Hollie Cook

Tags: reggae , soul , dub

Hollie Cook, born 1987 in London, is a British reggae and pop singer plus keyboardist. With Sex Pistol Paul Cook as dad, music was always around. Hollie rejected her performance arts schooling for a musical carrier. The Slits singer Ari Up persuaded Hollie 2006 to sing backing vocals for the EP Revenge of the Killer Slits. Hollie was then an official Slit member. She recorded her self-titled debut album Hollie Cook 2011 with Mike Pellanconi/Prince Fatty, featuring George Dekker of The Pioneers and Dennis Bovell. She was vocalist on Prince Fattyâ€™s underground reggae hit â€˜Milk and Honeyâ€™. She has a passion for reggae singers Janet Kay and Phyllis Dillon combined with classic 60s girl groups.

- - -

Hollie Cook was born and bred in West London. She gravitated to the sounds of Marc Bolan, David Bowie and The Cure. With Sex Pistol Paul Cook as her dad, music was always around.

Entering professional acting, singing and modelling at a young age; Hollie soon rejected her performance arts schooling for a musical path truer to her influences. Family friend and The Slits singer Ari Up persuaded Hollie to sing backing vocals for a new EP Revenge of the Killer Slits, which she followed by ditching school to join the band on a six week tour. Hollie was now an official Slit â€“ Ari referred to Hollie as the â€˜second singerâ€™ â€“ so when it came to record a new Slits album in LA, Hollieâ€™s vocals, keyboards and even her song Cry all featured.

More collaborations followed: a duet with Jamie T on his Chaka Demus EP, with Ian Brown on The World Is Yours, and most significantly as featured vocalist on Mike Pellanconi/Prince Fattyâ€™s underground reggae hit â€˜Milk and Honeyâ€™. The single received airplay across BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, XFM, Kiss and even ended up on Greyâ€™s Anatomy. Hollie jumped at the chance to get in the studio with Mike as she was smitten by the tracks she had heard. Hollieâ€™s passion for reggae singers Janet Kay and Phyllis Dillon combined with classic 60s girl groups formed the basis for her new solo work of self coined tropical pop. The two have recently been locked in the studio recording her self-titled debut album scheduled for release on Mr Bongo Records in May 2011.

Hollie is currently lending her skills to The Rotten Hill Gang, a fluid crew set up by Gary Stonadge from Big Audio Dynamite II, who are on tour with a reformed Big Audio Dynamite in April. 'Read more on Last.fm'. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.