David Cook (singer)

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David Roland Cook

Background information
Birth name David Roland Cook
Born December 20, 1982 (1982-12-20) (age 29)[1] Houston, Texas, USA
Origin Blue Springs, Missouri, United States
Genre(s) Alternative rock
Occupation(s) Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, bass
Voice type(s) Tenor
Years active 2001—present
Label(s) RCA 19 Records
Associated acts Axium
Midwest Kings
Website www.davidcookofficial.com

David Roland Cook (born December 20, 1982) is an American rock singer-songwriter[1], who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol. Prior to Idol he released an album entitled Analog Heart, and his post-Idol self-titled album, produced by Rob Cavallo, was released on November 18, 2008.

Contents

Early life

Cook was born in Houston, Texas, raised in Blue Springs, Missouri, and currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His parents are Beth (née Frye) and Stan Cook.[2] He is the middle of three brothers.[3][4] Adam is the oldest, and Andrew is the youngest. David's eldest brother, Adam, has been battling brain cancer for 11 years.

Cook's interest in music began early in life. He began singing in second grade, when his elementary school music teacher gave him a solo in a school choir performance. He proceeded to perform in virtually every Christmas and PTA program.[5] He received his first guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, at the age of 12.[6] He also participated in choir and drama programs in middle school and high school. At Blue Springs South High School, he performed in musicals, including The Music Man, West Side Story, and Singin' in the Rain.[7][8][5] In addition to this, he was an active member in the Blue Springs South High School National Forensics League (or NFL), where he qualified for the national tournament twice for duo interpretation, an event that relies on performance and interpretation of a literary work.

He was also an avid baseball player during high school. After losing interest in the sport, he focused more on music. He earned a theater scholarship to the University of Central Missouri, but he abandoned theater after two semesters, graduating from the school in 2006 with a degree in graphic design.[9][10] While in college, he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa.[11] After his college graduation, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to pursue a career in music, telling his family, "I just want to give myself until I'm 26 years old to get a job."[2]

Musical background

His musical influences include Our Lady Peace, Alice in Chains, Big Wreck, Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, Switchfoot, Bon Jovi and Collective Soul.[12][13] Immediately after winning American Idol, Cook was asked backstage by Entertainment Weekly who his top five favorite bands were. Our Lady Peace and Big Wreck were on this short list, as well as the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World and 8stops7.[14]

American Idol

Overview

Cook's brother Andrew, sits alongside their mother at an appearance.
Cook's brother Andrew, sits alongside their mother at an appearance.

Cook originally did not plan to try out for the show. He came to the auditions initially to support his younger brother Andrew (who did not make it to Hollywood) and then, at his brother's urging, David tried out himself.[2][15] Cook auditioned for American Idol in Nebraska, performing Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer." For his first Hollywood audition, Cook performed "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. On the second song in Hollywood, he sang "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. Cook took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments. Besides his Hollywood audition, he also accompanied himself on electric guitar for his performances of "All Right Now," "Hello," "Day Tripper," "I'm Alive," "Baba O'Riley," "Dare You to Move," and "Dream Big," and on acoustic guitar for "Little Sparrow," "All I Really Need Is You," and "The World I Know." His white, left-handed Gibson Les Paul electric guitar has the letters "AC" on it; as Cook told TV Guide, "I have two brothers, Adam and Andrew. So, because of superstition, I put their initials on everything growing up."[16] Since the Top 12 week, he also wore (and continues to wear) an orange wristband to support a 7-year-old fan, Lindsey Rose, with leukemia.[17][18][dead link]

Cook's performance of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was highly praised by all three judges, especially Simon Cowell. Cowell later said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the performance "was in a different league to anything we've heard on the season so far," and although he knew where the arrangement came from (Chris Cornell's remake of the Michael Jackson original), "that doesn't really matter." The performance has received well over 5 million views on YouTube.[19] Another of Cook's performances, The Beatles' "Day Tripper", was credited to Whitesnake. Seattle-based band Doxology has claimed that Cook's performance of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" was based on a version the band recorded over a year ago.[20] On April 1, before performing his self-arranged rendition of Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow" on American Idol, Cook responded to Ryan Seacrest in the interview session, revealing that his performance of "Eleanor Rigby" was based on Neil Zaza's and Doxology's versions. He also reiterated the credits of Whitesnake and Chris Cornell. Despite the controversy, critics praised Cook for choosing versions of songs that fit his vocal style.[21][22][23] Cook's arrangements of "Hello," "Little Sparrow," "Always Be My Baby," "All I Really Need Is You," "Baba O'Riley," "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" were original arrangements, and his rendition of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" was also highly praised, receiving a standing ovation from Randy Jackson.

