Down home with artist Mark Cooke

A Longview, Texas native who is as down to earth as you can possibly get, took his time to sit down with me for a quick interview. This handsome hunk, who has been performing since his early teens just released a new single that is going for radio adds called "I Love It." The song is modern country with a traditional feel. That is a hard concept to grasp but after talking with Mark, you can definitely tell he is a homegrown country boy who loves anything and everything about country music.

As a timid kid Mark said that most people could not believe that he chose this line of work. Writing parody's with his friend Eli Smith in his early teens, Mark began to really get into performing and writing music. Mark joined the navy rather than going to college and by the end of his four year period, he knew that country music was where he wanted to be. "As a child I even had these premonitions of being on a bus, writing songs and everything. I knew that is what I wanted to do. I tried college for a while, but it wasn't for me." It's a good thing Mark stuck with performing and making his dream of having a country music career come true. If you ever get the chance to see him perform, I would highly suggest doing so. He is most definitely a seasoned performer, with a heart of gold and down home feel.

His current single can be requested on radio, so if you want to help support Mark Cooke, call up your favorite country radio station and request "I Love It". His debut album on Cotton Valley Records is in the final stages and should be released soon in two portions. First, a six pack collection of songs, then later the full length album.

Mark has been working with Steve Holy for quite some time and has a fan club party tomorrow outside Cotton Valley Records located at 713 18th Ave. S in Nashville. The party starts at 4pm and lasts til 6pm, with performances from both Mark and Steve Holy. I'll get the chance to sit down with Steve Holy tomorrow before the show.

Thanks to Mark Cooke for taking the time to sit down for a chat, and thanks to Kristen Palmer and Cotton Valley Records.

I know one thing, that's for sure, "I Love It" will quickly become a favorite once you hear it.

Follow Mark Cooke on twitter @MarkCookeMusic or Facebook or visit www.markcooke.com