JONESBORO – The Amanda Cook Band will perform at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert. The show will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 22, at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, Paragould.
A Florida native, Amanda Cook began playing bluegrass music in a band with her father, Mike Blanton. This group, called High Cotton, performed very traditional bluegrass music in styles similar to the Stanley Brothers and the duo of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
In 2013, Cook formed her own band to focus on more contemporary styles of bluegrass. Now with her six-piece band, Cook blends traditional and modern bluegrass styles into a sound that appeals across generations.
Cook signed with Mountain Fever Records in 2017 and has released five albums for that label. In 2019, she began working as a sound engineer for the label, and in 2022, she became chief operating officer for the company. In August 2025, upon the retirement of the label’s founder, she stepped into the role as owner of this acclaimed producer of bluegrass recordings. The roster of Mountain Fever artists includes East Nash Grass, Nothin’ Fancy, the Churchmen, Jackson Hollow, and over a dozen more.
In 2024, Cook was selected to participate in the prestigious leadership program overseen by the International Bluegrass Music Association. That same year, she and her band made their debut at the Grand Ole Opry.
“Changes,” the 2022 album by Cook, debuted at number one on the Billboard Magazine Bluegrass Albums chart. Her follow-up album “Restless Soul,” released in 2024, debuted at number two on that chart. She and her band are currently on tour in support of her upcoming album, “Love Through Time,” which will be released this fall.
The Amanda Cook Band features fiddler and Arkansas native George Mason, who has performed with Grand Ole Opry members Jeannie Seely, Stonewall Jackson, and Del Reeves, among others. He also served as music director for the Osmond Family and toured with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.
Other band members include banjo player Carolyne Van Lierop-Boone, bassist Joshua Faul, guitarist Chevy Watson, and mandolinist Ethan Church.
Additional information about Cook and her band is available online.
The admission fee to the Bluegrass Monday concert is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Everyone aged 18 and under will be admitted for free. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.kasu.org/tickets. All ticket proceeds go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance.
Groups of eight or more may request reserved seating by contacting KASU’s Marty Scarbrough. Otherwise, the theatre doors open at 6 p.m., and seating is first-come, first-served.
Acoustic musicians are invited to participate in a bluegrass music jam session to begin at 5 p.m. in the Joe Wessell Building, adjacent to the Collins Theatre. A section of seats in the theatre will be reserved for jammers and their guests so that they can play until the concert begins.
The Bluegrass Monday concert series is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM, providing music fans with an affordable and outstanding evening of family-friendly entertainment. These concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.
These concerts are presented with support from sponsors including the Paragould Advertising & Promotion Commission, Kiss The Cook, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould, and KASU.
KASU is the public media service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming on a variety of online platforms. For more information, contact KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367. Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.
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