By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
For John Cooks on a given Sunday morning, he is committed to being the lead musician at both Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Galveston and the leading musician at Mt Olive Missionary Baptist Church also in Galveston.
Usually, it all works out and he is on time for both services, but occasionally he gets a call to pick up a parishioner to attend services, and that’s where a dilemma comes in. If the call comes in early enough, he can manage without infringing on his timely appearance. But when the call comes a little bit later than intended, he is torn between what is God really calling him to do.
For John Cooks the choice was to go a few minutes out of his way to provide transportation for a devoted parishioner. This meant he showed up while his musicians were already in full worship mode. But no one missed a beat. His assistant noting, he was running late, made sure the piano was uncovered and ready with the music he would need.
Included under his directorship at Holy Rosary is a Saprano saxophone and a drum set both played by men. Females fill in with their soulful voices, adding to the solemnity and inspirational qualities of the Mass.
With his gospel music fusion of Catholic traditions, Cooks provides the musical inspiration needed at Holy Rosary. Though he is not Catholic, he has made the effort to understand the various aspects of Mass and the Symbolism of each step.
Father Steve’s homily covered the aspect of human’s need for spiritual water. Cooks’ postlude was a vocal and piano delivery of “Fill My Cup Lord” which is a gospel tune that has been able to move thousands of people in their journey towards a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The parishioners nod in acceptance of the song’s meaning as his tenor voice carried the words to their ears. As he sings the last bar, “Fill my cup and make me whole,” the church is filled with applause.
While the parishioners are making their way out of church, Cooks takes the time to reach out to those he knows, and he knows them by first and last name. They embrace his attention and thank him for his continued service.
After the church is emptied, he conducts rehearsal with his fellow musicians in preparation for the coming week. One of his musicians expresses admiration for Cooks talent as a musician and as a leader, “He stretches our musical abilities beyond the limits we had thought possible,” said one of the musicians.
With a closing prayer he is ready to end rehearsal. Then hopping in his little orange car, he buzzes a few blocks away to Mt Olive Missionary Baptist Church.
While he loves serving God and brining joy to the people at Mass, he is at home when he enters Mt Olive. He is a Baptist, born and raised but his heart belongs to the Lord, and it doesn’t matter what the denomination is that he is part of. He is sure of his belief in Jesus Christ as his savior and that’s what matters to him not the little denominational differences.
Cooks has been playing in churches for 47 years. He grew up in Houston and started playing at church when he was 14 years old for the children’s choir at Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church. He is a graduate of George Washington Carver High School
In college at Texas Southern University, he studied Health Care Administration, and he continued his musical pursuits. Life brought him down I-45 after college for a job and to play for Shiloh AME church in Galveston.
“I remember June 1st 1989 exactly that is when I came to Galveston and started playing here and have been here ever since,” shared Cooks.
His career has taken him to work in insurance and healthcare and then finally he found himself as a special education teacher. He has a real passion and understanding of special needs students. “Some days their disabilities caused them to act up and other days they were just cutting up to get attention,” shared Cooks.
His road like so many of us hasn’t been easy. He was hospitalized in 1998 with an undefined condition. It took many tests for his medical team to conclude he had viral encephalitis, a neurological illness that has the potential to leave a person with severe nerve damage.
“One day at the hospital, I sat down and tried to play and sing and I couldn’t find my music, my music was gone. I cried, I felt like the music had been taken from me and I asked God not to take away my music,” shared Cooks
He has since had a full recovery and was one of the blessed individuals who did not suffer long term damage.
He retired from teaching and is now spending his time enhancing and developing his music talents with lessons from experts. Most of his learning has been self-taught. He picked up piano playing with only a short time in lessons as a young person, but now he has time and values learning other techniques to add to his repertoire.
Taking his seat at the organ in the choir loft at Mt Olive, Cooks begins the musical portion of the service with “Oh How I Love Jesus”. Numerous other hymns are part of the service.
The pastor speaks to the congregation of God’s power to provide for his believers. “Put your faith in God as he will fight all your battles if you turn to him,” the pastor said.
Cooks’ chosen song after the sermon is “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” which guides the congregation to deepen their faith in God’s power as the spoken words of the pastor instructed.
The service is ended with “Draw me Nearer” and the congregation again as the parishioners at mass are appreciative of his music and he again reaches out to the many people who know him, and they respond with a welcoming spirit.
Music is his life and bringing joy and inspiration to others is part of what Cooks’ passion enables him to do.
