Cook

The Cook label was founded in the early 1950s by Emory Cook, a pioneering audio engineer.

Cook invented a novel process of pressing records using powdered vinyl rather than hot, solid biscuits, which made production easier and enabled pressing in smaller facilities (even record stores) throughout the Caribbean.

In the mid 50s Cook partnered with Trinidadian lawyer Bruce Procope and pilot Joe Watson to found a subsidiary of the American label in Trinidad called Cook Caribbean Ltd. The recording studio, pressing plant, and offices were located at 26 Sackville St. (a warehouse owned by Procope's father) in Port-of-Spain. Louis Kerr was the recording engineer.

While a few dozen Trinidad releases were distributed in the U.S. and elsewhere, there are hundreds more (primarily singles) that were only distributed locally in much smaller quantities by Cook Caribbean.

The Smithsonian Institution acquired the Cook masters, patents, and documents in 1990, but most of the Trinidadian material was sold at some point earlier.

451 records.

Label Artists Title Year Format
Cook 1020
 Various Martinique LP
Cook 1021
 Various Un Ti Bo and Other Pleasures From Martinique LP
Cook 1022
 Various Haiti Confidential LP
Cook 1023
 Ramayan Sewak Sang Ramayan Sewak Sang LP
Cook 1040
 Brute Force Steel Band (Antigua), Hell’s Gate Steelband, Big Shell Steel Band Steel Band Clash 1955 LP
Cook 1042
 Buena Vista Steel Band Rhythm In Steel LP
Cook 1042
 Various Brute Force Steel Bands Of Antigua, B.W.I. 1955 LP
Cook 10421
 Hell's Gate Steel Band (Antigua) Steampipe Rumba / Mambo #5 1956 45
Cook 10422
 Brute Force Steel Band (Antigua) Mambo Jambo / Brute Force Samba c. 1956 45
Cook 10423
 Brute Force Steel Band (Antigua), Big Shell Steel Band Pineapple Meringue / Lend Lease Samba c. 1956 45
Cook 10423
 Various Meringue #1 / Del Magreto Del Batey 1956 45
Cook 1043
 Various Three Rituals - Trinidad, Cuba, Israel LP
Cook 1045
 Various Drums Of Trinidad 1956 LP
Cook 1046
 Various The Champion Steelbands Of Trinidad 1957 LP
Cook 1047
 Katzenjammers Steelband with Velvet Gloves 1957 LP
Cook 1047
 Percy Thomas Steel Orchestra The Enchanted Steelband LP
Cook 1048
 Brute Force Steel Band Of Antigua Music To Awaken The Ballroom Beast LP
Cook 1049
 Dot Evans & The Brute Force Steel Band Beauty And The Brute Force LP
Cook 10491
 Mona Baptiste Calypso Blues / U-Tan-Mwe (Forgotten Melody) 45
Cook 1072
 Various Jump Up Carnival in Trinidad LP
Cook 1080
 Various Dance Calypso! LP
Cook 1082
 Rupert Clemendore, John Buddy Williams Le Jazz Primitif from Trinidad LP
Cook 1083
 Various Jawbone of an Ass LP
Cook 1083
 Various Musica de Cuba Pre-Castro LP
Cook 10850
 Rupert Clemendore & His Band Le Jazz Trinidad - Patois Jazz with Rupert Clemendore & His Band LP
Cook 1086
 Willie Rodriguez and His Gang The Drums of Rodriguez LP
Cook 10890
 Various The Castilianne 1956 LP
Cook 1101
 Invaders Steel Orchestra (San Juan) Steelband in San Juan LP
Cook 1122
 Mighty Striker, Wrangler, Viper, … Hellish Calypso LP
Cook 1123
 Various Calypso Atrocities 1959 LP
Cook 1125
 Various Calypso in Jamaica LP
Cook 1126
 King Sparrow In High Fidelity 1963 LP
Cook 1140
 Various Steelband Promenade LP
Cook 1180
 Various Dance Calypso! LP
Cook 1185
 Various Calypso Kings and Pink Gin 1957 LP
Cook 1186
 Ensemble Aux Calebaxes Merengue LP
Cook 1187
 Lito Peno Orch. Puerto Rico Jazz LP
Cook 1188
 Various Las’ Lap 1958 LP
Cook 1188
 Various Dirty Jazz From Down South 1958 LP
Cook 1189
 Various Calypso Exposed LP
Cook 1280
 Lord Melody Caribbean Limbo Music 1963 LP
Cook 2004
 Mighty Sparrow, Various Cook's Tour of Stereo: Around the World in Authentic 3-dimensional Sound LP
Cook 2004sd
 Various, Brute Force Steel Band (Antigua) Cook's Tour of Stereo: Around the World in Authentic 3-dimensional Sound LP
Cook 30211
 Francisco et son groupe mi-yo, La Groupe Folklorique Martiniquais Eulalie (beguine) / Ce'ou Meme Doudou / Martinique Trop Belle (beguine) / Grand, Mai Grand (bel air) 7" EP
Cook 30401
 Hell's Gate Steel Band (Antigua) Bila El Mambo / La Veda Ni Meringue / Mambo #5 c. 1956 45
Cook 30402
 Brute Force Steelband of Antigua In the Mood / Loretta / Boncillina / Steelband Clash 1956 45
Cook 30424
 Brute Force Steelband of Antigua Hold 'Em Joe / Jingle Bells / Beastly Meringue / Now Is The Hour 1958 45
Cook 30451