Cook won the seventh season of American Idol on May 21, 2008, receiving 56% of the votes, with 12 million votes over David Archuleta as the runner-up. Cook then sang "The Time of My Life", the winning song of the 2008 American Idol Songwriter's Competition.

During the finale, Cook appeared in a commercial for the game franchise Guitar Hero, mimicking Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Fellow finalist David Archuleta appeared in a separate commercial parodying the same scene. Both commercials were directed by Brett Ratner.

DAVID COOK IS THE MOST TALENTED SINGER/SONGWRITER EVER CREATED!! I LOVE DAVID COOK. ESTHER D.

Performances and results

Week # Theme Song choice Original artist Order # Result
Audition N/A "Livin' On A Prayer" Bon Jovi N/A Advanced
Hollywood N/A "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" Bryan Adams N/A Advanced
Top 50 N/A "I'll Be" Edwin McCain N/A Advanced
Top 24 (12 Men) 1960s "Happy Together" The Turtles 3 Safe
Top 20 (10 Men) 1970s "All Right Now" Free 9 Safe
Top 16 (8 Men) 1980s "Hello" Lionel Richie 6 Safe
Top 12 Lennon/McCartney "Eleanor Rigby" The Beatles 6 Safe
Top 11 The Beatles "Day Tripper" The Beatles 6 Safe
Top 10 Year They Were Born "Billie Jean" Michael Jackson 10 Safe
Top 9 Dolly Parton "Little Sparrow" Dolly Parton 2 Safe
Top 8 Inspirational Songs "Innocent" Our Lady Peace 5 Safe
Top 7 Mariah Carey "Always Be My Baby" Mariah Carey 6 Safe
Top 6 Andrew Lloyd Webber "The Music of the Night" The Phantom of the Opera 6 Safe
Top 5 Neil Diamond "I'm Alive"
"All I Really Need Is You" 		Neil Diamond 2
7 		Safe
Top 4 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "Hungry Like the Wolf"
"Baba O'Riley" 		Duran Duran
The Who 		1
5 		Safe
Top 3 Judge's Choice (Simon Cowell)
Contestant's Choice
Producer's Choice 		"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
"Dare You to Move"
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" 		Roberta Flack
Switchfoot
Aerosmith 		3
6
9 		Safe
Finale Clive Davis's Choice
New Song
Contestant's Choice 		"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
"Dream Big"
"The World I Know" 		U2
Written by Emily Shackelton
Collective Soul 		1
3
5 		Winner

Post-Idol career

Cook performing during the American Idols Live! Tour 2008.
Cook performing during the American Idols Live! Tour 2008.

For the Billboard chart week ending May 25, 2008, a week following Cook's American Idol victory, Cook broke several Billboard chart records. Most notable was his record shattering feat of having eleven songs debut on the Hot 100 that week, beating the previous record set by Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) in 2006 when she had six songs debut on the chart.[24] Cook's first single, "The Time of My Life" led the pack, debuting at #3 on the Hot 100.[24] Cook's eleven charting songs also gave him the most songs by one artist on the Hot 100 of any week in the Nielsen SoundScan era (which began in 1991), and the most of any era since The Beatles placed 14 songs on the chart the week of April 11, 1964.[24] In addition, that same week Cook also broke the record for the most debuts on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart, where he placed 14 debut entries, the record of which was previously six set by Bon Jovi in 2007.[24] Cook's 17 entries had a combined total of 944,000 digital downloads in the first week of selling.[25] The song also reached #61 in the UK due to downloads alone.

Cook has also signed an endorsement deal with Skechers that will run through December 2009. [26]

At the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, Cook won the Best Reality/Variety Star award, alongside Lauren Conrad of The Hills.[27]

Cook's photo is also featured on the cover of The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009, along with President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. [28]

David Cook

For more on the album, see David Cook (album).

