Born 77 Years Ago Today in Alabama, the Guitarist Who Co-Founded the Best-Selling Group in Country Music History With His Cousins

On this day (August 27) in 1949, Jeff Cook was born in Fort Payne, Alabama. He was a talented multi-instrumentalist best known as one of the founding members of Alabama. Cook co-founded the band with his cousins, Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, in the early 1970s. After more than 30 No. 1 singles and a stack of Gold and Platinum albums, they are the best-selling band in the history of country music.

Cook was seemingly destined to have a career in some facet of the music industry. He started playing guitar when he was 13. A year later, just days after his 14^th birthday, he got his broadcasting license. As a result, he worked as a DJ and radio host while he was still in high school.

In his early 20s, Cook joined his cousins, Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, in a band called Young Country. Before long, they changed their name to Wildcountry. They began touring regionally and built a following in the South. According to Rolling Stone, they were especially popular in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Eventually, the band left their home state for South Carolina. There, they played regular gigs at the Bowery.

The group released their first album, Wild Country, in 1976 on GRT Records. A year later, they changed their name to Alabama, moved to MDJ Records, and released Deuces Wild. Then, in 1979, they released Alabama Band No. 3. The next year, they signed with RCA Records and began their domination of the country charts.

Alabama Hits the Big Time

Alabama began gaining traction with their third LP, My Home’s in Alabama. “I Wanna Come Over” became their first top 40 single in 1979. They followed that with the album’s title track, which peaked at No. 17. After signing with RCA, they released “Tennessee River,” which kicked off a string of chart-topping hits.

Not counting Christmas songs, they notched 27 consecutive No. 1 singles. Their first non-holiday single to miss the top spot was “Pass It on Down,” which peaked at No. 3 in 1990. While they lost a little steam going into the 90s, Alabama still consistently notched hit singles. Eventually, they sent a total of 33 songs to the top of the country chart.

The group has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. They have also won multiple awards, including multiple CMA Entertainer of the Year trophies. In 1999, the RIAA named them the Country Group of the Century.

Jeff Cook Goes Solo

In 2004, Alabama announced their farewell tour. They wrapped the tour in October that year. Then, in 2005, Jeff Cook formed the Allstar Goodtime Band and released his first solo album, On Fire. He released a total of nine albums. His final release, Why Not Me, was a collaboration with William Shatner and dropped in 2018.

Alabama reunited in 2010. The next year, they organized a benefit concert for victims of tornadoes that ripped through their home state. In 2013, they embarked on the Back to the Bowery tour to celebrate their 40^th anniversary. They continued to perform and recorded new music.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1985, Alabama Released a Salute to the Blue-Collar Workers That Broke a Chart Record]

Cook was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 and made the diagnosis public four years later. At the same time, he announced that he would be reducing the number of shows he played with Alabama. A year later, Cook effectively retired from touring and performing live. He died of complications from Parkinson’s disease on November 7, 2022, at the age of 73.

Featured Image by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

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