Time: 64:37
File: Flac
Released: 2001
Styles: Blues
Art: Front
1. Big Fat Mama (4:22)
2. Crap Game Blues (3:36)
3. Have You Ecver Loved A Woman (3:44)
4. Lonesome Frisco Blues (3:39)
5. My Baby Gone Dead On Me (3:39)
6. Shake That Boogie (3:51)
7. Teddy Bear Blues (3:36)
8. Taxman On My Trail (4:39)
9. Myrtle Beach Rag (2:46)
10. Blue River Blues (2:28)
11. Lemon Tree Blues (3:18)
12. Good Morning Blues (3:37)
13. The Blues Singer's Lament (3:24)
14. House Rent Blues (4:26)
15. God Can Help You (3:23)
16. Blowtop Blues (3:12)
17. Slavin' Mama Blues (2:47)
18. Bobo's Boogie (4:00)
Al Cook was born Alois Kurt Koch on February 27th 1945 in Bad Ischl, Upper Austria, but spent his entire life in Vienna. Music was no subject to him, until he came in touch with Rock And Roll Music on July 25, 1960, watching an old Elvis picture from 1957, called "Loving You", which changed his attitudes to music and life forever. Al Cook tried hard to escape a dull existence as a laborer in a mechanical factory. From then on, he wanted to live a decidedly artistic and free life, but he had to keep patient for nearly 13 Years to overcome with his music. In October 1963, Al Cook bought himself a cheap "campfire-box", as he likes to identify his first guitar and launched his rocket exactly a year later, on October 17th 1964 at an amateur-variety show.
But the era of Rock n Roll died, in Al Cook's eyes, with the clipping of Elvis sideburns at the close of the 50's. Al Cook's appearance turned out to end up in a disastrous failure, because the Beatles had killed the RnR Stars and the music and lifestyle of the fifties were no longer in style. Al Cook refused to jump the bandwagon and decided to quit the world of popular entertainment to look for something that suited his rather individualistic personality. Accidentally, he came in touch with ancient forms of afro-american folk-music, that everybody knows as "The Blues". From then on, Al Cook dedicated his life to the Blues and tried to maintain a career as an uncompromising artist, who still remains true to himself. Neither the steady changing of public tastes nor occassionally bright financial offers could make him walk off-path, or collaborate with commercialism.
After several years of unrewarded appearances, the upcoming folk-boom of the woodstock era offered the young blues-artist a string of opportunities. On November 1970, Al Cook opened up his recording career with the first release of a pure blues production called "Working Man Blues". Al still sounded like an immature Elvis clone, trying to sing black country-blues, but it caused some recognition by the mass-medias. Within a year, Al Cook's reputation as an excellent and charismatic bluesman was taking over. Nobody ever saw a bluesman, that was neither black, nor american and never set foot on the U.S. It took five years of hard training, to wash out his viennese accent and to understand ancient black double talk. While other white blues artists preferred the easier-to-listen British Blues, or the 50's Muddy Waters stuff, Al Cook went back to the cottonfield era of the 20s and 30s. His idols were singers like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Son House, Texas Alexander and of course Robert and Tommy Johnson and a variety of the obscurest Bluespeople in history. Country Blues is a music of wild beauty and colorful variety, because every artist had his own style in those days.
Al Cook made several other Albums, that were released more or less consecutive, but his most valuable is a collector's item by the title of "Slide Guitar Foolin'", a cheaply, but exclusively designed cardboard cover with no picture on it. Some collectors believed, that this platter was some field-recording of a recently discovered oldtimer.
With the close of the 70's, the popularity of non-commercial music declined rapidly. The Saturday Night Fever was at its outbreak and Disco music and "cool" life-styles became popular. The Blues and its related stuff turned obsolete and vanished into obscurity. Al Cook had to undergo some hard times and lived on a shoestring. 1983 marked a flashing renaissance of Rockabilly-Music and the 50's styles returned for a brief period. TV and Radiostations promoted young Rockabilly talents and Al Cook thought, he could make some additional money, without suffering artistic pain. An extended-play record (4 cuts on a single) was made and sold only at concerts. Again, Al Cook influenced young musicians to become dedicated Rockabilly-performers (The first were The Salty Dogs). But the whole thing wound up in simplified Retro-Pop and the fan-scene was increasingly infested by "Rebels" and right-wing actionists. Al Cook became tired and disgusted of such fandom and switched back to black blues, practially overnight.
1989, Al Cook celebrated his 25th Stage- Anniversary and the press crowned him "White King Of Black Blues". This title is now used as a sometimes provocant trademark-slogan. A double Album, named "Twenty Five Blues Years" was released and the entire scene was jamming with the now celebrated blues-legend and Al Cook's name became a household name in Austria.
After a longer period of public absence, Al Cook switched over to Wolf-Records, our pure blues label, which won three W.C. Handy awards to the credit of his owner. Now Al benefits from total artistic liberty and produces his albums himself by using his own studio equipment. He sometimes hires the best musicians, often those who were started by his legendary performances, when they were still in their teens.
Al Cook released four Albums on Wolf Records, spanning from archaic blues-shouting to complex Boogie and RnB stuff that's entirely self-penned. And there are some more to follow.
Al Cook is now 59 years old, 40 years on stage, but still going strong. He hopes to keep things goin' and get more young listeners to discover the immortal beauty of the Blues.
The Country Blues FLAC