Hailing from a musical family, Alan Cook was steeped in live music from his time in the womb. His father taught him to play guitar, and extended family would join together for jamborees at the Cook Pavilion in Tinker Hollow, New York. This was where Cook learned the essence of music. His father, Grant Cook, was a locally known country musician and would take Alan joyriding out through the hills, with guitars and a few beers. They would visit the honky tonk bars and young Cook would be lifted up onto a bar stool, given ginger ale and beer nuts, while his father would play his guitar for free beer. Alan hung onto every note of his father's and their bond was tight.

At age 7, he won the school talent show in Waterville, NY. 

At age 9, his parents split and his father hit the road to drift around the country with his guitar. His father's musical guidance and companionship was lost and Alan would look to others around him for musical inspiration.

Cook's teenage musical interests broadened from the Appalachian and classic country tunes of his upbringing to grunge, rock, reggae, blues, jazz, metal, techno, and so on. Practically, every genre was explored and dissected on a mission to understand music - his tether to his estranged and absent father. Years were spent experimenting, composing, performing, and recording with many bands. A musical philosophy was formed that concluded that all types of music have subtle qualities, a musical vocabulary, with elements that may be interspersed. The integration of these elements is inherent to every Alan Cook performance, as he effortlessly slips in and out of genres.

At age 17 his rock band "Crackerjack" competed against 70 bands in a Central New York state Battle of the bands series and his song "Girl" was chosen for the Best of CNY Rock compilation Album.

​Cook moved to Downeast Maine in his 20’s, as a back-to-the-lander, seeking the ideals of Thoreau and objective truth through nature. He spent 3 years living 2 miles in the woods, hauling water, and chopping firewood for heat. No electricity, no calendar, no clock. During this time he wrote and recorded the album "Sweet Home Suite" (recorded on a cassette 4-track powered by a deep cycle marine battery). His musical appearences "in civilization" started to become anticipated events.

After moving to town, Alan was hired as music faculty at University of Maine at Machias in 2006 and, started freelancing as a music teacher and performer on the side. He taught hundreds of people to make music in rural eastern Maine. Countless more enjoyed hearing him perform at local Legion halls, breweries, churches, public parks, and private celebrations. At each show he brought his intergenerational energy, and his multi-generational appeal came through the music. He has since become a musical icon in the area.

In 2007, his song, "Morning Son" appeared on the UK compilation, "Daydream Generation".

In 2008, after a brief reuniting at his deathbed, his father, Grant Cook, died in his arms. But, his quest to know his father did not end there. It lived on through his music shows in the honky tonk bars across Maine. Each note, each beer, each late night show in the dive bars, each drive through the hills seemed a channel to walk beside his father one more time and have a chat.

An Alan Cook show is a journey across 100 years of folk, country, blues, rock, and pop. It is also an opportunity to connect with generations that have come and gone, not in a stale, static, recorded music sort of way, but in a vibrant, present, all here and now sort of way. His songwriting skills are often brought out on stage - compositions and improvisation alike. Life is a song to be song and a spiritual connection between all of us and beyond. A natural entertainer, he has the ability to scan an audience and play to their hearts, redefine genres, and bring together the generations.

In 2020, Cook resigned from the University of Maine and, seeing a great societal need, turned his focus to live music and performance. Connecting with his audiences and connecting audiences together.

In 2022, Cook was invited to represent downeast Maine at the Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival and has become a recurring annual feature.

In 2024, he was invited to be the exclusive side stage artist for the duration of south shore Massachussetts' Marshfield Fair Country Music Weekend, where he has also become a recurring annual feature.

Today, Cook tours New England and Appalachia as a solo act and, also, with his duo Madcap Minstrels. He lives in Jonesboro, Maine with his wife and 6 children.

Learn more about Alan Cook at www.alancookmusic.comAlan Cook was steeped in live music from his time in the womb. His musical role model was his father, who taught him to play guitar. Extended family would join together for jamborees at the Cook Pavilion in Tinker Hollow, New York. This was where Cook learned the essence of music.

At age 9, tragedy struck when his father left home. Having lost his musical guide and closest companion, his life became a quest to know music from the inside out, exploring many genres and seeking a universal musical language through collaboration. This served him as a portal to his estranged absent father and to his ancestors. To connect with people through music fulfills his multi-generational karma. It is what he is here to do.

An Alan Cook show is a journey across 100 years of folk, country, blues, rock, and pop - Sometimes, Cajun or Reggae. It is also an opportunity to connect with generations that have come and gone, not in a stale, static, recorded music sort of way, but in a vibrant, present, all here and now sort of way - a calling home. He carries the torch of classic American music into the present era as if the songs were written today. He also covers tunes and styles from other parts of the world, bringing them home as if they were being conceived on the very stage on which he stands. His songwriting skills are highlighted during performances - original compositions and improvisation alike. Life is a song to be sung. And, when he starts to sing, people turn their heads and stop talking. That’s not because of some gimmick - it’s because he sings every song as if he wrote it. He does not simply perform - he communicates. His is a show not to be missed.

A natural entertainer, Cook has the ability to scan an audience and play to their hearts, to redefine genres, and bring together the generations. He lives in Jonesboro, Maine with his wife and 6 children (most of whom play music), and tours New England and Appalachia.