 Joining forces with friends John Reed and Tony Knight, he formed the legendary Jug Trust (as in The National Trust) in 1962, a trio renowned for their humour, and their interpretation of rarely heard jug band music from outfits like the Memphis Jug Band, Clifford Hayes Jug Band, King David's Jug Band and Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers.On 14 October 1972, Cookman married Lesley Penn, now the author of the Libby Sarjeant mystery series published by Accent Press, with whom he went on to have four children, Louise, now a professional singer; Miles, a singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist and stand-in Jug Trust member; Phillipa, also a singer and occasional guitarist and Leo, the only pianist in the family.After many years of playing all around UK and Europe, Cookman's songwriting began to demand a more commercial sound, so the band became Bronx Cheer and added keyboards, bass and drums.