Brian Cookman
Encyclopedia
Brian Cookman was an English
musician
and composer
, magazine designer and artist, and t'ai chi practitioner. He earned a reputation as one of Britain's
finest exponents of Delta blues and jug band
music. He carried on a career as a magazine designer in tandem with his musical life. As one of the country's leading magazine designers, he was a pioneer of desktop publishing and also helped to launch Rolling Stone
in the UK
.
, Cookman and his parents lived there until he was seven. The family moved back to Harrow
, Middlesex
in 1954.
By the age of 14 he was singing and playing guitar singing, as he put it "to appalled American servicemen in a pizza restaurant in rural England for comparatively vast sums of money". While still at school Cookman showed his individuality by taking a rolled-up umbrella with him every morning.
After studying graphic design at Harrow School of Art, he went to work for the record company EMI
, where he became promotions manager.
He played gigs at folk clubs in the evenings. Copying Jesse Fuller
, he established his harp-on-a-rack and authentic driving guitar style which was his trade mark. Joining forces with friends John Reed and Tony Knight, he formed the legendary Jug Trust (as in The National Trust) in 1962, a trio renowned for their humour, and their interpretation of rarely heard jug band music from outfits like the Memphis Jug Band, Clifford Hayes Jug Band, King David's Jug Band and Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers.
On 14 October 1972, Cookman married Lesley Penn, now the author of the Libby Sarjeant mystery series published by Accent Press, with whom he went on to have four children, Louise, now a professional singer; Miles, a singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist and stand-in Jug Trust member; Phillipa, also a singer and occasional guitarist and Leo, the only pianist in the family.
After many years of playing all around UK and Europe, Cookman's songwriting began to demand a more commercial sound, so the band became Bronx Cheer and added keyboards, bass and drums. Sharing the same management as Chicken Shack
, Mungo Jerry
and Savoy Brown
, more years on the road followed, with one album, Bronx Cheer's Greatest Hits, Volume Three, a single and an EP.
A single, "Hold on to Me", reached the charts in Eastern Europe but because of the Iron Curtain, Cookman was never able to get his royalties out of the country.
The band evolved again into The Brian Cookman Band (BCB) - including the former Chicken Shack guitarist Rob Hull - which toured with such luminaries as Gallagher and Lyle
. However, bands were becoming too expensive to maintain, so he began all over again, this time as a solo artist. Cookman kept playing until a few months before his death in 2005. He played with pianist, Lee Wilson under the name Delta Flashback. In the latter years of his life, Wilson was replaced by, Brian's son, Leo Cookman.
Cookman's set was a blend of blues from the 1920s and 1930s and, occasionally, his own material, using 6- and 12-string acoustic guitars, tiple
, harmonica
s and kazoo
, and humour. In 2003, he was a founder member of Brook's Blues Bar and became responsible for signing many of the acts who performed at this West London venue.
Appearing many times on national TV and radio both in the UK and Europe, he played at music festival
s as a performer and compere. He also had three solo album
s to his credit. His songs - such as "The Hiring", "Iron Horse", "White Trash", "Helping Themselves" and "Hard Times" - have been recorded by other performers.
As well as his musical career, Cookman was one of the UK's foremost magazine designers. His music connections and design skills helped him get a job as advertisement director on Rolling Stone magazine when it was launched in the UK in 1970.
For a time Cookman was group art director for Emap, but he left to run his own design business, producing work for a large range of publications, including the Financial Times
.
He continued to work in graphic design, and wrote two books: Desktop Design: Getting the Professional Look (1990) and Essential Design (1997), both of which he updated three times.
He also taught desktop publishing skills and re-designed dozens of magazines, from What Car?
to the British Dental Journal
.
Cookman was the only NHS-registered t'ai chi practitioner, with schools in Kent
and Cambridgeshire
, and was chairman of the Tai Chi and Chi Kung Forum for Health. He started learning it in 1981, and travelled to South Africa
to teach its relaxation techniques to murderers and other violent criminals. "It was pretty scary," he said. "At first, they wouldn't talk but by the end, they were working together and shaking hands with each other."
Cookman also revived the old fertility dance of Plough Monday and the Molly Men in the 1970s. This ritual dated back hundreds of years, and was intended to ensure that crops in the Fenland would grow well. It was traditionally performed by ploughboys; the black-faced dancers, carrying brooms and wearing tattered coats bestrewn with ribbons, would dance at farms and in every village. The tradition had died out in the 1930s, but Cookman found two old Molly Men, learned the dances from them in 1977, and every year, on Plough Monday, he performed the dances in Cambridgeshire villages. His sons now carry on the tradition.
Cookman died of cancer
on 18 February 2005. He was buried in a biodegradable casket and his funeral was followed by a wake in a brewery. Since his death, thanks to Sheila and John Reed, a compilation album
of Bronx Cheer recordings has been released.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, magazine designer and artist, and t'ai chi practitioner. He earned a reputation as one of Britain's
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
finest exponents of Delta blues and jug band
Jug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
music. He carried on a career as a magazine designer in tandem with his musical life. As one of the country's leading magazine designers, he was a pioneer of desktop publishing and also helped to launch Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Biography
Born Brian Christopher Cookman in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Cookman and his parents lived there until he was seven. The family moved back to Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
in 1954.
By the age of 14 he was singing and playing guitar singing, as he put it "to appalled American servicemen in a pizza restaurant in rural England for comparatively vast sums of money". While still at school Cookman showed his individuality by taking a rolled-up umbrella with him every morning.
After studying graphic design at Harrow School of Art, he went to work for the record company EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, where he became promotions manager.
He played gigs at folk clubs in the evenings. Copying Jesse Fuller
Jesse Fuller
Jesse Fuller was an American one-man band musician, best known for his song "San Francisco Bay Blues".-Early life:...
