Eli Hudnall Cook (born April 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He is known for an eclectic style, with a focus on
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
and
blues rock
Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...
. His deep, rich baritone voice and guitar playing have drawn widespread acclaim.
Life and career
Early years
Cook was raised in the backwoods of
Faber, Virginia
Faber is an unincorporated community in Nelson County, Virginia, United States. It is the location of the Monroe Institute.
Faber was one of the communities mentioned in several episodes of the television series, ''The Waltons''. The family dra ...
, near the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
.
Inspired by a lack of television and his parents' diverse record collection, he picked up the guitar at age 13, imitating the styles of
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Biography Early years
John Hurt was born in Teoc,Cohen, Lawrence (1996). Liner notes to ''Av ...
and
Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972), known by his stage name Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist of hill country blues music.
Career
McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee. His parents we ...
.
Two years later, he began performing acoustic blues at Rapunzel's Coffee House in
Lovingston. As a student at
Monticello High School, his first
power trio
A power trio is a rock band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leaving out a dedicated vocalist or an additional rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...
, 'The Red House Blues Band' (an apparent nod to
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
's ''
Are You Experienced?'' track), was formed with rotating membership. By age 18, Cook was playing church revivals solo, and touring the bar scene with his band throughout central Virginia. Because of this, he built a reputation as a prodigy of both electric and acoustic performance, and was often featured in local publications.
Recent years
Cook plays gigs mostly around
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, and resides in
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
.
Noteworthy appearances
Cook's first break happened in 2007 when he was asked to open for
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...
at multiple shows.
Since then, he has shared the stage with
Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...
,
Robert Cray
Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards.
Early life
Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...
,
Robin Trower
Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971 and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band.
Biography
Robin Trower ...
,
Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...
,
Shemekia Copeland
Charon Shemekia Copeland (born April 10, 1979) is an American electric blues vocalist. She has released 12 albums, won nine Blues Music Awards, and won five Blues Blast Music Awards. In 2024, Copeland received nominations at the 67th Annual Gramm ...
,
Gary Clark, Jr.
Gary Lee Clark Jr. (born February 15, 1984) is an American guitarist and singer who fuses blues, rock and soul music with elements of hip hop. In 2011, Clark signed with Warner Bros Records and released ''The Bright Lights'' EP. It was followed ...
, and
Roomful of Blues
Roomful of Blues is an American jump blues and swing revival big band based in Rhode Island. With a recording career that spans over 50 years, they have toured worldwide and recorded many albums. Roomful of Blues, according to the ''Chicago Sun ...
.
He has performed on the Millennium Stage at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...
and at the
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
Festival in 2014.
Cook has also opened for
John Mayall
John Brumwell Mayall (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and Rock music, rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of ...
at The Hamilton and
Big Wreck
Big Wreck are a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed by Ian Thornley and Brian Doherty in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1992. The band was rounded out with David Henning and Forrest Williams. They disbanded in 2002 and Ian Thornley pursued ...
at Union Stage, both in Washington, D.C.
Releases
Three of Cook's first four albums, ''Moonshine Mojo'', ''Electricholyfirewater'', and ''Static in the Blood'', were independent releases that each displayed unique moods: guitar focused
country rock
Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
,
blues metal, and experimental
R&B, respectively.
Valley Entertainment
Valley Entertainment is an American independent record label and music distributor based in New York City, United States. The company was founded in 1994 by Barney Cohen and Jon Birge. In 2001, it acquired the prestigious back catalogue of space, ...
internationally reissued his 2005 recording, ''Miss Blues' Child'', in 2007.
It included Cook's versions of
Jimmy Reed
Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with a wide variety of audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), "Baby Wha ...
's "
Baby What You Want Me to Do
"Baby What You Want Me to Do" (sometimes called "You Got Me Running" or "You Got Me Runnin'") is a blues song that was written and recorded by Jimmy Reed in 1959. It was a record chart hit for Reed and, as with several of his songs, it has appeal ...
" and
Bukka White
Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White (November 12, 1906 – February 26, 1977) was an American Delta blues guitarist and singer. His first full-length biography'', The Life and Music of Booker "Bukka" White: Recalling the Blues'' (2024), has been ...
's "
Fixin' To Die."
2011 saw the release of ''
Ace, Jack & King'', which showcased a mix of the various genres for which he is known.
In 2013, Cook signed a recording contract with
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records.
History
Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in go ...
.
The ensuing album, ''
Primitive Son
''Primitive Son'' is the sixth album by Virginia-based blues rock artist Eli Cook. It was released in April 2014. The album leans more to the grunge/hard rock side of Cook's work, and features a slew of guest musicians such as Leslie West and Vin ...
'' (2014), contained guest appearances by
Vinny Appice
Vincent Samson Appice (born September 13, 1957) is an American rock and metal drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio (band), Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell (band), Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother ...
and
Artimus Pyle
Thomas Delmer "Artimus" Pyle (born July 15, 1948) is an American musician who played drums with the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1974 to 1977 and from 1987 to 1991. He and his bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...
