Inspirations Quartet founder Martin Cook has died.
The Singing News magazine said Mr. Cook passed Wednesday afternoon in Washington,
Georgia. He was 85.
Cook founded the Inspirations Quartet in 1964. In a 1969 interview Cook said he was teaching science at the high school in Bryson City, North Carolina when several young men came to his home and started singing around his piano. They began singing in Western North Carolina and branched out.
In 1969, WDOD FM started playing Southern Gospel Music and I hosted a morning program called “Dixie Campmeeting”. One morning the phone rang and it was Martin Cook. Mr. Cook said, "We are listening to you up here in the Smoky Mountains, Bryson City, North Carolina. We talked a few minutes and Cook said, “Would you like me to send you some LP’s by the Inspirations?” And a few days later they arrived. I still have both of them, “Jesus Is Coming Soon” and “Keep Your Eyes On Jesus.”
I remember a rainy evening in 1969 the Inspirations came to a small church on Highway 60 just outside Dayton, Tn. They asked me to introduce the group. I don’t recall how many were in attendance, but the church was packed; I would say well over 150 fans.
After the concert and while the quartet members were packing up, Mr. Cook sat at the piano and took requests, playing Gospel song after Gospel song. Before the Inspirations, Cook had played piano for the Silvertones, Smokey Mountain Qt. and Kingsmen.
According to “Hello Chattanooga” by David Carroll, the Inspirations sang at the Memorial Auditorium many times. One of their first concerts was a Mull Singing Convention in September, 1969. The group was so popular, Mr. Mull had them back two months later in November. Mr. Mull said the Inspirations were always a large box office draw.
The Singing News said Cook had been diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumor and was under
Hospice care. Under Cook's ownership, the group received dozens of awards and logged over five million miles singing their Gospel Songs. They charted nearly 65 Gospel hits, 60 projects and videos.
CBS TV’s Roger Mudd did a documentary on the group and their traditional style of Gospel singing. Mudd called their music “the roots of Southern Gospel.”
A few years ago, Cook retired but the Inspirations kept on singing.
Funeral arrangements for the legendary musician are incomplete.
Martin Cook