Shane Ken Cook is a Canadian violinist. He is a long-time member of the celtic fusion ensemble Bowfire,"Aiken welcomes Bowfire". Aiken Standard, via Newspaper Archives. January 11, 2008 - Page 22 and is a past Canadian Grand Master fiddler and U.S. National Fiddle Champion. His musical career has taken him to tour across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Germany, England, China, and Taiwan.Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Camp Instructors'event-wizard.com
Life Cook was born in Dorchester, Ontario."Fiddle champ brings world view home to London". Dec 15, 2016 by Sean Meyer, Our London He is the oldest son of Ken and Shirley Cook. Cook holds an Honours degree in music from the University of Western Ontario (now known as Western University) in London, Ontario.Bio for Shane Cook' He and his wife Jillian have one son, Charlie.
Career Cook won the Championship Class at the Maritime Fiddle Festival in 1997. In 1999, he won the U.S. National Fiddle Championship in Weiser, Idaho, at the age of 17. He won the Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Championship held in Shelburne, Ontario, in 2001, 2003 and 2005.Valley Fiddle Camp Instructors 2008''Shelburne Fiddle Champion Results As well as three Canadian Grand Masters championships in 2000, 2002 and 2003."Historic Saugeen Métis Rendezvous". Shoreline Beacon, August 11, 2016"Canadian Grand Masters Past Top Three Champions", cgmfa-acgmv.ca
As a founding member, Cook toured for over 15 years with "Bowfire," a high-energy violin ensemble that combined string masters of classical, Celtic, bluegrass, jazz and rock violin.'Bowfire is not a Typical Violin Concert, park record.com' The group toured from June 2000title= 'Article on Bowfire, the Ensemble' to the fall of 2015.'Giging with Bowfire' Step dancing was also a feature with this performance troupe."Bowfire fiddles up a storm". Hays Daily News, via Newspaper Archives. March 17, 2011 - Page 3
In 2008, Cook's album Where Here Meets There, with Nova Scotia fiddler and pianist Troy MacGillivray, was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award"Late fiddler Oliver Schroer leads Canadian Folk Music nominations". CBC Arts News, October 8, 2008 and won an East Coast Music Award (ECMAs) for Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year.'East Coast Music Award Archive, 2009'
In 2013, Cook joined the Alison Lupton Band, an Ontario folk group."Reaney's pick: The Allison Lupton Band". By James Stewart Reaney, The London Free Press, November 25, 2015
In 2014, Cook released an album titled Head to Head with Ontario pianist, guitarist and Juno-winning member of the East Pointers, Jake Charron."Fiddler Shane Cook, friends, likenesses and Kyles launch CD". By James Stewart Reaney, The London Free Press, November 6, 2014["P.E.I.'s The East Pointers celebrate winning a Juno Award". The Guardian, April 2, 2017 |title= P.E.I.'s The East Pointers celebrate winning a Juno Award] The album was nominated for Group of the Year at the 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards.'Canadian Folk Music Awards Results, 2015.'
Since 2016, Cook has performed in a four member group called "The Woodchippers," a group with various musicians and step dancers who grew up in Ontario's traditional fiddle and step dance world.Cook and the Woodchippers Facebook Artist Page' Joining Cook as The Woodchippers are:'Shane Cook and the Woodchippers-Band Members'
Joe Phillips (The Art of Time Ensemble) on double bass, guitar and vocals Emily Flack (Leahy) on piano, vocals and dance Kyle Waymouth (Five-time Canadian National Step Dance Champion) on guitar, tenor banjo, and dance.
In 2021, this group released an album, titled "Shane Cook and the Woodchippers: Be Here for a While.""Release of Be Here for a While"
Since 2018, Cook has played in the Claire Lynch Band, led by three-time Grammy nominee and International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, Claire Lynch.'Claire Lynch Band set for Park Performance, Sherwood Park News.'
Discography Cook Discography, Odyssey.on.ca'Cook Discography, shanecook.com' Shane Cook – Cookin' on the Fiddle (1994) Shane Cook with Kyle Cook and James Bickle – Heritage Fiddles (1996) Sundry (2001) Shane Cook (self-titled – 2005) Shane Cook and Troy McGillivray – When Here Meets There (2008) Shane Cook and Jake Charron – Head to Head (2014) Shane Cook and The Woodchippers – Be Here for a While (2021)
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