Elizabeth Cook

Born on July 18, 1972, in Wildwood, Florida, Elizabeth Cook grew up in a musical family. Her mother, Joyce, played mandolin and guitar, performing on radio and local television, while her father, Thomas, played upright bass in a prison band before forming local country bands with Joyce. Elizabeth was performing on stage with her parents at the age of four, singing country classics. She continued to pursue music throughout her youth, forming her own band at nine years old. Despite her early musical immersion, Cook pursued higher education, graduating from Georgia Southern University in 1996 with dual degrees in Accounting and Computer Information Systems. She initially moved to Nashville, Tennessee, that same year to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers, but her passion for music soon led her back to the industry.

Cook’s full-time transition to music began with a publishing deal, leading to the self-released “The Blue Album” in 2000, which featured demo recordings. Her major-label debut, “Hey Y’all,” was released in 2002 on Atlantic Records. After this initial venture, Cook sought release from her contract, and a subsequent deal with Sony Records did not materialize. Undeterred, she released “This Side of the Moon” in 2004, which garnered positive critical attention from publications like The New York Times and No Depression. The album was eventually picked up by Thirty Tigers, a significant step in her independent career. In 2007, she released “Balls,” produced by Rodney Crowell, which included the song “Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman.” Her 2010 album, “Welder,” a nod to her father’s post-prison welding career, featured collaborations with artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Rodney Crowell, and Buddy Miller.

Over her career, Cook has gained recognition for her extensive touring across America, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Poland, France, and the UK, and has performed at notable festivals including the Cambridge Folk Festival. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, a significant achievement for a non-member. Her engaging personality led to multiple appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” where she performed and was interviewed. Cook has also demonstrated her versatility beyond music, with roles such as hosting the fishing show “Upstream with Elizabeth Cook” on the Circle network and voicing the character Tammi in the Adult Swim series “Squidbillies.” Her radio work as the host of “Elizabeth Cook’s Apron Strings” on Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country has earned her two Ameripolitan Music Awards nominations for DJ.