, he established his harp-on-a-rack and authentic driving guitar style which was his trade mark. Joining forces with friends John Reed and Tony Knight, he formed the legendary Jug Trust (as in The National Trust) in 1962, a trio renowned for their humour, and their interpretation of rarely heard jug band music from outfits like the Memphis Jug Band, Clifford Hayes Jug Band, King David's Jug Band and Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers.
On 14 October 1972, Cookman married Lesley Penn, now the author of the Libby Sarjeant mystery series published by Accent Press, with whom he went on to have four children, Louise, now a professional singer; Miles, a singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist and stand-in Jug Trust member; Phillipa, also a singer and occasional guitarist and Leo, the only pianist in the family.
After many years of playing all around UK and Europe, Cookman's songwriting began to demand a more commercial sound, so the band became Bronx Cheer and added keyboards, bass and drums. Sharing the same management as Chicken Shack
Chicken Shack
Chicken Shack are a British blues band, founded in the mid-1960s by Stan Webb , Andy Silvester , and Alan Morley , who were later joined by Christine Perfect in 1968.-Career:...
, Mungo Jerry
Mungo Jerry
Mungo Jerry is an English rock group whose greatest success was in the early 1970s, though they have continued throughout the years with an ever-changing line-up, always fronted by Ray Dorset. They are remembered above all for their hit "In the Summertime". It remains their most successful and most...
and Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown, originally known as the Savoy Brown Blues Band, are a British blues rock band, formed in 1965, in Battersea, South West London...
, more years on the road followed, with one album, Bronx Cheer's Greatest Hits, Volume Three, a single and an EP.
A single, "Hold on to Me", reached the charts in Eastern Europe but because of the Iron Curtain, Cookman was never able to get his royalties out of the country.
The band evolved again into The Brian Cookman Band (BCB) - including the former Chicken Shack guitarist Rob Hull - which toured with such luminaries as Gallagher and Lyle
Gallagher and Lyle
Gallagher and Lyle was the Scottish pairing of singer-songwriters Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle.-Career:They joined forces in 1959, initially as members of the local Largs based band, The Bluefrets. They began writing original material for the band and also wrote "Mr Heartbreak's Here Instead"...
. However, bands were becoming too expensive to maintain, so he began all over again, this time as a solo artist. Cookman kept playing until a few months before his death in 2005. He played with pianist, Lee Wilson under the name Delta Flashback. In the latter years of his life, Wilson was replaced by, Brian's son, Leo Cookman.
Cookman's set was a blend of blues from the 1920s and 1930s and, occasionally, his own material, using 6- and 12-string acoustic guitars, tiple
Tiple
Tiple is the Spanish word for treble or soprano, is often applied to specific instruments, generally to refer to a small chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a tiplista.-Colombian tiple:...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
s and kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
, and humour. In 2003, he was a founder member of Brook's Blues Bar and became responsible for signing many of the acts who performed at this West London venue.
Appearing many times on national TV and radio both in the UK and Europe, he played at music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s as a performer and compere. He also had three solo album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s to his credit. His songs - such as "The Hiring", "Iron Horse", "White Trash", "Helping Themselves" and "Hard Times" - have been recorded by other performers.
As well as his musical career, Cookman was one of the UK's foremost magazine designers. His music connections and design skills helped him get a job as advertisement director on Rolling Stone magazine when it was launched in the UK in 1970.
For a time Cookman was group art director for Emap, but he left to run his own design business, producing work for a large range of publications, including the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
.
He continued to work in graphic design, and wrote two books: Desktop Design: Getting the Professional Look (1990) and Essential Design (1997), both of which he updated three times.
He also taught desktop publishing skills and re-designed dozens of magazines, from What Car?
What Car?
What Car? is a long-running UK monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Fowler and published by Haymarket Motoring. First published in 1973, it is intended primarily as a magazine for consumers rather than dedicated automobile enthusiasts...
to the British Dental Journal
British Dental Journal
The British Dental Journal is the official academic journal of the British Dental Association, published for them by the Nature Publishing Group...
.
Cookman was the only NHS-registered t'ai chi practitioner, with schools in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, and was chairman of the Tai Chi and Chi Kung Forum for Health. He started learning it in 1981, and travelled to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to teach its relaxation techniques to murderers and other violent criminals. "It was pretty scary," he said. "At first, they wouldn't talk but by the end, they were working together and shaking hands with each other."
Cookman also revived the old fertility dance of Plough Monday and the Molly Men in the 1970s. This ritual dated back hundreds of years, and was intended to ensure that crops in the Fenland would grow well. It was traditionally performed by ploughboys; the black-faced dancers, carrying brooms and wearing tattered coats bestrewn with ribbons, would dance at farms and in every village. The tradition had died out in the 1930s, but Cookman found two old Molly Men, learned the dances from them in 1977, and every year, on Plough Monday, he performed the dances in Cambridgeshire villages. His sons now carry on the tradition.
Cookman died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on 18 February 2005. He was buried in a biodegradable casket and his funeral was followed by a wake in a brewery. Since his death, thanks to Sheila and John Reed, a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of Bronx Cheer recordings has been released.
Albums
- I Got Them Jug Band Blues (Brian Cookman)
- Bronx Cheer's Greatest Hits Vol 3 (Bronx Cheer)
- Live At Assembly House (Brian Cookman & Rob Mason)
- The Brian Cookman Band [EP] (Brian Cookman Band)
- Delta Flashback (Brian Cookman & Lee Wilson)
- Grinnin' (Brian Cookman)
- Jack's Return Home (Brian Cookman)
External links
- http://www.brooksbluesbar.co.uk/Pages/brian_cookman.htm Brook's Blues Bar presents Brian Cookman