David Cook Crowned Season Seven's "American Idol"

David Cook was named season seven's American Idol victor after a two-hour finale packed with advertising tie-ins and appearances by Seal, Donna Summer, Bryan Adams ,ZZ Top, Graham Nash, Jonas Brothers, a digital Gladys Knight, OneRepublic, former Idols Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks, as well as George Michael (who performed a sober "Praying for Time" after the final twelve ran through a medley of his hits). According to Idol, 97.5 million votes were cast for the two Davids, with Cook pulling ahead by a margin of 56 to 44 percent. For our full recap of tonight's show, come back tomorrow for the final Idol Countdown of the season.

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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