Country music's Jeff Cook of Alabama dies at 73

Jeff Cook, a founding member and guitarist of the country supergroup Alabama, passed away peacefully on Monday at his home in Destin, Florida at the age of 73. 

Cook had Parkinson’s disease and disclosed his diagnosis in 2017. 

Born Jeffrey Alan Cook in Fort Payne, Alabama on August 27, 1949, he began playing guitar and keyboards in bands by the age of 13. After securing a broadcast license at age 14, Cook went to work as a disc jockey at a local Fort Payne radio station. He eventually went on to own radio and TV stations. Cook graduated from Fort Payne High School and went to college at Gadsden State Community College, earning a degree in Electronic Technology.

Cook formed Alabama along with cousins Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen. After six years of hard work, the band earned a record deal and the rest was history. Alabama became one of the most successful acts in country music history, selling more than 80 million albums and charting 43 No. 1 hits.

Their iconic hits include “Song of the South,” “Dixieland Delight,” “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why),” “Mountain Music,” “Take Me Down,” “Feels So Right,” “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band),” and many more.

Alabama was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Cook’s technical skill was an integral part of their success. The accomplished musician could play piano, guitar, fiddle, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, and more. 

Jeff Cook married the love of his life, Lisa Williams, on June 9, 1995.

Cook was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame, Fiddlers Hall of Fame and Gibson’s Guitarist of the Year.



Guitarist and fiddle player Jeff Cook from the band Alabama appears on stage at the concert "Sing me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard" in Nashville, Tenn., on April 6, 2017. Cook died Nov. 7, 2022 at his home in Destin, Fla. He was 73. (Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP, File)