Joseph Cook

Background

He was born in South Philadelphia, and started singing in church. His mother, Annie Hall, was a locally well-known blues singer and his grandmother was a Baptist preacher.

Career

He is best known as the lead singer of Little Joe & The Thrillers, whose song "Peanuts" reached Number. 22 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1957. Cook was noted for his falsetto singing as well as his personality, and first recorded in 1949.

In 1951 the group recorded "Say A Prayer for the Boys In of Korea" for Apex Records.

He also worked in shipbuilding for the United States Navy, and as a delivery driver. In the early 1950s Cook decided to make the transition to secular rhythm and blues music, later declining an offer to join The Soul Stirrers after Sam Cooke left.

He formed a new doo-wop vocal group, the Thrillers, with Farrie Hill (second lead), Richard Frazier (tenor), Donald Burnett (baritone), and Henry Pascal (bass). The song introduced a new dance craze, and the group performed at the Apollo Theater.

The group"s second single, "Peanuts", was written by Cook and again featured his falsetto as the lead.

22 on the national popular chart, though it failed to make the Rhythm & Blues chart. Cook"s falsetto singing style was reportedly an influence on singers Frankie Valli, who recorded "Peanuts" with The Four Seasons, and Lou Christie. Later recordings by the group were less successful, though they continued to release singles on the OKeh label until 1961.

After a brief stay with 20th Century Records, the group broke up.

Cook began performing solo, and toured with B. B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland. Their record "People’s People’s People’s-Pie" reached Number.

25 on the Rhythm & Blues chart in 1962. Cook moved to Boston in the late 1960s, and continued to perform in clubs.

He had a residency at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1980 until he retired in 2007, being voted the region"s Best Local Rhythm & Blues Performer in 2002.

Cook died of cancer on April 15, 2014, at the age of 91.

Achievements

• They won a contract with OKeh Records in 1956, and their first single, "Do the Slop", was a regional hit in Philadelphia and New New York Released in 1957, it won the group an appearance on American Bandstand, and rose to Number.