David Cook

David Cook Headshot

Musician • Singer • Songwriter

Birth Date: December 20, 1982

Age: 41 years old

Birth Place: Houston, Texas

From his rock-star swagger, unexpected song arrangements, and unflappable cool, there was no question that "American Idol" season 7 winner David Cook was destined for superstardom. Born on Dec. 20, 1982 in Houston, TX and raised in Blue Springs, MO, Cook had musical aspirations from an early age. He began singing in public when he was in second grade, learned to play the violin and guitar, and began entering talent competitions. At 15, he formed a band, Axium, which produced three independent, locally released albums. After graduating from high school, Cook attended Central Missouri State University. After receiving his graphic design degree, he relocated to Tulsa, OK to pursue a music career. On his own, he released an independent album, Analog Heart (2006), the sales of which skyrocketed during Cook's appearance on "American Idol" the following year.

In 2007, Cook traveled to Omaha, NE for the "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-16) auditions to provide moral support for his older brother, Andrew, who did not make it past the auditions. Asked by producers to try singing himself, Cook belted out a snippet of Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," impressing the judges enough to send him to Hollywood, where he made it to the semifinals round.

Cook easily made his mark in the competition with his modern take on songs like Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Lionel Richie's "Hello," while accompanying himself on electric guitar. He even reworked on his own a rock version of Mariah Carey's hit R&B song "Always Be My Baby" (1996), which roused the judges and the audience, including his brother, Adam, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time for brain cancer (He passed away on May 2, 2009) and was flown out to watch him compete. Cook delivered one strong performance after another, showcasing his impressive range and powerhouse vocals, while at the same time being progressively groomed to look more and more the rock star as the competition went on.

Unsurprisingly, he made it to the show's finale, dubbed the "Battle of the Davids" because he was up against David Archuleta, a young balladeer many deemed to be the frontrunner throughout the entire competition. During the finale, Cook owned the stage with his powerful renditions of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Collective Soul's "The World I Know," and an original song, "Dream Big," written for the "American Idol" Songwriting Contest 2008. Ultimately, the tight race between the two Davids ended with Cook winning 56 percent of the total votes.

After the much-anticipated finale, Cook immediately went to work on his 2008 self-titled debut album, which shattered several Billboard chart records for having 11 songs - including the hit singles "The Time of My Life" and "Come Back to Me" - debut on the Hot 100 list. In 2009, Cook launched the widely successful "The Declaration Tour" with his band, renamed The Anthemic, and performed on a number of awards shows and sold-out concerts across Asia.

Credits

Big Morning Buzz Live

Guest
Show
2011

David Cook: The Last Goodbye

Music Performer
Show
2011

David Cook: Fade Into Me

Music Performer
Show
2011

The Talk

Music Performer
Talk
2010

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special

Music Performer
Show
2009

Lopez Tonight

Music Performer
Show
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Music Performer
Talk
2009

New Year's Eve Live

Music Performer
Show
2008

Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade

Music Performer
Show
2008

Christmas in Rockefeller Center

Music Performer
Show
2008

Stand Up to Cancer

Guest
Show
2008

Teen Choice 2008

Guest
Show
2008

Free Radio

Guest Star
Show
2008

David Cook: Light On

Music Performer
Show
2008

David Cook: Come Back to Me

Music Performer
Show
2008

The Morning Show With Mike & Juliet

Guest
Show
2007

etalk

Guest
Show
2006

Extreme Makeover: Home EditionStream

Guest Star
Reality
2004

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Music Performer
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Music Performer
Talk
2003

American Idol

Contestant
Reality
2003
68%

American Idol

Guest
Reality
2003
68%

American Idol

Music Performer
Reality
2003
68%

Live With Regis and Kelly

Guest
Show
2001

Live With Regis and Kelly

Music Performer
Show
2001

Entertainment Studios.com

Music Performer
Show
2000

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Guest
Talk
1992

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Music Performer
Talk
1992

The Bill

Actor
Malcolm Barber
Show
1984

Entertainment Tonight

Guest
News
1981

Entertainment Tonight

Music Performer
News
1981

Nightline

Guest
News
1980

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

Good Morning America

Music Performer
News
1975

Saturday Night LiveStream

Music Performer
Series
1975

Today

Guest
News
1952

Today

Music Performer
News
1952

News aboutDavid Cook