David L. Cook - Music

Music

His first solo Christian album, Come Follow Me, was released in 1985. The album was written and produced by singer/producer Frank X. Loconto, a former member of the group Lane Brothers. In 1986, he signed with the American Musical Academy of Arts Association (AMAAA) and released another album, Personal Feelings.

In 1997, Mountainview Records released his In the Middle of it All album, which earned Cook a Gospel Music Association Dove Award nomination for Christian Country Album of the Year in 1999. However, after a fallout with Mountainview records in 1999, he started his own record label called DLC Records. It was during this transitional period that Cook created a comedy character, named Mortermer Crabbottom, in the tradition of comedic country alter egos like Jim Nabors' eccentric Gomer Pyle persona. Cook even recorded an album in character, Split Personality, based on the life and times of Mortermer Crabbottom growing up in the fictitious town of Crabbottom USA. In 1999, the Country Gospel Music Association inducted Cook into its Hall of Fame, along with Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Andy Griffith, Jody Miller and Lulu Roman.

In 2012 Cook co-wrote the piece Hands of Hope with fellow performers, David Meece and Bruce Carroll. The song was a current day remake of "We Are the World" which featured many famous voices from the music industry. The song was recorded by the Charlotte Civic Orchestra and featured the voices of: Babbie Mason, Christy Sutherland, David Meece, Caroline Keller, Fantasia Barrino, Gayla Earlene, Joshua Cobb, Paul Zeaman, Blues legend Kat Williams and many of the former PTL Singers from the Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker show. Cook is credited along with producer Elddy Trevino and Corey Williams with the arrangements and production of the song. The song went number one on the charts and remained there for two weeks. The song was used as the theme song for Turning Point Centers for Domestic Violence. On May 5, 2012 NATAS announced that the song Hands of Hope garnered Cook, Meece and Carroll the Emmy nomination for best Arrangement/Composer of a television theme song.