Artist description Soul-mates Duo featuring all-original music. Variety is the key word. They are many moods, many times, many places. You have Connie and Mark's intimate vocal harmonies with acoustic guitar, then you are soaring BEYOND, via 200-voice-synthesizer and full percussion. Mark's tabla create an exotic Eastern mood, then Connie's lilting voice seems to emerge from the mists of Ireland.

Music Style Visionary, UFO-inspired, New Age, positive, spiritual, peaceful, powerful

Musical Influences Moody Blues, ELP, Gregorian Chants, Beatles, Bach, Sergio Mendes, Hair, YES, Paul Simon, Phil Collins, James Taylor, Crosby Stills & Nash, Chick Corea, Genesis, Segovia, Peter Gabriel

Similar Artists Yanni, Moody Blues, Enya, Ray Lynch, Kitaro, Riverdance!, Hildegard

Artist History 1987:Connie gave a seminar on her UFO experiences and the resulting compositions. Mark, a professional musician, attended, and deeply identified with the overall spirit and quality. The two first performed together at a gathering for the Harmonic Convergence. Soon, people remembered her last name, Cook, and his first name, Mark. Thus, COOK'N'MARK was born! On Sept. 4, 1990, Connie Cook and her UFO-inspired music were featured onthe front page of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, whereupon the duo COOK'N'MARK found themselves and their music beamed all over the world via CNN. Impassioned responses poured in, but business offers were unsuitable. Thus the couple has focused exclusively on local venues for performing, along with some enjoyable home recording.

Group Members Connie Cook Smith (www.hcsi.com/newage/conniecook), Mark Smith (www.hcsi.com/mark)

Instruments Keyboads; Casio , ESQ-1 ENSONIQ, piano, acoustic guitar, human voice, Tabla, hand drums, drum set, tympani, assorted percussion

Albums Prairie Dolphins, Cook'N'Mark LIVE, Details of ET Contact (narrative, plus 4 songs)

Press Reviews "A dreamy sort of jazz and soft-rock fusion with lyrics." Robert Johnson, The Wall Street Journal. "There's something other-worldly about her songs." David Wild, Rolling Stone Magazine. "Moodsong with no terrestrial precedent." Joseph Lanza, Elevator Music, A Surreal History (St. Martin's Press), pp.183-187. Their music "is moving and inspired, with a very sweet quality of innocence." Heartsong Review Magazine (Eugene, Oregon). "Great songwriting skills – several tunes make the hairs on the back of one's neck rise!" And,"No one-trick pony here. One catchy melody is written around three chords in the style of the Beatles' ‘Ob La Di, Ob La Da.'"Keith "Birdman" Smith, People of Peoria Magazine. "Superb, fresh!" Igor Shpak, Molodaya Gvardia (The Young Guard) in Kiev, Russia. (Cook'N'Mark's "White Light" was used to teach English to Russian students.)

Additional Info The DOORS, Jon Anderson of YES, the COASTERS: As a cub reporter, Connie spent a day with Jim Morrison and the Doors just when Light My Fire hit #1. See her write-up on her website: www.hcsi.com/newage/conniecook/webdoc8.html Jon Anderson of YES telephoned Connie and Mark in December of 1987 upon receiving her UFO newsletter after a concert. Jon and Connie compared notes on ET experiences, and Mark and Jon discussed recording techniques. As a professional drummer, Mark played with the Coasters' reunion tour when they performed in central Illinois.

Location Canton, IL - USA

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