The Cockman Family
Encyclopedia
The Cockman Family is a bluegrass
/Gospel
band from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
, United States
. They have been nominated for Bluegrass Artists of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, and Bluegrass Band of the Year by the Country Gospel Music Association (CGMA) and for Gold Cross Bluegrass Group of the Year by the International Country Gospel Music Association, and were named one of the "12 Most Creative Families in America" by American Greeting Cards and USA Today Weekend. Caroline Cockman Fisher won "Female Vocalist of the Year" by Powergrass Radio Internet for 2006. They were also featured in a PBS special program entitled Maker of the Stars: A Cockman Family Christmas, and are known in North Carolina as cast members on a series of seven, one hour PBS specials, The Arthur Smith Show, Now & Then. Billy Cockman won the 2009 North Carolina Banjo Champtionship at The Carolina in the Fall Festival in Wilkesboro, and also the 2010 South Carolina Banjo Championship at Renofest in Hartsville, SC. They are currently promoted by Homeland Entertainment under the Heartwarming label.
The Cockman Family has developed a distinct bluegrass gospel style that has gained audiences throughout the Southeast. Their arrangements of old gospel songs have been very popular. Their tight harmonies and original songs have been applauded for their unique sounds.
The Cockman Family is made up of a sister, four brothers, and their father: John Cockman Sr. on guitar
, Caroline Cockman Fisher on lead vocals, John Cockman Jr. on fiddle
and bass vocals, Billy Cockman on banjo
and tenor
vocals, David Cockman on bass
and baritone
vocals, and Ben Cockman on mandolin
and baritone vocals.
The Cockman Family has recorded nine records. Nine of their songs have been released as singles to bluegrass and gospel radio stations. Their newest album, All About Love, was released in 2009 and features the title track and seven original songs.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
/Gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
band from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
Sherrills Ford is a census-designated place in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 941 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They have been nominated for Bluegrass Artists of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, and Bluegrass Band of the Year by the Country Gospel Music Association (CGMA) and for Gold Cross Bluegrass Group of the Year by the International Country Gospel Music Association, and were named one of the "12 Most Creative Families in America" by American Greeting Cards and USA Today Weekend. Caroline Cockman Fisher won "Female Vocalist of the Year" by Powergrass Radio Internet for 2006. They were also featured in a PBS special program entitled Maker of the Stars: A Cockman Family Christmas, and are known in North Carolina as cast members on a series of seven, one hour PBS specials, The Arthur Smith Show, Now & Then. Billy Cockman won the 2009 North Carolina Banjo Champtionship at The Carolina in the Fall Festival in Wilkesboro, and also the 2010 South Carolina Banjo Championship at Renofest in Hartsville, SC. They are currently promoted by Homeland Entertainment under the Heartwarming label.
The Cockman Family has developed a distinct bluegrass gospel style that has gained audiences throughout the Southeast. Their arrangements of old gospel songs have been very popular. Their tight harmonies and original songs have been applauded for their unique sounds.
The Cockman Family is made up of a sister, four brothers, and their father: John Cockman Sr. on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Caroline Cockman Fisher on lead vocals, John Cockman Jr. on fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and bass vocals, Billy Cockman on banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
vocals, David Cockman on bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
and baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
vocals, and Ben Cockman on mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and baritone vocals.
The Cockman Family has recorded nine records. Nine of their songs have been released as singles to bluegrass and gospel radio stations. Their newest album, All About Love, was released in 2009 and features the title track and seven original songs.