Cox Family Archives - Bluegrass Today

The First Time I Heard About Heaven from The Cox Family

The Cox Family is back! … in a manner of speaking. Maybe we should say, a Cox Family is back.

It’s no longer Willard Cox with his son and three daughters, but a revamped lineup consisting of Willard’s son, Sidney, noted singer, songwriter, banjo player, and guitarist, and his three daughters. The eldest, Anna, had been a part of The Cox Family with dad and her aunts back in 2016, playing bass. Now her younger sisters – Sara on guitar and Lydia on mandolin – have joined the group.

So it’s still The Cox Family, with the same sweet, understated, sibling harmony (plus dad), and they do a beautiful job on the existing Cox Family catalog, as well as their own new music.

The original family band started recording in the 1980s, an acoustic, bluegrass and gospel act from Louisiana. They were popular in the deep south but blew up nationally when Alison Krauss did a record with them in ’94, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, which won a Grammy the following year. They were also included in the soundtrack for the O Brother, Where Art Thou film, singing I Am Weary Let Me Rest in 2000. Various family commitments slowed them down after a couple more successful projects, though they did release another in 2015, Gone Like The Cotton.

But now Sidney, Anna, Sara, and Lydia are recording, and fans of the original group may be shocked by how similarly they sound to the band from the ’80s and ’90s. For a first single they have chosen Dottie Rambo’s The First Time I Heard About Heaven, a lovely song where Anna sings lead with gorgeous harmony from the rest of the clan.

Have a listen…

The First Time I Heard About Heaven from The Cox Family is available now from popular download and streaming services online.

Look Me Up By The Ocean Door from Amanda Cook Band

Amanda Cook Band – photo © Laci Mack

For the past several years, one of the most consistently interesting female vocalists in bluegrass has been Amanda Cook, who moved from Florida to southwestern Virginia in tandem with her extended contract with Mountain Fever Records.

Her husband, Dennis, made the move as well, along with her long time banjo picker and co-writer, Carolyne Van Lierop, who is now married to the band’s mandolin player, Troy Boone.

Amanda is not only a compelling vocalist, she has a real knack for choosing material, something that has kept her on our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay charts with each new release.

Mountain Fever has dropped the latest today, Cook and company’s reworking of a terrific song, Look Me Up By The Ocean Door, originally recorded by The Cox Family in 1993. Written by Sidney and Suzanne Cox, the song has such an alluring story and unusual chord changes that it holds your attention throughout.

Amanda says that it was her banjo picker who introduced the song to the band.

“On a road trip to play in Michigan last year, Carolyne played Look Me Up By The Ocean Door by the Cox Family. I immediately said, ‘OOOOh, we should totally do this song!’ Her response was, ‘yeah, that’s why I played it!’ So many times, we forget about songs we love so much, and they come back to us randomly. I’ve always loved the Cox family and their contribution to bluegrass music. This was so much fun to record, and it’s even more fun to perform live. I hope everyone loves what we did with such a classic song.”

Boone, along with fiddler George Mason, really get to stretch out on this one.

Check it out…

Look Me Up By The Ocean Door by Amanda Cook is available now from popular download and streaming services online. It will be included on her next Mountain Fever project, Changes, set for release on October 14.

Willard Cox passes

Willard Cox, patriarch of The Cox Family who have performed bluegrass, acoustic country, and Gospel music together since 1972, has passed away. He was 82 years of age.

From their home in northwestern Louisiana, Willard and his four children – Evelyn, Lynn, Sidney, and Suzanne – toured all across their home state, as well as Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Known for their close harmony and sincere arrangements of both hymns and original compositions, the band achieved tremendous recognition internationally when Alison Krauss produced their 1993 album, Everybody’s Reaching Out For Someone on Rounder Records.

The softer, low-key sound was a perfect fit for Alison’s fans, and when she did a record with them in ’94, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, it won a Grammy award. The Family then began recording for Asylum Records, and their increased visibility led to their inclusion on the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers film, O Brother, Where Art Thou. Willard even got a small acting part on screen.

But shortly after they finished work on the soundtrack in 2000, Willard and his wife, Marie, were seriously injured in an automobile accident. Their car, pulled over on a shoulder, was struck by a logging truck and they were both badly hurt. Willard suffered a crushed spine that left him without the use of his legs, and the band went on hiatus. But they were back the following year performing limited dates with their father in a wheelchair.

Marie had also suffered a bout with breast cancer, so their interest in touring was reduced already. The Cox Family built a recording studio in their home so that they could continue making music, but Marie’s passing in 2009 seemed to put that to an end.

A final recording was released in 2015, Gone Like The Cotton, which had been recently completed from tracks that they started as many as 17 years prior. But it was finished without Willard’s participation.

He has been living in a nursing home this past few years. No announcements have been made about funeral arrangements.

R.I.P., Willard Cox.

UPDATE 11/7

Willard Lawrence Cox Funeral Arrangements – posted by the funeral home.

Visitation: Thursday 11/07/2019 at 6:00 p.m. @ First Baptist Church in Minden, LA

Funeral Services: Friday 11/08/2019 at 2:00 p.m. @ First Baptist Church in Minden, LA

He will be laid to rest in the Cotton Valley Cemetery in Cotton Valley, LA

The Family wishes to thank you all the thoughts and prayers shown during this time so far! Please continue to keep us in your prayers in the next few days as we celebrate his life!