Album Notes

Eli Cook and The Red House Blues Band

The Red House Blues Band combined the guitar and vocals of Eli Cook with the talents of internationally renowned blues-bassist Steve Riggs, who has performed with the world's greatest bluesmen, including Muddy Waters and Jimmy Vaughn.

Cook, then a Nelson County Virginia teenager, began his performance career playing acoustic blues at Rapunzel's Coffee House in Lovingston, Virginia when he was l5. His repertoire and audience expanded as he began playing gospel shows and revivals in several counties. He formed his first electric trio, The Red House Blues Band, when he was l6, and performed at the James River Blues Society Blues Competition at Sedalia, taking third place that year. Eli was called a 'blues phenomenon' by reviewers in near-by Charlottesville: "Featuring fast-fingered guitar and a powerful voice beyond his years, Cook doesn't need any Robert Johnson-style pact with the devil to take him to the top." (Matthew Hurst, C'ville Review)


MOONSHINE MOJO

MOONSHINE MOJO is the debut recording of Eli Cook. Recorded live in the studio in the spring of 2004 at age 18, the tracks were chosen to recapture the shows performed at the notorious Dew Drop Inn in Scottsville, Virginia, the region's home of the blues in the heart of bluegrass country. MOONSHINE MOJO features radical renditions of classic blues hits like Muddy Water's MANNISH BOY, Hooker's HUCKLE UP, and Albert King's CROSSCUT SAW, as well as virtuoso guitar performances of Hendrix's LITTLE WING, and the little-known Jerry Reed two-step instrumental KICKY, previously recorded only by Chet Atkins. Crowd favorites for dancing include Bo Diddly's RIDE ON, JOSEPHINE, and Bruce Springsteen's PINK CADILLAC arranged for guitar, as well as an original guitar compositon by Eli Cook, EASY BOOGIE.
Today, at 20, Eli Cook has opened for B.B.King, legendary guitarist Johnny Winter, Shemekia Copeland, Room Full of Blues, Bobby Parker,and The Nighthawks. He has performed on the Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center, the Birchmere, and The Paramount Theatre. MOONSHINE MOJO has become a collector's item with limited releases each year.

For current information about Eli Cook and, visit www.elicook.com