Clay Cook
Clay Cook | |
|---|---|
 Cook with theZac Brown Bandin 2010. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Douglas Cook |
| Born | April 20, 1978 |
| Origin | Snellville, Georgia,U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, producer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, slide guitar, Hammond organ, piano |
| Years active | 1990—present |
Douglas"Clay"Cook(born April 20, 1978) is an American songwriter, producer, and musician who is best known as a member of theZac Brown Band.After dropping out of college, he and classmateJohn Mayerformed the band Lo-Fi Masters. Cook co-wrote several songs with Mayer that appear on Mayer's first two releases,Inside Wants OutandRoom for Squares,including "No Such Thing", "Comfortable", "Man on the Side" and "Neon". Cook was also a member ofThe Marshall Tucker BandandY-O-U.
Biography
[edit]Clay Cook attended Smoke Rise Elementary,Tucker High School,and is a graduate ofSouth Gwinnett High SchoolinSnellville, Georgiain 1996. Following this, Cook enrolled atBerklee College of MusicinBoston,Massachusetts.While there, Cook met fellow student and singer-songwriterJohn Mayer.The two of them formed the duo known as Lo-Fi Masters, putting 5 of their songs on an eponymous demo tape which was made at Berklee.
In March 1998 after two years, Cook made the decision to leave Berklee with his bandmate, John Mayer, to move their duo toAtlanta,Georgia,as he was a Georgia native and was aware of the music scene in the city. They began their career in earnest there, quickly making a name for the two-man band. They frequented the local coffeehouse and club circuit in venues including Atlanta's famous venueEddie's Attic.On their writing partnership, Cook said, "Even back then, my role was more like that of a producer and John was the writer. I'd give input to clean up the rough edges and help him get his vision of the song more clear. For instance, he might have written six verses to a song, and I'd help him get it down to three."[1]Cook and Mayer wrote songs in Atlanta which later appeared on Mayer's recordRoom for Squares,including: "No Such Thing","Love Song for No One ", and" Neon ". Due to musical and creative differences, the two eventually parted ways. Cook moved to California to work in a music shop and later joinedThe Marshall Tucker Band.Since then he has released two albums of solo material while playing with bands. His albums are entitledThe Year I Grew UpandOn Mountain Time.Cook has also played with Sugarland andShawn Mullins.
Cook joined theZac Brown Band,and their albumYou Get What You Givewas nominated for the 2011 Grammy's, marking Cook's first recorded material that has been nominated. The band won aGrammy Awardfor Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "As She's Walking Away" withAlan Jackson.In 2011 Cook announced he had conceptualized his next solo album and planned on working on it throughout the rigorous touring schedule of the Zac Brown Band. Cook released this new album,North Star,on October 22, 2013.
In recent years, Cook has also collaborated with artists to produce albums and CDs. For example, he produced and mixed albums of Atlanta artistsGareth Asher and the Earthlings,as well as a single for the Atlanta-based hard rock band Echoes End, fronted by Kevin Coughlin, a longtime friend and film composer of the Along Came The Devil Horror film series.[2]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat | ||
| Lead Me On |
|
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| Self Serving |
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— | — |
| Smoke & Mirrors (as Clay Cook & The Torches) |
|
— | — |
| Natural Progression (as Clay Cook & The Torches) |
|
— | — |
| Year I Grew Up |
|
— | — |
| On Mountain Time |
|
— | — |
| North Star |
|
— | — |
| Unobstructed View |
|
— | — |
References
[edit]- ^Small, Mark (2005). Although actual songwriting credits refer only to a couple of songs on Mayer's first record."John Mayer '9: Running with the Big Dogs"Berklee.edu (accessed April 23, 2007)
- ^"Gareth Asher Biography".RetrievedFebruary 22,2013.
