Evelyn Cox Hobbs, a founding member of The Cox Family who made a huge mark on bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music alongside Alison Krauss in the 1990s, has died at 66 years pf age. She passed away peacefully at her home in Vivian, Louisiana on May 5.
Born Evelyn Marie Cox, she was raised in Cotton Valley, LA where her gift for singing became apparent in her youth. Together with her father, Willard Cox, her brother, Sydney Cox, and her two sisters, Lynn and Suzanne, she performed for many years as The Cox Family. Evelyn played guitar and sang with the group.
The Cox Family began recording in the mid-1980s, and had three projects released prior to I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, recorded with Alison Krauss & Union Station, on Rounder Records in 1994. That album, which won a Grammy, changed everything for the group, and elevated their status dramatically. Their follow-up, Beyond The City, was nominated for a Grammy in ’96.
Their arrangement of I Am Weary, Let Me Rest, appeared on the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou in 2001.
One additional album was released by The Cox Family before their final project, Gone Like The Cotton, in 2015. Evelyn continued to sing and play her guitar after the band retired, though mostly at family gatherings.
Krauss remembered Evelyn, saying, “She was incredibly funny, strong, and one of the best, clearest, most exact singers you’ve ever heard. A master vocalist. We are so grateful for the many happy memories that only you gave us. What a gift to have had history together, rest in peace.”
Sydney Cox and his daughters have revived the band name and much of their old material, keeping that same pure sound.
Eveyln was laid to rest on May 8 in the cemetery at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church in Vivian, LA.
R.I.P., Evelyn Cox Hobbs.
