On December 6, 2006,
Jack Cooke turned 70 years old, and "Sittin' on Top of the
World" is a celebration of sorts. This country boy from Wise
County, Va. was born into a large family that played music and
sang in church. After he and his brothers won a band contest
sponsored by the Stanley Brothers, Jack went to work as the bass
player with Carter and Ralph from 1955-57 (picking up a bass for
$15 or $20 from Mike Seeger). After over four years playing
guitar or bass with Bill Monroe, Jack Cooke formed his own band
(Virginia Mountain Boys) in Baltimore. There, up above Johnny's
used car lot, he recorded some albums (on the Wango label) with
the Stanley Brothers, calling themselves John's Gospel Quartet.
This current album being reviewed ends with two bonus tracks of
archived material recorded in 1963 (with Bill Sage, Roy Hoskins,
Bobby Diamond). "Let Me Rest at the End of My Journey" and "I've
Always Been a Rambler" illustrate what his band and voice
sounded like over 40 years ago. In late-1969, Jack went back to
work with Ralph Stanley and has been with him ever since. With
good range and an ear for harmony, Jack can sing all parts.
On his first day of the job, Ralph Stanley asked Jack to handle
the record sales. It's something he's successfully done without
any pretenses or insincerity for years. He comes across as a man
with empathy, kindness and understanding. His roots run deep to
old-time mountain and bluegrass music. He doesn't believe in any
fancy stuff or in taking the music "uptown." Jack once said, "A
lot of people is ashamed to tell how they was raised and
everything, I believe. But a man ought to tell it like it is.
Got to keep it country. Keep it mountainous."
What's so nice about this project is that it casts Jack Cooke
into the spotlight. He's no longer just a sideman, a guy who was
once a Blue Grass Boy with Bill Monroe or the long-time
cornerstone in Ralph Stanley's band. Vernon Crawford "Jack"
Cooke is now a solo artist who sings on all tracks and plays
rhythm guitar on a couple too. Appropriately, his album opens
with "Gotta Travel On," a song he once cut with Bill Monroe
years before (12/1/58 in Nashville to be exact). And, second up
is one of his signature songs that showcases his piercing tenor
vocals, Webb Pierce's "I'm Walking the Dog." Jack may have been
the first singer to adapt the song to bluegrass, and he is
joined by Del McCoury's harmony vocals. Going way back, Del had
been a Virginia Mountain Boy before he went to work for Monroe.
This "Sittin' on Top of the World" album was produced by Jim
Lauderdale who wrote "That's How the Cookie Crumbles" and who
appears in the mix of three other cuts. Besides Del and Jim,
other friends assisting include Ralph Stanley, Ralph Stanley II,
James Shelton, Todd Meade, Steve Sparkman, Ronnie McCoury,
Robbie McCoury, Jason Carter, Mike Bub, David Grisman, and
Hubert & Jeanette Cooke.
Not so long ago, Jack Cooke was a young musician living in an
exciting time and learning from the impressionable Monroe and
Stanley. Now, he's the mentor, and his relaxed and enthusiastic
singing of bluegrass, country and gospel numbers will influence
others. In a sense, he's passing on his genuine, honest music
tradition to the next generation and showing 'em how it was
done. Over the decades, Jack's been approached many times to do
his own album. I wish it would've happened sooner rather than
later, but I reckon that finally getting it done makes for a
good 70th birthday gift to himself, his family..and us. With
abundant rusticity, Jack Cooke's solo album reveals a devotion
to a powerful mountain sound that is unadorned and down-to-earth.just
like Jack. (Joe Ross)
