Ann Cook
Ann Cook (April 1886 – September 29, 1962) was an American blues and gospel singer. Born and raised in rural Louisiana in an area named Fazendeville in St. Bernard Parish, Cook moved to New Orleans as a teenager. She worked as a prostitute and singer in the Storyville neighborhood, living in an area known as "The Battlefield". She worked out of Willie Piazza's brothel during the later years of Storyville's existence, and after the end of World War I and Storyville's dismantling, Cook moved to Rampart Street. During this time, she worked on two of her surviving recordings, "Mama Cookie Blues" and "He’s the Sweetest Black Man in Town", which were originally published by Victor Records in 1927. At the time, her voice was considered so well-liked that it could "stop the traffic on Rampart Street". In the late 1940s and 1950s, Cook left the blues and began to take up gospel music, working with Wooden Joe Nicholas and his band on the single The Lord Will Make a Way, released in 1949. Blues historian Bill Russell attempted to have Cook record more blues music during this time due to a revival of New Orleans blues. She refused to return to blues music and continued with gospel music until her death in 1962. |
Birth and Death Data: Born St. Francisville (town in Louisiana, United States), Died September 29, 1962 (New Orleans (largest city of the state of Louisiana, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-37981 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | Mamma Cookie | Ann Cook | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-37982 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | He's the sweetest black man in town | Ann Cook | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist, composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cook, Ann," accessed January 20, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108579.
Cook, Ann. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 20, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108579.
"Cook, Ann." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 20 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cook, Ann, 1903-1962 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no00093355
Wikidata: Ann Cook - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q558227
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/58631627
MusicBrainz: Ann Cook - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3246f2f1-e6b3-41fa-a177-1d80816be6f4
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