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Mike Cooley | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Tuscumbia, Alabama |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | ATO Records |
John Michael Cooley (born September 14, 1966) is an American songwriter, singer, and guitarist from Tuscumbia, Alabama, near Muscle Shoals. [1] He is a member of the band Drive-By Truckers.
Cooley received his first guitar at age 8, spending time with a local bluegrass musician to pick up the instrument. [2] In 1985, he formed the punk-influenced band Adam's House Cat with Patterson Hood. The band was chosen as a top ten Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s. After the end of Adam's House Cat, Cooley and Hood performed as a duo under the name "Virgil Kane." While living in Auburn, Alabama they started a new band, "Horsepussy," before splitting for a few years. It was during this split that Hood moved to Athens, Georgia and began forming what would become Drive-By Truckers with the intent of luring Cooley back into the fold. [3]
Hood and Cooley formed Drive-By Truckers in 1996. Cooley contributed one song to their debut record Gangstabilly and three songs to the follow-up, Pizza Deliverance . Cooley wrote five songs for the breakout double album Southern Rock Opera , which received a four star rating from Rolling Stone Magazine. [4] Cooley added four songs to the Truckers' next two records Decoration Day and The Dirty South , including his signature song "Carl Perkins' Cadillac". He wrote two songs for the follow-up A Blessing and a Curse and seven for Brighter Than Creation's Dark . He has written three songs for each of the Truckers' records Go-Go Boots and The Big To Do and six songs for their 2014 release English Oceans .
In 2013, Cooley released his first solo effort The Fool on Every Corner, a live album recorded at Atlanta's The EARL.
On June 15, 2014, Cooley, Patterson Hood, and Jason Isbell performed at a benefit concert in Florence, Alabama's Shoals Theater. The live acoustic concert was released as an album, Mike Cooley Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell Live at the Shoals Theater on November 6, 2020. [5]
Cooley and Hood occasionally perform as an acoustic duo under the moniker Dimmer Twins. [6]
On May 22, 2021, he performed at a benefit concert in Brookwood, Alabama in support of striking workers during the 2021 Warrior Met Coal strike. [7]
Cooley lives in Hoover, Alabama with his wife and children. [8]
| Year | Album | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Welcome 2 Club XIII | "Maria's Awful Disclosures" |
| "Every Single Storied Flameout" | ||
| 2020 | The New OK | "Sarah's Flame" |
| 2020 | The Unraveling | "Slow Ride Argument" |
| "Grievance Merchants" | ||
| 2016 | American Band | "Ramon Casiano" |
| "Surrender Under Protest" | ||
| "Filthy and Fried" | ||
| "Kinky Hypocrite" | ||
| "Once They Banned Imagine" | ||
| 2014 | English Oceans | "Shit Shots Count" |
| "Primer Coat" | ||
| "Made Up English Oceans" | ||
| "Hearing Jimmy Loud" | ||
| "Natural Light" | ||
| "First Air of Autumn" | ||
| 2011 | Go-Go Boots | "Cartoon Gold" |
| "The Weakest Man" | ||
| "Pulaski" | ||
| 2010 | The Big To Do | "Birthday Boy" |
| "Get Downtown" | ||
| "Eyes Like Glue" | ||
| 2008 | Brighter Than Creation's Dark | "3 Dimes Down" |
| "Perfect Timing" | ||
| "Self Destructive Zones" | ||
| "Bob" | ||
| "Lisa's Birthday" | ||
| "Checkout Time in Vegas" | ||
| "A Ghost to Most" | ||
| 2006 | A Blessing and a Curse | "Gravity's Gone" |
| "Space City" | ||
| 2004 | The Dirty South | "Where the Devil Don't Stay" |
| "Carl Perkins' Cadillac" | ||
| "Cottonseed" | ||
| "Daddy's Cup" | ||
| 2003 | Decoration Day | "Marry Me" |
| "Sounds Better in the Song" | ||
| "When the Pin Hits the Shell" | ||
| "Loaded Gun in the Closet" | ||
| 2001 | Southern Rock Opera | "72 (This Highway's Mean)" |
| "Guitar Man Upstairs" | ||
| "Zip City" | ||
| "Women Without Whiskey" | ||
| "Shut Up and Get on the Plane" | ||
| 2001 | Pizza Deliverance | "Uncle Frank" |
| "One of These Days" | ||
| "Love Like This" | ||
| 1998 | Gangstabilly | "Panties in Your Purse" |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
Southern Rock Opera is the third studio album by the American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2001. A double album covering an ambitious range of subject matter from the politics of race to 1970s stadium rock, Southern Rock Opera either imagines, or filters, every topic through the context of legendary Southern band Lynyrd Skynyrd. The record was originally self-released on Soul Dump Records. The album was re-released on July 16, 2002 by Lost Highway Records. The album was financed by issuing promissory notes in exchange for loans from fans, family and friends of the band.
Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alabama. The group also has roots in Richmond, Virginia.
Zip City is a small unincorporated community in Lauderdale County in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, at the intersection of Alabama Highway 17 and County Road 8. Zip City falls within the U.S. Central Time Zone. It is part of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals".
Decoration Day is a rock album released by Drive-By Truckers in 2003. The album was recorded mostly live over two weeks at Chase Park Transduction Studios in Athens, Georgia, and was produced by noted producer and former Sugar bassist David Barbe. The album is the Truckers' fifth, including their live album Alabama Ass Whuppin', following the critically acclaimed Southern Rock Opera. The album features a more mellow, stripped down, and reserved sound compared to Southern Rock Opera's heavy hitting southern rock.
The Dirty South is the fifth album by American rock group Drive-By Truckers, released in 2004. The Dirty South is Drive-By Truckers' second concept album. Like its predecessor, Southern Rock Opera, the album examines the state of the South, and unveils the hypocrisy, irony, and tragedy that continues to exist.
A Blessing and a Curse is the sixth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 2006. It peaked at #50 on the Billboard 200, which was the highest charting for the band until 2008's follow up, Brighter Than Creation's Dark, which hit #37.
Pizza Deliverance is the second album released by Alabama rock band Drive-By Truckers, released in 1999. It was recorded in five days at Patterson Hood's house. The album was mixed by Andy LeMaster. The album cover art was created by Jim Stacy. The album was re-released by New West Records on January 25, 2005 along with the band's first studio effort, Gangstabilly.
Michael Jason Isbell is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won six Grammy Awards.
Brighter Than Creation's Dark is the seventh studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers. It was released on January 22, 2008 in the United States.
Sirens of the Ditch is the debut solo album released by singer-songwriter and former Drive-By Truckers lead guitarist, Jason Isbell. The album was released on July 10, 2007.
Live From Austin, TX is the second live album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers. It was released as a two disc CD/DVD combo. It was recorded on September 26, 2008, and boasts an almost twelve-minute recording of the song "18 Wheels of Love," which was originally released on their first album Gangstabilly.
The Fine Print is a compilation album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers. Released in 2009, it consists unreleased material mostly recorded throughout the making of their albums Decoration Day and The Dirty South; a highly prolific period for the band. It features album artwork and a sample of concert posters from 2009 by Wes Freed, and is produced by David Barbe.
The Big To-Do is the eighth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released on March 16, 2010. It is their first album released on ATO Records, which they signed to after completing their four album deal with New West Records.
Patterson David Hood is an American singer-songwriter and co-founder of the band Drive-By Truckers.
Go-Go Boots is the ninth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, first released February 14, 2011, on Play It Again Sam Records. It was produced by record producer David Barbe and recorded during 2009 to 2010, concurrently with sessions for the band's previous album The Big To-Do (2010). Upon its release, Go-Go Boots received positive reviews from most music critics.
Ugly Buildings, Whores, and Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998–2009 is a compilation album released by New West Records of songs coming from the first seven albums of the Drive-By Truckers discography. It was produced by David Barbe and "leads fans on an abbreviated journey of what the band has accomplished in their first 11 years." The album was released on compact disc and vinyl formats.
Shonna Tucker is an American bassist and songwriter from Killen, Alabama, near Muscle Shoals.
English Oceans is the tenth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released on March 4, 2014, by ATO Records. It was produced by long-time collaborator David Barbe and recorded during two weeks in the late spring of 2013. Wes Freed again provided the album's artwork and cover. English Oceans marks the first time the Drive-By Truckers returned to the studio in four years and is one of three records the band has released with two songwriters. It's also the band's first record after bassist Matt Patton officially joined the band.
The Unraveling is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released on January 31, 2020 on ATO Records. It was produced by long-time collaborator David Barbe, and recorded between 2017 and 2019.
Welcome 2 Club XIII is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, released on June 3, 2022. The album's title references one of the venues where the band first played near Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The autobiographical nature of the album's lyrics presents a contrast to the more politically charged songs from the band's previous albums. It features vocal contributions from Schaefer Llana, Mike Mills of R.E.M., and Margo Price.