Cook worked with Espionage, Ed Roland (Collective Soul), Zac Maloy (The Nixons), Jason Wade (Lifehouse), Neal Tiemann (MWK) [29], Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra), Chantal Kreviazuk, and Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) on his self-titled, major label debut album.[30] The album was produced by Rob Cavallo.[31] On Ryan Seacrest's morning show On Air of KIIS-FM on September 5, 2008, the singer revealed that the CD release date would be November 18, 2008.[32] Cook has also announced via a blog on his myspace page that Neal Tiemann, his former bandmate from Midwest Kings (MWK) has joined his band as lead guitar player.

The first single released from the album, "Light On" was announced on Cook's official site and debuted on September 23, 2008. "Light On", as of the week of October 10, 2008, debuted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. [33]

His debut album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association for America (RIAA) for sales exceeding one-million units in January 2009. [34]

The Declaration Tour 2009

For more tour info, see The Declaration Tour 2009.

In January 2009, Cook announced he would be embarking on a national tour in February. On January 23, 2009, the dates for Cook's Declaration Tour were announced. The tour would kick off on February 13, 2009 in Tallahassee Florida, and end in West Palm Beach, FL on May 2, 2009. The tour will hit college campuses and other venues. [35]

Other performances

Cook appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on November 1, 2008, where he performed "Light On" and debuted the track "Declaration".[36]

Cook appeared at the 2008 Glamour Magazine Women of the Year Awards as a guest of Mary Steenburgen to surprise honoree Hillary Clinton, a fan of American Idol. He sang one of Clinton's favorite songs, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", which he also sang during the Top 3 week on Idol.[37]

Cook performed on the American Music Red Carpet Live November 23, 2008, performing "Light On" and "Declaration."

In June, Cook performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.[38] Cook also performed with his brother Andrew during the opening weekend of the 2008 NFL season at a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders.[39]

Cook started off 2009 performing songs from his debut album for the troops during a USO tour, where he was able to visit seven bases. [40]

On February 12, 2009, Cook will appear on the morning news program, Good Morning America (ABC), performing live at Walt Disney World Resort's new attraction, "The American Idol Experience." He will headline a special guest performance there that night. [41]

Personal life

In May 2008, Cook asked out Season 2 American Idol alum Kimberly Caldwell while on the red carpet before the show's seventh season finale.[42][43] During a radio interview with XL 106.7 on October 13, 2008, Cook confirmed that he and Caldwell were "still seeing each other."[44] In a November 2008 interview with PEOPLE magazine, Cook said his relationship with Caldwell was a "nice break from the chaos" of post-Idol fame.[45] Cook debunked rumors of an engagement to Caldwell in a radio interview on December 12, 2008, saying "I've never even been to Tiffany's" (per Star magazine's reports that Cook had gone into the store and purchased a $54,000, 2-carat diamond ring).[46][47].

Rumors of a breakup surfaced on Vote for the Worst.com in early 2009[48], and when asked about it during various radio interviews around that time, Cook simply replied "There's nothing to talk about."[49] Rumors of Caldwell cheating on Cook were reported by Star magazine; Caldwell responded with a MySpace bulletin saying, "The tabloids got it wrong again. Completely fabricated!"[50]

On January 12th, 2009, rumors of a breakup with Cook were confirmed by Caldwell's rep, who stated in In Touch magazine: "Kimberly and David ended their relationship just before the holidays. The couple remain good friends and being very private people, appreciate their privacy at this time."[51]

Discography

See also: Axium
See also: Midwest Kings

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US US Rock UK CAN AUS FIN
2006 Analog Heart
  • Released: May 6, 2006
  • Label: self-released
— — — — — —
2008 David Cook
  • Released: November 18, 2008
  • Label: RCA Records/19
3 2 — 11 — —
  • US Sales: 936,000[52]
  • RIAA: Platinum[53]
  • CRIA: Gold
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or not released.

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions[24] RIAA[54] Album
US US Pop US AC US Adult CAN UK NZ FIN
2001 "Dear Heaven" — — — — — — — — — singles only
2007 "Better Never Than Late" — — — — — — — — —
2008 "The Time of My Life" 3 28 1 7 2 61 29 10 Platinum David Cook
"Light On" 17 20 25 4 27 — — — n/a
"—" denotes the single failed to chart, not released, or not certified.

