Singer-songwriter Elizabeth Cook talks about her “hardcore honky-tonk” family background, singing onstage and recording as a precocious child performer in rural Florida, and the twists and turns in her career in this interview and performance, taped July 29, 2021 as part of the Museum's "Live at the Hall" series. She also sings her original songs “Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman,” “Heroin Addict Sister,” and “El Camino.”

During her interview with the Museum's Peter Cooper, Cook explains how she put music aside for a while to go to college and then returned to it, making the leap from being a high-paid accountant for Price Waterhouse to becoming a full-time songwriter, and then a professional singer. In the early 2000s, Cook signed with Warner Bros. Records and made her major label debut to great critical acclaim. Since then, she has recorded for independent labels.

She delves into her songwriting process and why she chooses to make herself vulnerable in her songs. Widely admired among fellow artists and songwriters, she also talks about her gratitude for the mentoring she received from veteran singer-songwriters (“writers’ writers,” she calls them) including John Prine, Rodney Crowell, and Todd Snider.

Cook also discusses a range of experiences in country and Americana music—from her rock-influenced 2020 album "Aftermath" (which she recorded in Los Angeles with rock producer Butch Walker) to her many appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and her comfort at being part of that historic music showcase.

FOR MORE

Watch Bonus Tracks from Elizabeth Cook's "Live at the Hall": https://watch.countrymusichalloffame.org/videos/elizabeth-cook-bonus-tracks-live-at-the-hall-2021

Explore our public programming: https://countrymusichalloffame.org/plan-your-visit/exhibits-activities/public-programs/

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