Doc Cook
Charles L. Cooke (September 3, 1891 – December 25, 1958), known as Doc Cook, was an American jazz bandleader and arranger. Cook was a Doctor of Music, awarded by the Chicago Musical College in 1926. Born in Louisville, he first worked as a composer and arranger in Detroit before moving to Chicago around 1910. Cook became resident leader of the orchestra at Paddy Harmon's Dreamland Ballroom in Chicago from 1922 to 1927, acting as conductor and musical director. The ensemble recorded under several names, such as Cookie's Gingersnaps, Doc Cook and his 14 Doctors of Syncopation, and Doc Cook's Dreamland Orchestra. Among those who played in Cook's band were Freddie Keppard, Jimmie Noone, Johnny St. Cyr, Zutty Singleton, Joe Poston, Andrew Hilaire, and Luis Russell. After 1927 Cook's orchestra played in Chicago at the Municipal Pier and the White City Ballroom. In 1930, Cook moved to New York City and worked as an arranger for Radio City Music Hall and RKO, working there into the 1940s. On Broadway, he had a number of important orchestration credits, including The Hot Mikado (1939) and the first U.S. production of The Boy Friend in collaboration with Ted Royal in 1954. A proponent of ragtime, he also worked frequently with Eubie Blake, supplying the arrangements for the 1952 revival of Shuffle Along. |
Birth and Death Data: Born September 3, 1891 (Louisville), Died December 25, 1958
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1914 - 1939
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, composer, songwriter, arranger, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 41 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | B-15835 | 10-in. | 3/26/1915 | Blame it on the blues | Victor Military Band | Band | composer | |
Victor | B-28132 | 10-in. | 6/15/1923 | The girl of the olden West | Henry Burr | Male vocal solo, with harp, piano, and orchestra | composer | |
Victor | BS-035719 | 10-in. | 4/8/1939 | "I," the living "I" | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Ida James | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | arranger | |
Victor | BS-035720 | 10-in. | 4/8/1939 | Let the punishment fit the crime | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | arranger | |
Columbia | 77112 | 10-in. | 6/6/1917 | You're a great big lonesome baby | M. J. O'Connell | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
Columbia | 79667 | 10-in. | Feb. 1921 | Goodbye, pretty butterflies | Art Hickman's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Columbia | 37090 | 12-in. | ca. 1914 | I linger | Joan Sawyer's Persian Garden Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
Columbia | 37187 | 12-in. | 2/24/1915 | I want to linger | Prince's Band | Band | composer | |
Columbia | 37230 | 12-in. | 3/20/1915 | Blame it on the blues | Prince's Band | Band | composer | |
Columbia | 49976 | 12-in. | 7/6/1921 | Mississippi cradle | Prince's Dance Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
Columbia | W142414 | 10-in. | 7/10/1926 | Here comes the hot tamale man! | Doc Cook ; Dreamland Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W142415 | 10-in. | 7/10/1926 | Brown sugar | Doc Cook ; Dreamland Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W142416 | 10-in. | 7/10/1926 | High fever | Doc Cook ; Dreamland Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W142417 | 10-in. | 7/10/1926 | Spanish mamma | Doc Cook ; Dreamland Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W142981 | 10-in. | 12/2/1926 | Sidewalk blues | Doc Cook ; Dreamland Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W142982 | 10-in. | 12/2/1926 | The sermon | Doc Cook ; Dreamland Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
Columbia | W144317 | 10-in. | 6/11/1927 | Alligator crawl | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W144318 | 10-in. | 6/11/1927 | Willie the weeper | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W144334 | 10-in. | 6/15/1927 | Brainstorm | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W144335 | 10-in. | 6/15/1927 | Slue-foot | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W145859 | 10-in. | 3/30/1928 | Hum and strum (Do, do, do, that's what I do) | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio | leader | |
Columbia | W145860 | 10-in. | 3/30/1928 | I'm a broken-hearted blackbird | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W145861 | 10-in. | 3/30/1928 | I got worry (Love is on my mind) | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Columbia | W145862 | 10-in. | 3/30/1928 | The treat by the gang | 14 Doctors of Syncopation ; Doc Cook | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
OKeh | 9768 | 10-in. | 6/22/1926 | Messin' around | Cookie's Gingersnaps | Jazz/dance band, with talking | songwriter, leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cook, Doc," accessed September 4, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/105546.
Cook, Doc. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 4, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/105546.
"Cook, Doc." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cook, Doc, 1881-1958 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87130546
Wikidata: Charles L. Cooke - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1233699
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/58127552
MusicBrainz: Charles L. Cooke - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f8fa64f5-6195-4ac8-9cd1-93c703d4308c
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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