Other charted songs

Year Single Peak chart positions[24] Album
US US
Pop 		CAN
2008 "Dream Big"(Song from the 2008 American Idol Songwriter Competition) 15 17 21 American Idol
performances
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (Originally by U2) 22 24 17
"The World I Know" (Originally by Collective Soul) 28 31 24
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Originally by Aerosmith) 42 38 43
"Billie Jean" (Originally by Michael Jackson) 47 39 41
"Always Be My Baby" (Originally by Mariah Carey) 67 46 59
"Hello" (Originally by Lionel Richie) 73 48 57
"The Music of the Night" (Song from The Phantom of the Opera) 77 54 73
"Eleanor Rigby" (Originally by The Beatles) 92 62 83
"I'm Alive" (Originally by Neil Diamond) 99 73 —
"Little Sparrow" (Originally by Dolly Parton) 101 79 96
"Hungry Like the Wolf" (Originally by Duran Duran) 103 81 —
"Innocent" (Originally by Our Lady Peace) 104 82 —
"Day Tripper" (Originally by The Beatles) 114 95 —
"All Right Now" (Originally by Free) 118 — —
"Happy Together" (Originally by The Turtles) 125 — —
"Declaration" 113 — — David Cook
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or wasn't released.

Tours

Awards/Nominations

Year Presenter Award Result
2008 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star[55] Won
Best Presenter (Post Show) Nominated
The New Music Awards Top 40 Male Artist of the Year[56] Won


Preceded by
Jordin Sparks 		American Idol winner
David Cook (2008) 		Succeeded by
TBD

