GARY DANIEL COOK

Musician


MY JOURNEY


I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  After my father finished college, the family loaded up the Ford station wagon and moved to Thibodeux, Louisiana. 

THE EARLY YEARS

Growing up in the South was the beginning of my early musical education through osmosis. I was exposed to a wide variety of music thanks to my older siblings, AM radio, and a funky bus driver that cranked "sweet soul music" on his 8-track stereo during the ride home from school each day. Those early years were filled with great music. I listened to everything from The Beatles to Motown to Led Zeppelin.

In those days, we entertained ourselves with record albums and an electric keyboard/organ that was stashed away in my sister's room. I quickly discovered the sound of the I-IV-V chord progression using the 12 small round buttons located on the left side of the keyboard. It was easy! One finger could blast out major and minor triads in any key. It wasn't long before I began adding an occasional Minor to the I-IV-V progression. I wrote my first song on that keyboard at the ripe old age of 6.


One summer afternoon, I heard music resonating from a neighbor's shed. Being a curious one, I wandered about with
a few wide-eyed kids to get a glimpse of our neighborhood rock heroes. The guitarist asked if anyone knew how to sing. I was normally shy, but for some reason I stepped up, grabbed the microphone and belted a tune with the band. It was a rush hearing my own voice through a PA system I knew right then and there that someday I would be in a band.

Several years later my older brother got a Yamaha acoustic guitar for Christmas. I took one look at that guitar and was convinced that it was the instrument for me. I was only 9 or 10 years old, but I would have gladly traded my new orange bike for that guitar! 

GUITAR CLASS

My family returned to New Mexico and set roots in Santa Fe. It was there that I signed up for guitar class (top row 3rd from the left) in junior high school and really discovered a love for the instrument.

My older brother let me borrow his steel string acoustic for a few months until we scrounged up enough money to buy my own.

I formed my first rock band (Midnight Fire) and began writing songs in 8th grade. Our debut gig was at the school talent show. We finished in third place and earned $10.00 for our effort. The following day the boys in the band marched down to the local music store to purchase an 8-foot curly guitar cord!


BASEMENT JAMS

I was fortunate to learn a couple of riffs here and there from my brother and his hippie friends. The "basement jams" were a ton of fun! I used to sneak down to play guitar with my brother and other musicians that happened to be passing through town. One of my more memorable moments was when we were jamming with Johnny Winter's guitarist and I broke the E String on his acoustic.

At age 13, entering my freshmen year of high school, I auditioned for the advanced guitar class with my own acoustic rendition of "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynyrd Skynrd. It wasn't long before I transitioned from acoustic to electric guitar after purchasing a Black Les Paul copy from a classmate for $25.00. My life of rock n roll began!

THE HAIR DECADE

For the next several years I played the Albuquerque club scene - six nights a week. It was a great experience and taught me to be a more consistent musician.I was amazed at how each band provided their own concert sound and lighting systems - with paid engineers to boot! Local shows rivaled that of small touring bands. 

During my 1980s "club era", I entered an original song "Time Again" in the MCA Records/Stroh's beer nationwide talent search. It was one of ten songs chosen for a local compilation album. "Time Again" won the Stroh's Talent Search in New Mexico and made it's way to the Western regional finals. Although the hairstyles changed, my Les Paul was always hanging over my shoulder. The music always came first in my life of rock and roll!

CITY OF ANGELS

After several years in the Albuquerque club scene, a change was needed. So I loaded up the pickup truck and moved to Hollywood. Yes, there were swimming pools, movie stars, and alot of starving musicians - including me! After being primarily self-taught, I enrolled at the Dick Grove School of Music in Studio City, California and dedicated two years of my life to "studying music" - learning theory, composition and improvisation. Interesting experience putting the names to chords I was playing but never knew what they were called! I graduated GSM as the "Guitarist of the Year", and was asked by Dick Grove to join the staff as a guitar instructor.

While living in Los Angeles I continued my career in the music industry with primary emphasis on songwriting, recording and producing. A few milestones include credits as songwriter with Neal Schon on "Pirahna Blues CD", sonic architect guitar for Sting on his "Brand New Day" CD, New Orleans Jazz Festival with Joni Mitchell, various sessions with Grammy nominated producers Mike Elizondo (Dr Dre, Eminem), numerous compositions for television and film, blues-rock release on Bruton/Zomba label and many other projects in L.A. studios.

I currently reside in Los Angeles, California and work as a session guitarist, singer, performer, songwriter, and producer. The journey continues....

BIOGRAPHY

Gary Daniel Cook's musical journey has taken him down many interesting roads. Growing up just 60 miles Southwest of New Orleans had it's benefits. It was the beginning of Gary's early musical education through osmosis. His early southern childhood introduced him to a wide variety of music including blues, cajun/zydeco, classic rock, motown and good ole' fashioned am radio. He also credits his older siblings for their introduction to The Beatles and a funky bus driver that cranked "sweet soul music" on his 8-track stereo during the ride home from school each day. In addition to running barefoot in the green grassy fields, eating crawfish and drinking sweet tea,  Gary spent much his time playing melodies on a small electric keyboard which became his first musical instrument and his tool for composing songs with at Age 6.

"
In those days, we entertained ourselves with record albums and an electric keyboard/organ that was stashed away in my sister's room. I quickly discovered the sound of the I-IV-V chord progression using the 12 small round buttons located on the left side of the keyboard. It was easy! One finger could blast out major and minor triads in any key. It wasn't long before I began adding an occasional Minor to the I-IV-V progression. I wrote my first song on that keyboard at the ripe old age of 6" - GDC

. Those early years were filled with great music. I listened to everything from The Beatles to Motown to Led Zeppelin.