David Cook's Rise to Stardom

Many of you may remember his unforgettable performance of "Billie Jean" in this season's American Idol, or have grown to love his boy-next-door charm. Regardless of a thousand more reasons, David Cook has definitely shown his worth in being in the top four finalists this year. And most people are willing to bet that his rise in fame, only rivaled by Hollywood stardom, is assured.

Rocking with his Gibson Les Paul guitar, and singing with his strong and husky voice has always been a dream for the twenty-five year old David Cook who was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Blue Springs, Missouri. At an early age, he received his first instrument (a guitar, naturally) and started singing in his elementary school choir. His teachers were always supportive of his talent, thus giving him the opportunity to perform in Christmas and PTA programs year by year. By the time he entered middle school and high school, he was cast an actor/singer in musicals such as The Music Man, West Side Story, and Singing in the Rain. David earned a theatrical scholarship to the University of Central Missouri, but gave up theater in order to graduate with a degree in graphic design. It wasn't until he graduated from college when he pursued his childhood dream of being a musician.

David eventually moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma and told his parents that he was going to put off getting a job until he turned twenty-six years of age. All he cared for at that moment was his pursuit of music. So from 1999 to 2006, he became the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Axium. Their song "Hold" was purchased by AMC theaters to use as music played before the previews started in over 20,000 theaters around the country. Axium was also hailed as one of the top 15 independent bands in America, as was stated in the "Got Milk?" independent band contest in 2004.

Axium might have broken up in 2006, but it only meant the start of David's career as a solo artist. He joined a regional touring band named Midwest Kings for a while, as he did almost everything; from playing guitar and bass to singing back-up. He recorded an EP with Midwest Kings titled Incoherent with Desire to Move On while working as a bartender on the side.

David was extremely busy in 2006. That same year he also recorded and released a solo album called Analog Heart. It was also the year when he graduated from college. Music Equals Life chose it as number four on the best 2006 albums list. It was also warmly accepted by Urban Tulsa Weekly, dubbing it "Absolute Best of Tulsa" award for "Best Locally Produced, Independent Album" in 2007.

At first David had no plans to audition for American Idol. He claimed that he was just there to accompany and support his brother. It was only out of curiosity that made him audition. Lucky for all of us that he did! However (on a side note) because he made it through to Hollywood, his first album, which was ranked number one on "Today's Top MP3 Albums" at that that time by Amazon, was immediately taken out.

In any case, David's success still went with smoothly. Aside from his jaw dropping performances every week, Simon commented on his performance of the Chris Cornell inspired version of "Billie Jean" as a performance that "was in a different league to anything we've heard on the season so far."