Mountain Fever Records founder Mark Hodges saw something special in Amanda Cook from their first meeting. He was already fond of her music, having heard her earlier recordings, but he knew that Cook also had something that would be important for his company.
Hodges signed Amanda to a 7-record deal, which allowed her to move from the Florida panhandle to western Virginia where the label was located, and gave her a job in the studio as well. Before long, she was running major aspects of the business, while still releasing memorable bluegrass music with her band, as well as touring the country. When he was ready to retire, Mark structured a deal for Cook to purchase the label and keep it running. He was right all along.
This month we have another look at Amanda Cook the artist, with a new single called Down in the Quarter, a song written by Sonny Tackett which explores the mysterious, ethereal, and downright mystical nature of the French Quarter of New Orleans. One needn’t spend long there to feel the pull of the spirit of the place, for good or ill.
For Amanda, this one struck her as memorable from the start.
“From the first time I heard Down in the Quarter on Charlie Sizemore’s Gravel Road album, I knew it was a special song. Sonny Tackett’s masterful songwriting paints such a vivid picture, and the melody stayed with me long after the record stopped spinning. It was one of those songs that immediately felt like it belonged in my repertoire.”
The lyrics are a reminiscence, back to a time when love was in bloom, in a place where things never seem to change. Of course, such illusions can’t last, and we can only look back dreaming of a return.
Support comes from Amanda’s trusty touring band: Carolyne Van Lierop Boone on banjo, Troy Boone on mandolin, Justin Alexander on guitar, George Mason on fiddle, and Joshua Faul on bass. Carolyne and Troy sing harmony.
It’s a fine track. Have a listen.
Down in the Quarter is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
