James Curly Cooke -- whose middle name is sometimes spelled "Curley" and who is also often referred to as Curly Cooke -- is a great guitar player who's never quite gotten his due, despite very well-known professional collaborations with Steve Miller, Jerry Garcia, Boz Scaggs, and Ben Sidran. Cooke was part of the original Steve Miller Band, and was in the lineup that backed Chuck Berry at the Fillmore West and played at the Monterey Pop Festival. He was later replaced in Miller's group by the leader's boyhood friend Boz Scaggs, and subsequently played with Scaggs as well as returning to work with Miller on Fly Like an Eagle and other 1970s projects. He also appeared with Mother Earth on Make a Joyful Noise (1969), and worked with Garcia and Howard Wales on the Hooteroll? album in 1971. During the 1970s, he was most visible on albums by Scaggs and Sidran. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi