Happy Goodmans -Johnny Cook - What A Lovely Name

Here from a 1975 audio recording in Little Rock, Arkansas, Johnny Cook takes the lead on the chorus as the Goodmans unleash on stage with "What A Lovely Name." The Goodmans had released an album entitled "The Legendary Goodmans." The four Goodmans are on the album cover art work renderings, but there is no mention anywhere on the album of Johnny Cook. Many radio stations around the country played the song without much thought of who was singing. On "What A Lovely Name," it is unmistakably the voice of Johnny Cook. Vestal had been ill, and the idea was for him to fill in her part seamlessly. He did just that. Some people couldn't tell the difference. To many an untrained ear it just sounded like Vestal, after all, men can't sing those notes anyway . . . that was up until Johnny came along. Most tenors jump into their falsetto to get those clear head tones, but not Johnny - he just sang right up to them - clear as a bell. If you have any kind of ear, know the voice, the lilt and tember of Vestal's voice, you know immediately, on the album version, that it isn't her.
Pretty shrewd of Rusty, who was primarily responsible for recruiting Johnny for the group. For years now, every time I have heard a Gaither video rendition of the song, or the late Howard and Vestal, along with Johnny Minick do the number, my mind goes back to the original recording. Most versions since then have paid unspoken homage to the original.
This "live" performance, with Eddie Crook's impeccable arrangement and piano work, here's the Happy Goodmans in their prime, with Johnny Cook taking the lead "on stage" before a sold out crowd at Little Rock's Robinson auditorium in 1975. NOW THAT'S SINGING!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Happy Goodmans
• Johnny Cook
• Eddie Crook
• Southern Gospel
• Gaither gospel
• vintage gospel
• rare recording

[txladybug55504]

The best birthday present was when my parents took me to Beaumont, TX to see

The Happy Goodman Family sing, in Jan.

72', on my 16th Bday. No one could've

given me anything better. They were just amazing!! I went to see them as many

times as I could throughout my teenage

years. I very well remember Johnny Cook.

He was such a fantastic singer. Vestal did come out and performed with Johnny Cook. They sang,"Looking for a City." where they

kept singing the chorus over and over to see who could

[judiescof]

I AM glad you took your tape recorder! I saw them the year before and don't you know that now I wish that I had taken mine!

[Kenwitty2011]

Two of the greatest singers of our Generation, Vestal Goodman, and Johnny Cook,,, they are both greatly missed.

[carrgirl100]

Always one of my FAV"S

[TheHumorousHillbilly]

@RELAX8 I don't know if you have gotten an answer but Johnny died in 2000 of Kidney Failure.

[RELAX8]

Do you happen to know how Johnny Cook met his death and what year? I can fnd nothing on him. I loved this young mans voice and have at least 2 if not 3 of his solo albums plus all the Goodman albums frm 1968. Thanks for any info. and God Bless

[1954terry1954]

one of my favorite Goodman songs, thanks for the memories; listen to Eddies piano licks, dude was tickling the ivories. Roger Bennet, Anthony Burger and Eddie Crook were the 3 masters!

[kd5hms63]

A truly legendary moment in time capturing the magnificent tenor voice of the late great Johnny Cook!

[skubus1]

@skubus1 I removed in error, once again an awesome song, thank you for putting this song on here. I get a blessing each time I hear it.

[txstoryteller]

AWESOME!!!!