\nElizabeth Cook

10-21-2018
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\nCountry singer/songwriter \;Elizabeth Cook \;made her \;Grand Ole Opry \;debut on March 17\, 2000\, appearing repeatedly thereafter\; a remarkable achievement considering that\, at the time\, she was an indie artist with no radio airplay. But such was the excitement generated by her clear\, beautiful voice\, strong songwriting ability and live performances\, all of which have drawn comparisons to younger\, critically respected artists like \;Kelly Willis \;and legends such as \;Dolly Parton.
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\nCook \;was born in Wildwood\, Florida. Her West Virginia-born mother played guitar and mandolin and sang on local radio shows. Her father\, a Georgia native\, also performed country music and served jail time for running moonshine. Upon his release\, he and \;Elizabeth'\;s mother played in local bands together\, eventually marrying. \;Elizabeth\, born in 1972\, moved to Nashville in her twenties and quickly got a publishing deal.
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\nOver the past five years\, in addition to touring and becoming a staple at the Grand Ole Opry\, hosting her Sirius XM radio program "\;Apron Strings\,"\; and touring\, \;Cook \;went through a series of transformative personal changes. She lost a parent\, got divorced and saw a sibling through rehabilitation after a long bout with drug addiction. When she re-entered the studio\, it was with co-producer and guitarist \;Dexter Green. After self-financing an album\, she undertook a Pledge Music campaign to assist in getting it released. "\;Exodus of Venus"\; was released in June 2016\, and was her first album since 2010'\;s lauded '\;Welder.'\; The eleven new original songs represent a knife-sharp take on heartache. If anything\, Exodus of Venus is a pledge of allegiance for the bad girls and the Homecoming Queens who got caught in a scandal. It&rsquo\;s a bill of rights\, and a testimony for those good girls who got away with more than they should have. Cook says of Exodus\, "\;Listen! We&rsquo\;re going from \;Little Feat \;to \;REM\, then putting Appalachian harmonies on it. It&rsquo\;s all funky grooves with dark guitars\, burning guitars. People were tweeting me\, &lsquo\;Are you keeping it country?&rsquo\; And the truth is: No\, I&rsquo\;m keeping it real. Not to a genre\, but to what these songs are."\;
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