Eli Cook is a force of nature. One can not experience his music and not be at once moved, shaken, roused, and alive. The Atlanta Auditory Association said of him, “His songs have as much in common with Howlin’ Wolf as they do with Steve Earle.”
His self-produced album High-Dollar Gospel out last August on C.R.8 Records, was a revelation but is not for the tame or the meek. Think John Campbell meets Bob Dylan and that will get the uninitiated an idea of the intelligence and power of Eli Cook. Listen to his work and you’re invested in it.
Furry Lewis was one of the “fortunate” country and delta blues masters from the ’20s and ’30s who enjoyed a renewed career in the late ’60s and into the ’70s. In 1972 he performed in the Memphis Blues Caravan, which showcased the likes of Sleepy John Estes, Sam Chatmon, Bukka White, Clarence Nelson and more. He even opened for the Rolling Stones.
Cook’s remarkably moving performance of Furry Lewis’ “Turn Your Money Green” was filmed by Zach Samel and Clara Castle and edited by Zach Samel. The gorgeous mix and stunning sound quality are courtesy of Mike Moxham who recorded, mixed, and mastered the audio. This celebration of Furry Lewis’ music by Cook was brought to life at the Music Resource Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.
He shared his thoughts about this song with us: “Furry Lewis had a lazy sounding warmth in both the way that he played and the way that he sang. The lyrics to ‘Turn Your Money Green’ were the main thing that drew me to this song. They are particularly witty and visual, so I wanted to match them with an equally up-tempo and joyful sounding musical arrangement on the lap steel.”
Eli Cook
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*Featured Image Photo by Clara Castle
