Hope Evans, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Courtney Cooke's life was redefined when a schoolgirl threw stones at him during an afternoon break. One of the small rocks the girl threw hit him in the eye. Gradually, his vision went.

However, losing his eyesight was not the end for Cooke. It was only the beginning.

Born on a sunny afternoon on September 26, 1973, the gospel singer exited the womb on a high note. Cooke sees life through sound and music, not through his eyes, as he has been blind since childhood.

Despite his impairment, Cooke remains focused and positive.

"My motto is perseverance through adversity," he said. "I push through and nothing stops me."

Ironically, Cooke's singing voice is reminiscent of another well-known Cooke, also with a raspy, soulful voice: American recording artiste Sam Cooke, best known for his song A Change is Gonna Come.

Many talents

Singing is just one of Cooke's many talents. His entrepreneurial skills were formed when he was very young. The nickname 'Flour' has stuck with him for years because as a child, he would "cook a whole heap of dumplings" and sell them to neighbours, he said. Those same neighbours also served as motivating support for the singer when he went totally blind.

"When I lost my sight, I was loved and respected in the community," Cooke said. "They took care of me."

Despite that care, Cooke said he has ensured he has never been helpless.

"I go anywhere I want by myself, without the help of anyone," Cooke told The Gleaner.

In that respect, he claims to do some things better than many seeing men, like singing, cooking, and playing dominos. A normal day for Cookes consists of dressing his daughter, Raechel, for school in the mornings, making breakfast, mentally writing songs for his shows, and catching a day job - washing and vacuuming cars. In the evenings, he prepares dinner for his wife and daughter - curry goat is his speciality.

For years, Cooke has been singing around the island. He said he is adamant about spreading Christianity through song. He attributes his most life-changing experience not to his blindness, but to his 1998 baptism.

"When I accepted Christ," he said, "it was wonderful!"

Cooke has received several honours, including being Kingston's Gospel Fire headliner for two consecutive years. He also placed in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's Gospel Song Competition and his song Gimme Pass has received extensive radio rotation in Jamaica since 2007.

hope.evans@gleanerjm.com