Clinch Mountain Boy Jack Cooke dies

Vernon Crawford "Jack" Cooke was born Dec. 6, 1936. His first professional job was playing with the Stanley Brothers while he was still in his teens. He left the Stanleys to join Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys band, a post he held from 1956-1960. During that time, he recorded such songs with Monroe as Gotta Travel On, Big Mon and Tomorrow I'll Be Gone.

Later, he formed his own group, Jack Cooke and the Virginia Mountain Boys, and played in bands headed by Earl Taylor and the Stonemans. He joined the Clinch Mountain Boys in 1970 and remained there until he was sidelined by health problems early this year. In 2002, he shared with the Clinch Mountain Boys a best bluegrass album Grammy for "Lost In The Lonesome Pines, "a collection headlined by Jim Lauderdale and Ralph Stanley. Lauderdale produced Cooke's only solo album, "Sittin' On Top Of The World," released in 2007.