My friend David Cook has had quite a ride since I last saw him play 375 days ago, when he opened a concert for a band I once managed at a smoke-filled Tulsa bar.
Advertisement
Six or seven fans stood up front to cheer when he took to the rickety little stage that night. Most of the stage light came from a neon sign at stage right that read: "BEER.”
The rest of the few dozen in the crowd sat at tables in the back.
But by the end of Cook's set, he'd won them all over. Most people weren't talking about the headliner — the band I managed — by the time the bar closed.
Cook had stolen the show.
It didn't surprise us at all. We had all known how talented he was since he started making waves in Kansas City with a band called Axium a few years before.
All we could offer David for the show on May 12, 2007, was an opening slot, but he took it without hesitation. He wanted to sell some copies of his debut solo album, "Analog Heart,” which he had just finished recording at a downtown Tulsa studio.
That's an interesting gauge of how far "American Idol” has taken him. David was selling his CD for $5 or $10 that night, and he even gave a couple copies away to an Oklahoma City radio host who was impressed with his performance and wanted to play his songs on her local music show.
Wednesday, someone from Tulsa sold that CD on eBay for $325. David was paid less than a third of that for the 45 minutes he played at Boston's last May. There's a good chance a lot of other radio hosts will be spinning his songs soon.
A lot can change in 375 days.
TV cameras and state-of-the-art stage lights replaced the glow of the bar's neon beer sign. He sang to millions of people and made believers out of them just as he did to the fans, friends and drunks at that Tulsa bar and across the region.
And he's remained gracious and level-headed through it all. That's why David isn't like most people I've met in the music industry. He's a genuine, honest person who doesn't run away from hard work.
He's paid his dues, and that's rare. I'm glad I can call him a friend.
I just hope he gets me a free ticket to his show at BOK Center in September. This reporting gig doesn't pay like the rock star thing does.
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
I for one am happy he won. After All Right Now, there was only one David in my opinion. I've never watched American Idol until this season. I started somewhere in the middle of the auditions round and never missed an episode since. I started voting for Amanda, gave some votes to Carly and Michael, but ended up voting for David Cook on two phones for two/four hours. And this is coming from a self proclaimed A.I. boycotter. Not only is he a fantastic performer, he has a strong work ethic and is intelligent as heck. (Word Nerd # 2,283 here. lol) Thank God D.C. brought Rock back to the U.S.A., I've been waiting for about a decade to have this feeling about music again. I simply cannot wait for his first post-AI album!! :-D
das, it must be miserable living in your skin; you are ALWAYS so dam* rude and hateful! Now then, since that is off my chest.....I am THRILLED that the right David won. I was so hoping that he would but after a sub par performance compared to the other David's that night, I was a bit worried. I am so happy that he won and know that he will make a huge impression in the music industry. YAY!!
so are john and david really friends or are they friends like i'm friends with Toby Keith -- he shook my hand once and said "nice to meet you."
Fitness and Nutrition
Visit NewsOK's latest Know it and find out why proper diet and exercise are key.
Related to this story
Articles
Tulsa rocker breaks 'American Idol' record 05/22/2008 Tulsa rocker David Cook was declared the new "American Idol” Wednesday night, beating out teen crooner David Archuleta to cap a record-breaking finale to...
5
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).