Grant Cook & The Starving Artists Band

Grant Cook & The Starving Artists Band - Loop 323 Blues - 1998 - Top Cat

TopCat Records is proud to announce the release of Texas Blues Slinger Grant Cook's debut CD "Loop 323 Blues". It has been just a matter of time before this regional success would have the opportunity to throw his hat into the international blues ring with the same diversity that has been turning heads for more than a decade. From the very first song "Loop 323 blues", Grant and special guest, guitar legend Bugs Henderson, rip into what could be the most rightious testimony of what Texas Blues guitar is all about, and it just gets better. This mostly original collection of songs reflects the dynamic versatility that explains "Who is Grant Cook. The song arrangements are unique, making you want to hear more. Let there be no doubt that the heart and soul of "Loop 323 Blues" is Grant Cook's captivating vocals and his Texas Blues guitar style. "Loop 323 Blues is destined to receive great reviews and is sure to be one of the top CD releases of 1998. © 2004 - 2009 Tradebit Inc in partnership with CDbaby

Grant Cook's first album is a solid debut, packed with acres of his hot guitar playing and vocals, plus interesting arrangements on tracks like "Take You Back Home," "Cried My Eyes Out" and "You Can't Get There." Bugs Henderson guests on the album as well. © John Bush, All Music Guide

Grant Cook is a great guitarist from slinger from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. He is technically as good as most of today's Texas blues guitarists, and there are many. He plays in the great Texas tradition, and he has written eight of the songs on this album which are all played very well. Bugs Henderson plays 2nd Guitar on "Loop 323 Blues", and does a great job. If the songs on this album were stronger, and showed a bit more originality, it could have been a great album. It's still a good album, and quality wise, it's still very enjoyable, and way above the average release of this genre. Try and track down Grant's "Live at the Hide-A-Way" album.

TRACKS

Loop 323 Blues
Baby's Seeing Red
Wonder Why
Take You Back Home
Cried My Eyes Out
You Can't Get There
Plan B Grant
I Just Don't Know
She Don't Wanna Be Alone
Hungry Shuffle

All songs composed by Grant Cook, except "Take You Back Home", by Earl King, & "Cried My Eyes Out", by D. Nulish

BAND

Grant Cook - guitar,vocals
Dave Bonner - bass, dobro
Charlie Bullard - drums
Mike Frank - organ, harmonica
Bob Gentry - upright bass
Bugs Henderson - 2nd Guitar on "Loop 323 Blues"

SHORT BIO

So who is Grant Cook? Most people know him as the "Open Mic Dude" of East Texas, but Cook is no stranger to the music scene. He has shared the stage with many big names from all styles of music. Having no boundaries is what makes his talent shine. "I don't like being categorized to just one style of music," claims Cook, "I simply enjoy the art of playing guitar, and to this, there are noboundaries." Cook has also written and recorded several jingles for radio and television and has had a couple of songs recorded by artists on major labels. © 2000 by Matt Alcott, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved

MORE ABOUT GRANT COOK / BAND / ALBUM

Grant Cook is kind of a local celebrity around East Texas, (where I stays), he's here, he's there, he plays everywhere, over 300 gigs a year. He's been host to several open mic nights around Tyler for years and boasts that he and the band, the Starving Artists Band, know over 3000 songs. These events always attract a lot of people, some really good musicians and some, well, they don't need to quit their day jobs. But Grant and the band are patient with the amateurs and can jam with serious ones. Everyone has fun at these live events. The World Wide Web can be a small place. I was surfing the SW Blues web site and listening to sample tracks from their music store and stumbled onto Grant's CD, Loop 323 Blues. Everyone from any small town can relate to the frustration Grant sings about in the title track, "It's two o'clock in the morning, nothin's goin' on, streets rolled up a couple of hours ago, Lord knows I don't belong…" Loop 323 runs around the big small town of Tyler, Texas. Grant plays a mean guitar, but as an added bonus, this tune features legendary guitar player Bugs Henderson. Grant plays several styles of guitar on this CD, from traditional blues to country blues to funky and roadhouse blues. His crisp vocals let you really understand the lyrics. In "Wonder Why," you can feel the pain through his tender vocals and lines like "I thought forever meant the rest of our lives." Add some solid guitar riffs and here is a song people can relate to. Another tune right on the money is "Plan B," guys can relate to this song, about getting shot down in flames at the club, you got a have a back up - a Plan B. Grant knows. Check out this fun tune; dial 7 on your CD player. The Starving Artist Band consists of Dave Bonner on bass and dobro, Charlie Bullard on drums, Bob Gentry on upright bass and Mike Frank on organ and harmonica, check out the dobro and harp on the traditional blues tune "I Just Don't Know," slow, laid back and blue. This party album will get your blues shoes stomping. You can feel the energy they deliver live. Grant Cook is good guy, nice and personable. Loop 323 Blues shows off some of his and the band's considerable talent. The CD jacket has Grant holding a sign that says "Will Work For Food!" Buy his CD so he can do what he does best, playing the blues. © Joe Hall , © Southwest Blues CD Review - January 2001