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Biography of David Cook". Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/david-cook/contributor/2364829/bio;_ylt=Ag_R_qELHgfkx4Z1zJyH5mq405N4. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Idol Contestant Has Indiana Roots". Pharos-Tribune. 18 February 2008. http://www.pharostribune.com/local/local_story_049114643.html. 
  3. ↑ Handke, Lisa (21 March 2008). "University grad David Cook rocks road to fame on 'American Idol'". http://www.digitalburg.com/artman/publish/article_4476.shtml. 
  4. ↑ "David Cook’s Brother Unlikely to Attend Idol Finale". People.com. 19 May 2008. http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/05/19/david-cooks-brother-unlikely-to-attend-idol-finale/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "David Cook Biography". BiggestStars.com. 12 November 2008. http://www.biggeststars.com/d/david-cook-biography.html. 
  6. ↑ DavidCookOfficial.com Biography | DavidCookOfficial.com
  7. ↑ "David Cook, "Singin' in the Rain"". YouTube. 28 February 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2YS9fWmMz8. 
  8. ↑ "David Cook Rocked Musical Theater Before American Idol". MyFox Kansas City. 29 April 2008. http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=26CF35EB475C4D52A10AFB45F2A83B9D?contentId=6424614&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1. 
  9. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/cook__david__american_idol_/artist.jhtml
  10. ↑ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23638639/
  11. ↑ "Phi Sig's Own American Idol". http://www.phisigmakappa.org/?action=home. 
  12. ↑ David Cook - Rhapsody
  13. ↑ David Cook Biography AMG
  14. ↑ David Cook - EW.com
  15. ↑ "Idol Beginnings". TV Guide 56 (15): 33. April 14-20, 2008. 
  16. ↑ "Idol's Class of '08: Secrets of the Top 12". TV Guide 56 (11): 12. March 17-23, 2008. 
  17. ↑ "Little Lindsey Rose's Favorite 'Idol' Singer Wears Wristband to Show Support for Girl". Tampa Tribune. 14 March 2008. http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/14/little-lindsey-roses-favorite-idol-singer-wears-wr/?entertainment-tv. 
  18. ↑ "American Idol's David Cook - 'He's My Hero'". Star Magazine. 3 April 2008. http://www.starmagazine.com/david_cook_cancer_patient/news/14056. 
  19. ↑ "Simon Cowell Speaks Out about the Current Season of 'American Idol'". Entertainment Weekly. 26 March 2008. http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/03/simon-cowell-on.html. 
  20. ↑ "'American Idol' Dark Horse David Cook: Is It Fair for Him to Cover Other Covers?". MTV News. 26 March 2008. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1584150/20080326/id_0.jhtml. 
  21. ↑ Harris, Chris. 'American Idol' Dark Horse David Cook: Is It Fair For Him To Cover Other Covers?. MTV. 2008-03-26. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  22. ↑ Hewitt, Michael. The Watcher: Give 'Idol's' David Cook the credit he deserves. The Orange County Register. 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  23. ↑ American Idol Commentary: The Trouble with Originality. TVFan. Entertainment Weekly. 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 [1]. Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2008.
  25. ↑ Grein, Paul (28 May 2008). "Week Ending May 25, 2008: David Vs. David, The Showdown Moves to the Charts". Yahoo! Chart Watch. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/7668/week-ending-may-25-2008-david-vs-david-the-showdown-moves-to-the-charts. 
  26. ↑ Grossberg, Josh (9 July 2008). "David Cook Laces Up Shoe Deal". "Yahoo! TV". http://tv.yahoo.com/david-cook/contributor/1128939/news/urn:newsml:tv.eonline.com:20080709:ec1ce4fb7392_47fc_a796_1289bf3cb882__ER:68208;_ylt=AkhQArBLvXSuy8ZtfKHTWaa.o9EF. 
  27. ↑ MyFox Kansas City | David Cook & Lauren Conrad Snag Teen Hearts
  28. ↑ http://www.davidcookofficial.com/news/david-cook-makes-cover-world-almanac-2009
  29. ↑ "Music Equals LIfe". http://musicequalslife.com/Site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=1. 
  30. ↑ Fuoco-Karasinski, Christina (10 July 2008). "LiveDaily Interview: David Cook". LiveDaily. http://www.livedaily.com/news/14525.html. 
  31. ↑ Graff, Gary (25 July 2008). "David Cook Promises 'Twists, Turns' On Debut CD". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003831844. 
  32. ↑ "David Cook joined us to talk about "Stand Up To Cancer" CD". 102.7 KIIS-FM. 30 August 2008. http://kiisfm.com/cc-common/losangeles/podcast/kiis.html. 
  33. ↑ "First Single Title Announced - "Light On"". "davidcookofficial.com". 19 September 2008. http://www.davidcookofficial.com/blog/first-single-title-announced-light-on. 
  34. ↑ http://www.cnbc.com/id/29012700
  35. ↑ http://www.davidcookofficial.com/news/the-declaration-tour-–-2009
  36. ↑ http://www.davidcookofficial.com/news/david-cook-to-perform-on-snl
  37. ↑ http://mjsbigblog.com/david-cook-glamour-magazine-2008-women-of-the-year-awards.htm
  38. ↑ http://beat.bodoglife.com/entertainment/david-cook-nails-national-anthem-at-nba-finals-77711.html
  39. ↑ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2008/08/05/kc-native-david-cook-to-kick-off-home-opener/
  40. ↑ http://www.davidcookofficial.com/news/the-declaration-tour-–-2009
  41. ↑ http://www.davidcookofficial.com/news/the-declaration-tour-–-2009
  42. ↑ David Cook Dating Past Idol Kimberly Caldwell
  43. ↑ David Cook Just Won "A.I." and All He Got Was...
  44. ↑ XL 106.7 Official Site
  45. ↑ David Cook Opens Up About Girlfriend Kimberly Caldwell
  46. ↑ David Cook at Dave & Jimmy (Radio Interview)
  47. ↑ David Cook Kimberly Caldwell Engagement
  48. ↑ Looks Like David Cook and Kimberly Caldwell Broke Up
  49. ↑ David Cook interview per radio Q102
  50. ↑ Kimberly Caldwell Official MySpace
  51. ↑ Idol Breakup
  52. ↑ USA Today
  53. ↑ RIAA Certification searchable database for David Cook
  54. ↑ RIAA Certification search for David Cook
  55. ↑ TC08 - The Official Website of Teen Choice 2008
  56. ↑ The New Music Awards

External links

v • d • e
David Cook
Studio albums
Analog Heart  • David Cook
Singles
"The Time of My Life"  • "Light On"
Tours
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008  • Declaration Tour
Other songs
"Dream Big"
Related articles
v • d • e
American Idol season 7
Finalists
Other Sources
v • d • e
American Idol
Seasons
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8
Hosts
Ryan Seacrest · Brian Dunkleman
Judges
Winners
Winner's Singles
"A Moment Like This" · "Flying Without Wings" · "I Believe" · "Inside Your Heaven" · "Do I Make You Proud" · "This Is My Now" · "The Time of My Life"
Runners-up
Other alumni
Spin-offs
From Justin to Kelly · Juniors · Christmas · Extra · Rewind
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