 Little Carib Drummers, Lorna Pierre Adang Padang / Calypso In Drums c. 1958 45
Cook 30461
 Southern All Stars Steel Orchestra Skokiaan / PP Samba c. 1958 45
Cook 30462
 Invaders Steel Orchestra, Hylanders Steel Orchestra, Southern All Stars Steel Orchestra Cumpanchero / Tom Cat Mambo / Tropical Meringue / Meringue Minor 1958 45
Cook 30471
 Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra The Breeze And I / Tiana c. 1957 45
Cook 30472
 Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra Wonderful Illusion / Anna 1958 45
Cook 30473
 Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra Love Is A Many Splendored Thing / Katzberg c. 1958 45
Cook 30481
 Brute Force Steel Band Of Antigua Say Si Si / Perfidio c. 1957 45
Cook 30482
 Brute Force Steelband of Antigua Meringo Jenny / Take Her To Jamaica / Pierconela / Man Smart, Woman Smarter 1958 45
Cook 30721
 Various Taxi Driver / Boo Boo Man 1958 45
Cook 30822
 Dot Evans and the Argonauts, Nap Hepburn Kiss Me For Christmas / Christmas Calypso c. 1958 45
Cook 308501
 Rupert Clemendore & Combo Mambo Chop Suey / Mambo Metronome / Drummer's Mood / Doris Oh 1958 45
Cook 308901
 Clarence Drysdale, Lorna Pierre, John “Buddy” Williams Terra Seca / Claude Beguine Wye a Wye Papa 1958 45
Cook 308902
 John “Buddy” Williams Gee Bongo Lay / Shoeing The Mare / Big Man Sweet / Sweet Man 1958 45
Cook 31201
 Andrew Beddoe Manding Good Morning Dr. / Nation Hallicord 1958 45
Cook 31212
 Various Escape of Spider / Federal Capital / Si / Chat E Chat O 1958 45
Cook 31801
 Small Island Pride Going Down Jordan / Carnival Celebration 1958 45
Cook 31802
 Small Island Pride, Lord Cristo Papa Loves Mambo / Last Night the Landlord / Boxing Bout 45
Cook 31851
 Mighty Sparrow Dear Sparrow / Sailor Man 1958 45
Cook 31852
 Lord Melody Creature from the Black Lagoon / Jonah and the Bake 1957 45
Cook 31853
 March of Dimes/Cypher/Lord Melody/Mighty Sparrow Senorita / PNM Balisier / Sparrow Vs Melody 1958 45
Cook 31854
 Mighty Sparrow, Chang Kai Chek Situation in Trinidad / Naughty Boy 45
Cook 31861
 Merrymakers Steel Orchestra Donnez moi la main / Tan moi la to garcon 1958 45
Cook 31871
 Cyril Diaz Paran / Serenal 1958 45
Cook 31872
 Cyril Diaz Tabu / Limbo 1958 45
Cook 4061
 Lord Melody Nikivo / Wait For Me 1958 45
Cook 41851
 Lord Melody Creature From The Black Lagoon / Michael Remove Your Face 1958 45
Cook 4271
 Jerry Daniels, Lord Melody Si Senor / Jumbie c. 1961 45
Cook 4402
 Brute Force Steelband of Antigua Jingle Bells / Mambo Jambo 1958 45
Cook 5003
 Various Caribeana LP
Cook 5004
 Tiroro Best Drummer in Haiti LP
Cook 5007
 Various Marimba Band LP
Cook 5016
 "Chinee" Patrick Jones Calypso Lore And Legend 1956 LP
Cook 5017
 Unknown Artist Bamboo Tamboo - Bongo & The Belair 1956 LP
Cook 5018
 Various East Indian Drums of Tunapuna 1956 LP
Cook 5020
 Grand Curucaye String Orchestra Epilogue To The String Band Tradition LP
Cook 580106
 Wrangler Bongo Man / Limbo Teacher 1958 45
Cook 581160
 Lord Melody The Devil / Sugar Pie 1958 45
Cook 581573
 Johnny Gomez Tanty Lucy / Scandal 1958 45
Cook 5857
 Small Island Pride Cannes Brules Carnival / How to Make Love c. 1959 45
Cook 5859
 Lord Melody Caroline / Corbeau Flying High 1959 45
Cook 5860
 Lord Melody, King Fighter Smart Woman / Sugar Pie 1959 45
Cook 587576
 Fitz Vaughan Bryan Cooks Cooking / Calypso Vickie 1958 45
Cook 6097
 Buddy Robinson Como Yo Ta Quero / Wandering Boy c. 1961 45
Cook 901
 Various Steel Band Jump Up 1958 LP
Cook 902
 Various West Indies Festival of Arts 1958 1958 LP
Cook 903
 The St. Joseph's Convent Girls Choir The St. Joseph's Convent Girls Choir c. 1958 LP
Cook 904
 The Esso Steel Band (Bermuda) A Bermuda Honeymoon In Song And Steel 1958 LP
Cook 905
 Ed Harper, Johnny Gomez, Fitz Vaughan Bryan, … All Night Session: 4 Leading Dance Bands From Trinidad c. 1958 LP
Cook 906
 Lord Melody Sings Calypso 1958 LP
Cook 907
 Hell's Gate Steel Band (Antigua) Hell's Gate Steelband of Antigua LP
Cook 908
 Albert Kerr , St. Hilary’s Senior Girls Choir , Denis Kerr, … Trinidad Queen’s Hall Concert 1958 LP
Cook 909
 The St. Joseph's Convent Girls Choir, Michael Brennan The Beloved Son/Christmas Carols 1958 LP
Cook 910
 St Joseph Convent Choir, The St. Joseph's Hilltoppers, Merrymakers Steel Orchestra, … Creole Christmas c. 1959 45

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