Charles Cook

Charles "Cookie" Cook (February 11, 1914 – August, 1991) was a tap dancer who performed in the heyday of tap through the 1980s, and was a founding member of the Copasetics. He was the dance partner of Ernest "Brownie" Brown, with whom he performed from the days of vaudeville into the 1960s. They performed in film, such as Dorothy Dandridge 1942 "soundie" Cow Cow Boogie, on Broadway in the 1948 musical Kiss Me, Kate, twice at the Newport Jazz Festival, as well in other acts, including "Garbage and His Two Cans" in which they played the garbage cans. He headlined venues including New York's Palace, the Apollo, Radio City Music Hall, Cotton Club, and London Palladium. Cook was one of the most influential tap masters and crucial in passing on the tap tradition to future generations.

Early life Charles Cook was born on February 11, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised by his mother, who ran a boarding house for Black performers who were not welcome at white-owned establishments.

Career Early career Cook began performing at a young age, and in 1929 performed with the act "Garbage and His Two Cans", playing the garbage cans, and toured Black vaudeville circuits with Sarah Venabe and Her Picks. They were the second Black set to appear at Radio City Music Hall. Cook and Brown were also featured in the 1943 film "Chatter". Both Brown and Cook had to continue the tradition of "blacking up" by wearing burnt cork, though they tried to avoid the practice as much as possible. The group included Honi Coles, Buster Brown, "Bubba" Gains, "Phace" Roberts, Louis Sims Carpenter, Leroy Myers, Cook, and others. There were no membership dues, instead a hat was passed around to collect money, and if there was any extra it was given to whichever member needed it most. In 1990, Cook performed at a "Salute to the Copasetics", described as "An Evening of Terrific Tap Dancing by the Best".

Changing Times Tap Dancing Co In the 1970s when Brown retired, Cookie continued to perform as a guest and solo artist, as well as teach. the By Word of Foot tap Festival, and at a Harlem School of the Arts foundation. He was "given hell" by the other members of the Copasetics for passing on tap steps to white girls, most notably Jane Goldberg. Harvard, and at the Merrill Lynch Dance Series at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Their show at the Goodman Theatre featured Cook and Goldberg as detectives solving the case of missing tap shoes from the Tap Hall of Fame, bringing tap masters on stage to discover the thief. Though Cook revived old acts for their performances, he was always creating new works and acts. One of their shows was entitled "Shoot Me While I'm Happy: An Evening of Jazz Tap Dancing", The same year he toured in Asia, performing in China and Japan with the potential to stop in Korea although it is unclear whether or not he did end up performing there.

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Cook had a busy and diverse career. He appeared in films including "Cotton Club" (1984), and "Great Feats of Feet", He appeared in "Kiss Me Kate" on Broadway, performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in "Benny Carter & The Tap Dance Greats", American Dance Festival, Apollo Theater's Rat-A-Tat-Tap Festival, and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. and was the subject of "Cookie's Harlem", an exhibit about his life. at Lincoln Center Out of Doors in a performance called "Tap Blast" in 1989, and at the American Tap Dance Orchestra Premiere Performance at Statue of Liberty Festival in Battery Park. In 1990 he performed and was part of a lecture entitled "On Tap: Tap Dance as Living History" in Harlem.

Cook was also featured in "Black Broadway", a show that opened in 1980 celebrating Black artistry. The show featured a number of song and dance numbers including Bill Robinson's "Doin' the New Lowdown" and "Digga Digga Do" (1928), "Stormy Weather" (1933), and "Sweet Georgia Brown" (1925).

Death and legacy In 1989, he was rushed from his home on St. Nicholas Ave to St. Luke's Hospital after collapsing for an unknown reason. Cook died in early August, 1991 at the age of 77 in New York City from kidney failure. He left instructions that his ashes were to be spread in "2040 7th Avenue space".

Cook is noted as being one of the most accessible tap masters from whom younger generations learned steps. He was passionate about passing on tap routines that he wanted to preserve, despite criticism from other tappers. In addition to frequently performing around New York City, he also attended other arts events in the city. He is noted to have attended the presentation of tap shoes to the mayor Dinkins of New York City on National Tap Dance Day in 1990, and attended celebrations of Duke Ellington and Charles "Honi" Coles. There are multiple references to Cook's drinking habits, in particular his habit of drinking before shows, causing him to lose control or miss steps on stage. Cook also had been mentioned to have mood swings and emotional outbursts before shows.