Barbara Cook: Biography

Barbara Cook
Birth Name:
Barbara Nell

Born:
Oct 25, 1927 in Atlanta, GA

Genres:
Music, Standards & Vocal Music, Cabaret Music, Show Tunes, Classical Music

Decades Active:
1950's|1960's|1970's|1980's|1990's|2000's


Artistic Quality
Low
Cultural Impact
Low
Popularity
Low



A singer with a warm, light soprano, Barbara Cook became a successful Broadway musical performer in the '50s and '60s. By the '70s, she had moved largely into cabaret singing, at which she was equally successful. Born in Atlanta, she made her professional debut at The Blue Angel nightclub in New York in 1950 and her Broadway debut in Flahooley (1951), one of several flops in which she got good notices. Another of these was the original version of Candide (1956). Cook finally found a Broadway show with legs when she created the role of Marian the librarian in The Music Man (1957). The most successful of several shows in which she appeared in the '60s was She Loves Me (1963). By the mid-'70s, she was popular enough to move up to concert halls, and this is reflected in her album Barbara Cook at Carnegie Hall (1975). Her more recent accomplishments include her appearance in the special recording Follies in Concert (1985), her inclusion in a new studio recording of Carousel (1987), and her delightful album of songs associated with Walt Disney children's films, The Disney Album (1988). Cook continued to record and perform through the '90s, releasing albums like 1997's Oscar Winners and 1999's Champion Season: A Salute to Gower Champion, Live from Cafe Carly. Live At Carnegie Hall appeared two years later.

- William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

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