2008 American Idol winner and platinum-selling recording artist David Cook will make his Macon debut Wednesday, April 8, when the record-breaking, chart-topping rocker performs at The Grand Opera House, a performing arts center of Mercer University, during his first headline tour “The Declaration Tour – 2009.” It is his first scheduled tour date in Georgia.
The concert begins at 8 p.m., and the $25 tickets go on sale to the public Wednesday, March 18, at 10 a.m. Tickets are available through Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or online at TheGrandMacon.com. Tickets may also be purchased at one of two Mercer Ticket Sales locations in downtown Macon: The Grand Opera House, 651 Mulberry St., or The Grand’s Administrative Offices, 400 Poplar St.
Just one week after being named the winner of the seventh season of “American Idol,” 25-year-old Cook rewrote chart history, with a record-breaking 14 debuts on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs survey. He also had 11 songs jump onto the Hot 100, the highest number of new entries ever, and the second-highest amount of simultaneous hits since the Beatles in 1964. All that, and his single, “The Time of My Life,” instantly became the highest debuting title of 2008, entering the Hot 100 at No. 3.
When this most recent season of “American Idol” began, Cook wasn’t on anyone’s radar to win the whole thing – including his own. “I like that I ‘snuck up’ on people,” he says. “During those early shows, when there were 24 people, I knew I didn’t have to be one of the best, but I didn’t want to be one of the worst. So it was fun for me because there wasn’t a lot of pressure and I could find my own footing.”
Cook won fans with his unique renditions of songs like Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” He explains, “When I began, I told vocal coach Debra Byrd I wanted the season to be like a set list, so people would feel like they were at one of my concerts.”
Cook’s musical journey began early. He grew up watching his father play guitar. But David’s first instrument of choice was the violin. “I tried that first because there was a girl in the school orchestra I thought was pretty.” When he was in seventh grade, his dad bought him a Fender Stratocaster. “I was bad at it because I never took a lesson. Gradually I got better.”
He was exposed to many different genres of music. “My parents had eclectic record collections. My mom liked Kenny Rogers and my dad was more into Boston, Kansas and Dire Straits. The first cassette tape I ever bought was by Kris Kross. I was into Boyz II Men for a while. When I was 13, someone played me the song ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails and once I got past the audacity of the lyrics, I really enjoyed the song. So I backtracked through rock, which got me to where I am now.”
Cook formed a band in high school with a friend and appeared in three musicals: “West Side Story,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Music Man.” He also loved sports and played baseball throughout high school. Ultimately his love for music brought his attention back to his band. Cook enrolled at Central Missouri State, changed the name of the band from Redeye to Axiom to Axium and had some local success.
As he was completing his studies, Cook had to choose between working as a graphic designer in Kansas City or moving to Tulsa to play rhythm guitar and sing backing vocals for a band called the Midwest Kings. “Of course, I moved to Tulsa,” he says. That’s where he lives today, although home is officially Blue Springs, Missouri. The Cook family relocated there after he was born in Houston on Dec. 20, 1982.
With his friends chipping in financially, Cook recorded “Analog Heart.” The album sold well regionally and won an URBY award from Urban Tulsa Weekly for Best Independent Album. He was in the early stages of recording a second album when his younger brother Andrew asked him to accompany him to Omaha and lend moral support while he tried out for “American Idol.” Cook was reluctant, but his brother and mother did their best to persuade him.
Next, Simon, Randy and Paula sent Cook to Hollywood, where he made it into the top 24. Then he was in the top 12, the top 10, the top five and the top two, all without ever being in the dreaded “bottom three.” Then, on May 21 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Ryan Seacrest pronounced David Cook the winner of this season of “American Idol.”
It’s all come with lessons learned, according to Cook. “The whole process has given me a brand-new lease on life in that I am more sure of who I am now that ever before. I’ve learned that when I’m singing live on stage to embrace that moment and if doesn’t work, it’s OK, move on.”
Cook’s self-titled debut for 19 Recordings/RCA Records was released on Nov. 18, 2008, and entered the Billboard charts at No. 3 and the digital album charts at No. 1, marking the best debut from an American Idol winner since 2006.
Anyone interested in tickets or information about the April 8 concert, should contact Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or visit TheGrandMacon.com.
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
American Idol David Cook to Perform at The Grand in Macon
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Highly Anticipated 3rd Annual 'Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival' Kicks Off Sept. 19
PRNewswire/ -- Join the Jekyll Island Authority, the Georgia Shrimp Association, and the Georgia Tourism Foundation for the only event in the Southeast dedicated to celebrating two southern favorites - shrimp and grits!
Set amid Jekyll Island's picturesque Jekyll Island Club National Landmark Historic District, "Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival," will kick off on Friday, Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. Festivities will continue throughout the weekend, beginning Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at noon.
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Mom and Purple Bus Kick-off VoteHealthcare.org Bandwagon Tour
PRNewswire/ -- Neighbors and friends are gathering June 28th to kick off an unusual bus tour. This bus isn't full of rock stars. It's Kathie McClure, her family and friends, and the VoteHealthcare.org Bandwagon Tour. They're driving across the country gathering stories and talking to people about America's health care system.
