Founding member of Alabama
By Preshias Harris
Jeff Cook, one of the founding members of the iconic band Alabama, passed away November 7, 2022 as a result of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 73 years old. Alabama racked up an amazing forty-one No. 1 hits on the Billboard country charts and have sold over 75 million records.
The loss of Jeff Cook is a matter of personal sadness for me. My earliest memory of Jeff was from the early 1980s when Alabama was appearing at a show at the E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY. At the time, I was a very sick kid, undergoing dialysis while awaiting my first kidney transplant. I was standing in line to meet the band and get their autographs. My mom was trying to convince me – unsuccessfully – that it was too stressful on my health to stay in line, but I was adamant: I wanted those autographs! A WKU security officer went over to Randy Owen and whispered in his ear he looked up saw me and asked Security to bring me up directly to their table. Jeff was so gracious to that sick kid, as were Teddy Gentry and Randy, and I got my autographs.
As years passed and I came to Nashville, our “go to place” in Printer’s Alley was Barbara’s. This is where a lot of country music royalty would hang out away from the tourists. I have a picture of John Michael Montgomery on stage with Jeff to do an impromptu jam. It really was like a music family club.
Through the years I became friends with Jeff and Lisa and would see them there when they were in town. In 2008, I ended up working for Teddy and met up with them on occasions and attended their local shows whenever possible.
One of the last times I saw Jeff was when Alabama was inducted into the Musicians’ Hall of Fame. In fact, Lisa and Teddy’s wife Linda ended up sitting with me at the media table during the induction ceremony because all the chairs had been taken. It was a joy to see the recognition of Alabama’s musicianship and how their influence has been felt across the genres of country, Southern rock, bluegrass and pop music. I was honored to know Jeff.
Jeff and his wife formed the Jeff and Lisa Cook Foundation and the Jeff and Lisa Cook Children’s Home to house orphaned children worldwide. The family requested donations to the foundation here in lieu of flowers.