Dennis R. Cook

Drums

 

Birthday: Feb 23

 

Hair: Brown 

Eyes: Brown

 

Charges:  Killing Time

 

Last Known Location: Franklinville, NY

© Usual Suspects, 2008

Denny Cook started playing drums at the age of 5, studying Dixieland jazz and big bands (Rock n’ Roll hadn’t been invented yet, fortunately disco hadn’t either and polkas and country music were definitely out).  At the ripe old age of 12, after 7 years of lessons, he was summarily rejected by the band director after trying out for the high school band.  As he walked out the door, the band director told him, “You’ll never make it playing real music.”  With this new invention called Rock & Roll, he instinctively knew this is where the money was going to be and determined that to be his destiny. 

He had his first taste of success, when, at age 15, he made his first “professional” appearance, making $15 for a gig.  At 18, he formed a local band that achieved huge success at a local bar just before it burned down.  He was then asked to join one of the top bands in the area, “The Jaguars”, fresh off the road after cutting their first record with no success.  Two years and about 500 gigs later, he joined up with the legendary Bob Case, cut some records and went on the road with his constant companion, Mr. Jack Daniels, in a quest for stardom, in a saga eventually rudely interrupted by the US Army.  Most of what he did during the 60’s is based on innuendo, conjecture and rumor, because, if you remember the 60’s you weren’t really there.  He did make a ton of money however, 80% of which went to booze, women and drugs, the rest just being plain wasted.  Returning to Western New York broke in the early 70’s, he was surprised to have an engineering degree in his hand.  So he decided to get an honest day job and just play locally, shunning Rock and Roll and joining a Dixieland jazz band.  After a couple of years of that, he teamed up with another legend in the area, Mike Ward, and they went on to have limited success until 1976, when Cook “retired” from the music business, burned out and nagged by his new wife.  (There were probably other groups he played with but time dulls the memory)
After twenty some years of retirement, he was asked to help out with some local variety show benefits.
“The Usual Suspects” formed with some of the variety show members convincing Cook he wasn’t really retired; it just had been 25 years between gigs (coincidentally, they had been turned down by every other drummer within a 50 mile radius).

Now Cook, hampered slightly with arthritis, deafness and senility, makes it to most nearly every Usual Suspects gig and lays down a somewhat steady beat, keeping the “boys” together.