Kathie is an Atlanta mom and attorney who learned about the holes in our health care system the hard way. First, her son, Chris, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a genetic illness affecting one million children and adults in the U.S. Then, her daughter, Caitlin, was diagnosed with epilepsy after being hit in the head by a soccer goal. Diabetes and epilepsy are expensive illnesses, with the average annual cost of treatment for each ranging from $4,000 to $10,000.
When Chris and Caitlin entered their 20s, Kathie and her husband, Jay, found it was next to impossible for them to find affordable individual coverage. Most insurers don't offer individual policies to those with "pre-existing conditions" like diabetes and epilepsy, and if they do, most exclude coverage for the very services that are needed.
While they've managed to cover their children's exorbitant medical expenses, it got Kathie thinking -- How would they take care of their children if they earned the national median income of $50,000 a year? The answer is they couldn't. "No parent should have to choose between their kids' health and bankruptcy," said Kathie.
Then she got going. As her friend Mary Lynn tells it, "When Kathie gets mad, she gets active. Whether she's shepherding a family member through an illness or a client through a lawsuit against a Goliath company, she focuses her anger into a laser beam of energy."
Kathie decided that the best way she could make a difference was by telling her story, but she needed a soap-box. So Jay bought a little school bus on eBay and spent the last year fixing it up so Kathie could hit the road. That's how VoteHealthcare.org got started.
Kathie starts her "Bandwagon Tour" on July 3rd. She'll be traveling up and down the country through October, talking to everyday people, community groups, health professionals, and policy experts. Along the way, she'll be asking people to sign a pledge to "Vote Healthcare" -- a pledge that gives citizens the chance to say why health care matters to them.
Her goal to collect one million pledges is ambitious. But as Kathie points out, "If you're going to spend months sleeping on a futon in a little bus without a sink, shower or flushing toilet, you might as well shoot for the stars."
VoteHealthcare.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes quality, affordable healthcare for all U.S. residents through citizen education and a voter registration campaign.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Hank Aaron Hits a Home Run for Youth
Legendary Baseball player Henry “Hank” Aaron joined Mayor Shirley Franklin at the kick off for the 11th Annual Mayors Cup Golf Tournament. More than 38 teams of private-public partners came out the Heritage Golf Club and have raised more than $100,000 for the Camp Best Friends and Mayor’s Youth Program Endowment Funds.
The 6TH Annual Invitational for the First Tee Golf Tournament Returns to Callaway Gardens® October 2008
The 6th annual Invitational for The First Tee golf tournament is returning to Callaway Gardens (www.CallawayGardens.com) on October 12-14, 2008.
Event proceeds support chapters of The First Tee throughout the United States in its mission to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.
“Callaway Gardens is renowned for its experience of hosting major golf events, including the PGA Tour’s Buick Challenge, for over a decade," said Edward Callaway, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation which owns Callaway Gardens. "Our 150-room Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens nicely complements both the Mountain View and Lake View golf courses, and October is a spectacular time to be here. We look forward to another great tournament and a long and rewarding relationship with the Invitational for The First Tee."
For more information on Callaway Gardens, please call 1-800-543-7121 or visit www.callawaygardens.com. For information on tournament sponsorship opportunities and team entries, please contact Mr. Jim Thompson at 404-308-8231 or email at jt@golflogistics.com.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Callaway Gardens® Presents The First Divots® Fall Classic Pro-Am Golf Tournament
Divots Sportswear® and Callaway Gardens® (www.CallawayGardens.com) announce the first ever Divots® Fall Classic Pro-Am golf tournament featuring a $50,000* purse on September 7-8, 2008, in Pine Mountain, Ga.
Divots and Callaway Gardens, the site of 12 PGA Tour™ events and 13 Club Pro Challenges, are teaming together for a fun, challenging and affordable event for golf professionals and team players with amenities and rewards built-in.
This three-day golf getaway is designed for club or teaching professionals (cannot be a member of any major or developmental tour during calendar year 2008). Take advantage of the beautiful Georgia setting at Callaway Gardens® and golf with the Pros.
Registration is only $3,300 per foursome and is all-inclusive, including lodging (double occupancy in two-bedroom/four bed cottage); Sunday through Tuesday meals and receptions; three rounds of golf including carts; daily use of Twin Oaks Golf Practice Facility with unlimited range balls; tee gifts; trophies and prizes.
Deadline for team registration with full payment is August 1, 2008, after deadline registration is $1,175 per person.
The event opens Sunday, September 7, with the Yamaha Golf Car Company Opening Reception at 6:00 p.m. The golf tournament will be played Monday and Tuesday on both the Dick Wilson designed Mountain View course and the J. B. McGovern designed Lake View course. The Divots Awards Presentation will take place on the clubhouse lawn at the tournament conclusion Tuesday afternoon.
To register your team for the Divots Fall Classic Pro-Am or to request more information, contact JT Thompson at 404-308-8231 or jt@golflogistics.com.
*Based on a full field of 54 teams.
