The English musician was born on July 20, 1956, and was raised in London. While at school, he met Steve Jones and Wally Nightingale and formed the band Strand. Three years later, the group evolved into the Sex Pistols, which ended up initiating the punk rock movement across the United Kingdom during its very short tenure.
"You've got to understand, we weren't very rich at the time, and we wanted to form a band," Cook clarified. "There's a famous story out there with Steve; when David Bowie was doing his final shows at the Ziggy Stardust Tour. Between shows, they'd leave all the equipment standing overnight. And it was a big mistake, especially with us around."
The Sex Pistols performing at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 12, 1978.Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
The rise and fall of the Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols received even more recognition thanks to their 1977 single, "God Save the Queen," which described the Royal Family as a "fascist regime" and was released at the same time the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations were taking place. The song was quickly banned by the BBC and became the most censored record in British history. That same year, they released their debut album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, which became the No. 1 album in the UK and is regarded as an important development of punk rock. Despite the title and the time of its release, Cook claims that "it wasn't written specifically for the Queen's Jubilee."
"We weren’t aware of it at the time. It wasn’t a contrived effort to go out and shock everyone," Cook told Far Out Magazine in 2020.
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Despite the band's success after their debut album, the Sex Pistols suddenly split up in the middle of their U.S. tour. During the tour, which was scheduled to have only nine shows, vocalist John Rotten was suffering a terrible illness while their bassist, Sid Vicious, was dealing with drug abuse and arrests. A day after performing their San Francisco concert on January 14, 1978, Rotten quit the band and announced the Sex Pistols' breakup.
Group photo of the Sex Pistols in front of their tour bus on January 10, 1978.Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the English musician worked with various groups, including Bananarama, Chiefs of Relief, Edwyn Collins and Phil Collen as their drummer. In 1996, Cook reunited with the surviving Sex Pistols for their Filthy Lucre world tour.
What is Paul Cook doing now?
From helping shape one of the most influential bands in punk history to continuing to perform and inspire new generations of musicians, Cook has remained a steady presence in British rock for decades.
Cook reportedly still lives in London with his wife, Jeni, and his daughter Hollie, who is also a musician.
Related: Beloved '70s Rocker and Founding Member of Iconic Soft Rock Band Turns 80
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