Elizabeth Cook Draws Comparisons to Country Greats

"Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be A Woman," isn't just the title to one of Elizabeth Cook's songs. It's a fact that in an era of country music dominated by female artists – Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert among them – Cook hasn't yet been able to break the glass ceiling and ascend the charts, her path constantly blocked by a crop of younger artists. Still, her songwriting ability and powerful live performances have drawn comparisons to country greats.
Cook made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry on March 17, 2000 but had been singing well before she found her way to the Ryman Auditorium stage. She was surrounded by music from birth and performing with her father by the age of four, singing songs like, "I'm Having Daydreams About Night Things." She had her own band by the age of nine and her first independent project, "The Blue Album," released in 2000.
A major label debut came in 2002 with "Hey Ya'll," released by Warner Bros. Nashville. But with the company in the middle of restructuring, Cook's album received little promotion and no radio play. She came back with 2004 independent release "This Side of the Moon," which received rave reviews from critics, and 2007's "Balls" has been her most successful project to date. Her 2010 release, "Welder," featured appearances by artists like Dwight Yoakam and Rodney Crowell.
Over the course of her career Cook has played shows across America and around the world, appearing in France, Japan, Norway, Sweden, South Korea and the UK. She has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage more than 300 times.