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the ...
s 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 singer-songwriters 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