David Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of American Idol in 2008. Prior to American Idol, he released an independent album entitled Analog Heart. This was followed by his post-Idol major label debut David Cook, which was released on November 18, 2008, and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA. Take a look below for 33 more fun and interesting facts about David Cook.

1. Cook was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Blue Springs, Missouri.

2. His parents are Beth Foraker and Stanley Cook.

3. He is the middle of three brothers – the late Adam Cook being older and Andrew younger.

4. He is of German, Irish, and English descent.

5. Cook’s interest in music began at a young age. He began singing in second grade, when his elementary school music teacher, Mrs. Gentry, gave him a part in a school Christmas performance.

6. He proceeded to perform in virtually every Christmas and PTA program.

7. He received his first guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, at the age of 13.

8. He also participated in choir and drama programs in middle school and high school.

9. At Blue Springs South High School, he performed in musicals, including The Music Man, West Side Story, and Singin’ in the Rain. In addition to this, he was an active member in the Blue Springs South High School National Forensics League (or NFL), where he qualified for the national tournament twice for duo interpretation, an event that relies on performance and interpretation of a literary work. He graduated from Blue Springs South High School in 2001.

10. He was also an avid baseball player (pitcher) during high school and once gave up a home run to Albert Pujols in an American Legion Baseball game.

11. After an injury, he focused more on music.

12. He earned a theater scholarship to the University of Central Missouri, but he abandoned theater after two semesters, graduating from the school in 2006 with a degree in graphic design.

13. While in college, he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa.

14. After his college graduation, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to pursue a career in music, telling his mother, “I just want to give myself until I’m 26 years old to get a job.”

15. David Cook formed a band with his friend Bobby Kerr while at high school. The band was initially named Red Eye, later changed to Axium.

16. He wrote his first song, titled “Red Hot”, when he was fifteen.

17. Cook won the seventh season of American Idol on May 21, 2008, receiving 56 percent of the votes, with 12 million votes over David Archuleta, the runner-up.

18. Cook then sang “The Time of My Life”, the winning song of the 2008 American Idol Songwriter’s Competition.

19. A week following Cook’s American Idol victory, in the Billboard chart week ending May 25, 2008, Cook broke several Billboard chart records.

20. Most notable was his record shattering feat of having 11 songs debut on the Hot 100 that week, beating the previous record set by Miley Cyrus in 2006 when she had six songs debut on the chart.

21. Cook’s first single, “The Time of My Life” led the pack, debuting at number three on the Hot 100.

22. Cook signed an endorsement deal with Skechers that ran through December 2009.

23. Cook’s photo was featured on the cover of The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009, along with President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.

24. In May 2008, Cook asked Season 2 American Idol alum and TV Guide Network correspondent Kimberly Caldwell for a dinner date while on the red carpet before the show’s seventh-season finale.

25. During a radio interview with XL 106.7 on October 13, 2008, Cook revealed that he and Caldwell were “still seeing each other.”

26. In a November 2008 interview with People magazine, Cook said his relationship with Caldwell was a “nice break from the chaos” of post-Idol fame. They ended their relationship in December 2008.

27. People reported on March 31, 2009, that David was canceling dates on his current tour due to “family matters”.

28. Cook’s elder brother, Adam, had been diagnosed with brain cancer since 1998 and died on May 2, 2009.

29. On May 3, 2009, at the “Race for Hope” in Washington, D.C., Cook announced the death of his brother during the awards speech, and stated that he “couldn’t imagine being anywhere else right now.” He finished the 5K with a time of 28 minutes. His team raised $136,376.16 for the cause. Donations were accepted through September 30, 2009.

30. On the finale of the 8th season of American Idol, Cook sang his song “Permanent” in honor of his brother. Audio of the performance was made available on iTunes, and the proceeds from the sale of it were put toward brain cancer research.

31. Cook married longtime girlfriend, Racheal Stump, in a private ceremony in Nashville on June 20, 2015.

32. His musical influences include Our Lady Peace, Alice in Chains, Big Wreck, Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, Chris Cornell, The Goo Goo Dolls, Switchfoot, and Collective Soul.

33. Immediately after winning American Idol, Cook was asked backstage by Entertainment Weekly who his top five favorite bands were. Our Lady Peace and Big Wreck were on this short list, as well as the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World and 8stops7.