Jeff Cook, the Country Music Hall of Famer, died Monday, November 7, following a decade-long Parkinson’s disease struggle. Cook, who was 73 at the time of his death, was killed in Destin, Florida, surrounded by his family and close friends. The guitarist, fiddle player, lyricist, and vocalist grew up in Fort Payne, AL, where he built Cook Sound Studios. Cook was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012 and made the news public in 2017. “Cook was a champion in whatever he undertook, and he courageously fought his struggle with a positive attitude,” the band’s official Facebook page said Tuesday.
Early Life of Jeff Cook:
Jeffrey Alan Cook grew up in Fort Payne, Alabama. He attended Fort Payne High School and Jacksonville State University. He got his broadcast engineer license three days after his fourteenth birthday and worked as a disc jockey at a local radio station while still in high school. In 1972, Cook co-founded the band Wildcountry with his cousins Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry. He contributed lead and backing vocals, and fiddle to the band’s recordings. Cook has performed with the Cook & Glenn and the Allstar Goodtime Band since the band’s active production and performance ended in 2004.
Early Career of Jeff Cook:
Cook built Cook Sound Studios, Inc., in his hometown of Fort Payne and launched radio station WQRX-AM, which he later sold in nearby Valley Head, Alabama. Cook is also well-known for his culinary achievements, having owned a restaurant and marketed his sauce. Cook supported former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign in 2008, appearing with him in Alabama. In 2019, Cook was admitted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Who is Jeff Cook Wife?
In his leisure time, Cook, who had been married to Lisa Williams for 27 years, enjoyed fishing. Five governors named him Alabama’s “Fishing Ambassador.” Instead of flowers, the band requests donations to The Jeff and Lisa Cook Foundation, a non-profit that educates and assists people with Parkinson’s disease. Funeral plans have yet to be revealed. Cook joined Alabama on their 50th-anniversary tour in 2022. On April 11, 2017, Cook said he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years prior and quit frequently touring with Alabama in 2018. On November 7, 2022, he died due to sickness complications.
Successful Career of Jeff Cook:
Cook and cousins Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen departed Fort Payne more than 50 years ago to spend the summer playing music at The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Wild Country was the name of the band. Six years of tip jars and word-of-mouth earned Cook, Gentry, and Owen a major label deal. The trio sold 80 million records and scored 43 number-one hits, making them the most successful country group in history. Alabama’s popularity waned in the 1990s, although they kept recording. After a farewell tour and two albums of uplifting music, the group split in 2004. Alabama reformed in 2010 and has since proceeded to record and play worldwide.
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