(drums);
Tinsley Ellis
Tinsley Ellis (born June 4, 1957) is an American blues and rock musician, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and grew up in South Florida. According to ''Billboard'', "nobody has released more consistently excellent blues albums ...
,
Eric Gales
Eric Gales (born October 29, 1974), also known as Raw Dawg, is an American blues rock guitarist, originally hailed as a child prodigy. Gales has recorded 19 albums for major record labels and has done session and tribute work. He has also co ...
,
Leslie West
Leslie Abel West (born Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. West was named the 245th greatest guit ...
,
Pat Travers
Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who began his recording career in the mid-1970s.
Early life
Travers was born and raised in Toronto. Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, h ...
and
Harvey Mandel
Harvey "The Snake" Mandel (born March 11, 1945) is an American guitarist best known as a member of Canned Heat. He also played with Charlie Musselwhite and John Mayall as well as maintaining a solo career.
Early life
Mandel was born in Detroit ...
(guitar);
Sonny Landreth
Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth (born February 1, 1951) is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Br ...
(slide guitar);
Rod Piazza
Rod Piazza (born December 18, 1947, Riverside, California) is an American blues harmonica player and singer. He has been playing with his band The Mighty Flyers, which he formed with his pianist wife Honey Piazza, since 1980. Their boogie sound ...
(harmonica); and
Reese Wynans
Reese Wynans (born November 28, 1947) is an American Keyboardist, keyboard player, who has done session work and has been a member of Double Trouble (band), Double Trouble and progressive rock band Captain Beyond. In 2015, he was inducted into t ...
(
Hammond B3 organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...
). The album was co-produced by
Greg Hampton
Greg Hampton is an American record producer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has worked on albums such as Alice Cooper's '' Along Came a Spider,'' Tommy Bolin's '' Whips and Roses,'' Lita Ford's '' Wicked Wonderland'', and Eli Cook‘s ''Prim ...
.
In August 2017, he released ''
High-Dollar Gospel'' on the C.R. 8 Records label to a positive reception.
Equipment
Cook performs solo on a
resophonic guitar
A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar (often generically called a "Dobro") is an acoustic guitar that produces sound by conducting string vibrations through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones (resonators), instead of to the guitar's ...
by National and a
12-string acoustic guitar made by Rockbridge Guitars in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
. Both instruments are electrified supplementally. With the band, he plays a customized
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...
and
Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele (), is an electric guitar produced by Fender (company), Fender. Together with its sister model the Fender Esquire, Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes ...
.
Acclaim
''
Blues Matters!
''Blues Matters!'' is a bimonthly British blues magazine.
History
''Blues Matters!'' was founded by Alan Pearce in 1999. It is published on a bimonthly basis. Alan King and Darren Howells (until 2009) previously served as the magazine's editor-i ...
'' magazine featured Cook on the cover of its October/November (No. 86) issue. He was listed in its 2015 Writer's Poll as the third most "Favorite International Blues Solo Artist."
Most of his albums have been reviewed favorably in the press, including positive reviews in ''
Vintage Guitar'' magazine.
Leslie West
Leslie Abel West (born Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. West was named the 245th greatest guit ...
said of recording with him, "I have heard quite a few guitar players that are young and just starting out. When I was asked to play a track with Eli Cook I wanted to see if there was something there. Believe me when I tell you THERE IS SOMETHING THERE! I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did playing on it. Eli is on his way!"
Tinsley Ellis
Tinsley Ellis (born June 4, 1957) is an American blues and rock musician, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and grew up in South Florida. According to ''Billboard'', "nobody has released more consistently excellent blues albums ...
called him a "triple threat, obviously a great guitarist but also an emotive singer and an innovative songwriter. He’s in the vanguard of young, 21st-century blues rockers!"
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
stated in their review of ''
Miss Blues' Child'', "he has what it takes to be the best blues singer of his generation."
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Moonshine Mojo'' (2004)
* ''Electricholyfirewater'' (2007)
* ''Miss Blues' Child'' (2007)
* ''Static in the Blood'' (2009)
* ''
Ace, Jack & King'' (2011)
* ''
Primitive Son
''Primitive Son'' is the sixth album by Virginia-based blues rock artist Eli Cook. It was released in April 2014. The album leans more to the grunge/hard rock side of Cook's work, and features a slew of guest musicians such as Leslie West and Vin ...
'' (2014)
* ''
High-Dollar Gospel'' (2017)
EPs
* ''All Night Thing'' (2020)
Singles
* "
Baby Please Don't Go
In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to juveniles of ...
" (2014)
See also
*
List of electric blues musicians
The following is a list of electric blues musicians. The electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, the bass guitar, and/or the harmonica and other instruments. Electric blues is performed in severa ...
References
External links
Official websiteNight Thing" music videoTreatinest" lyric videoUnder A Bad Sign" liveBlues" livePlease Don't Go" music video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Eli
1986 births
Living people
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singer-songwriters
American rock singers
American blues singer-songwriters
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
Record producers from Virginia
Singer-songwriters from Virginia
People from Nelson County, Virginia
21st-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Virginia
American male singer-songwriters