David Roland Cook became a household name when he won the seventh season of American Idol on May 21, 2008. He received slightly over half of the votes (56%), leaving David Archuleta as the runner-up. David Cook was born in Houston, Texas, raised in Missouri, and currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the middle of three brothers. His older brother is Adam, and the youngest of the three siblings is Andrew. David’s left-handed Gibson Les Paul electric guitar displays letters "AC,” the initials of his brothers.

 

Cook began singing in the second grade, when he sang a solo in a school choir performance. He also participated in choir and drama programs in middle school and high school. He received his first guitar at the age of 12. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 2006 with a degree in graphic design—though he began the school on a theater scholarship he later abandoned. After his college graduation, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to pursue a career in music.

 

Cook formed the band Axium in his junior year of high school with drummer Bobby Kerr. Cook was the lead singer and guitarist of the band from 1999 until 2006. The band received notable recognition when the band's song “Hold" was picked up by AMC Theatres Movie Tunes to play before previews nationwide. In 2006, the band broke up, and Cook relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, he joined the regional band Midwest Kings (MWK), playing guitar, bass, and singing backup vocals. Cook recorded the EP Incoherent with Desire to Move On with MWK in 2006. Also that year, Cook released Analog Heart, a solo album for which he designed the cover artwork. His musical influences include Our Lady Peace, Alice in Chains, Big Wreck, Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, Switchfoot, Bon Jovi, and Collective Soul. Ironically, David Cook came to the American Idol auditions to support his younger brother Andrew in tryouts. Andrew did not make it to Hollywood, but Andrew convinced David to try out as well—and from there, the story is now history.

 

The week following his American Idol victory, David Cook broke several Billboard records. That week, he had 11 songs debut on the Hot 100 that week, shattering the previous record in 2006 when Miley Cyrus debuted six songs on the chart. His first single was “The Time of My Life,” which debuted at number three on The Hot 100. The 11 songs also gave Cook the most songs by one artist on the Hot 100--the most of any era since the week of April 11, 1964 when the Beatles had 14 songs on the chart. In early 2009, Cook announced he begin on a national tour in February, beginning on February 12 in Florida, and ending in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 25.

 

Cook is currently working on his second album, which is slated to be released in 2011. He has formed a backing band called The Anthemic to support him on the record at on subsequent tours; the band includes former members of his pre-American Idol band Midwest Kings. Cook has reportedly been co-writing songs with a variety of collaborators for the album, including Our Lady of Peace frontman Raine Maida, Chantal Kreviazuk and Goo Goo Dolls singer Johnny Rzeznik.

 

MySpace: www.myspace.com/officialdavidcook
Official Website: www.davidcookofficial.com