Dana Cooper
Dana Cooper is an American singer-songwriter from
Singer-Songwriter | Dana Cooper |
---|---|
Born: | April, 1951 |
Hometown: | Kansas City, MO |
Dates Active: | 1970s - Present |
Genre: | Pop/Rock/Folk |
Styles: | Contemporary Folk |
Associated Acts: | Shake Russell, Jack Saunders,
Michael Marcoulier, John Vandiver |
Early music and career
Dana Cooper was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1951. From an early age, he expressed an interest in singing and playing drums, guitar, and harmonica. By thirteen he had begun writing his own songs and by sixteen he was regularly performing at the Vanguard Coffeehouse and Sign Coffeehouse in Kansas City.[3] He was awarded several scholarships, but only attended college for a year before dropping out to focus on music.[4]
Cooper moved to
Cooper went on to start his own power trio, DC3, a three-man indie rock-band. The group released the indie single “Give Us the Money” in 1983, an eponymous self-produced cassette in 1985, and the Perpetual Man cassette in 1986.[1][3] The band changed its name to the Nuclear Family in 1987 and released a self-titled album.[3] In 1988, Cooper and his wife moved to Nashville, Tennessee, so that Cooper could focus on his solo career.[1]
Later music and recordings
Cooper released the solo CD Stone By Stone in 1992. Thrill of Love, a collaboration with Shake Russell and Jack Saunders, followed in 1994. Thrill of Love was named Album of the Year by the Houston Press/KLOL Music Awards.[9][3] In 1995, Cooper released a live acoustic album, Roughly Speaking, which included a breadth of old and new material.[1] His 1997 album Miracle Mile, produced by fellow Kansas City native Josh Leo, featured guest appearances by Lyle Lovett and Maura O'Connell.[3] Miracle Mile was nominated for a Nashville Music Award as “Best Pop Album” and was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as one of the top DIY recordings of the year.[10] Harry Truman Built a Road was named one of the best records of 2002 by the Tennessean and was also chosen as one of the best DIY recordings for that year. Made of Mud, released on King Easy Records in 2005, won Cooper the “Best Male Songwriter” award by Indie Acoustic Project. In 2010 Cooper began working with guitarist/songwriter/producer Thomm Jutz. Together they have recorded four projects, The Conjurer in 2010, Road Show in 2012, Building a Human Being in 2015, and Incendiary Kid in 2017.
Cooper has become an integral figure in the Nashville songwriting community, collaborating with renowned writers like Tom Kimmel, Kim Carnes and Don Henry. Cooper has been invited to participate in songwriting workshops from Belfast to Copenhagen to Austin.[11][1]
Discography
Solo work
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
1973 | Dana Cooper | Elektra |
1987 | Nuclear Family | Skram Records |
1988 | Complicated Stuff | Self-published |
1992 | Stone by Stone | Jalapeno Records |
1997 | Miracle Mile | Compass Records |
2001 | Harry Truman Built a Road | Dog Eared Records |
2005 | Made of Mud | King Easy Records |
2010 | The Conjurer | Dog Eared Records |
2012 | Road Show | Dog Eared Records |
2015 | Building a Human Being | Self-published |
2017 | Incendiary Kid | Travianna |
Collaborations
Year | Performers | Album | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Shake Russell with Dana Cooper | Songs on the Radio | Cherry Records |
1981 | Shake Russell / Dana Cooper | The Shake Russell - Dana Cooper Band | Southcoast Records, MCA Records |
1981 | The Shake Russell/Dana Cooper Band, John Vandiver, The Michael Marcoulier Band | Comin' Home | Twin Dream Records |
1986 | Dana Cooper's DC3 | Perpetual Man | Self-published |
1998 | Shake Russell and Dana Cooper | Love's Bright Campaign | Jalapeno Records |
2011 | Dana Cooper, Annika Fehling | Visby, Texas | Rootsy |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Tyer, Brad (September 1, 1994). "Dana Cooper, Roughly Speaking". Houston Press.
- ^ "Eric Taylor & Dana Cooper". The Buttonwood Tree: Performing Arts and Cultural Center. March 18, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Harris, Craig (2018). "Artist Biography". All Music. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- hdl:1911/97402.
- ^ Granberry, Michael (January 2016). "Acclaimed singer-songwriter Dana Cooper still feels the love". Dallas News.
- ^ a b "Dana Cooper". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
- ^ a b c Adamson, Dale (September 7, 1980). "Coming into their own". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Racine, Marty (February 7, 1982). "Comin' Home". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Sorenson, Edith (July 28, 1994). "Hot Sounds in the City". Houston Press.
- ^ Bartholomew, Dustin (November 7, 2017). "Songwriter Dana Cooper to play Sunrise Stage Nov. 11". Fayetteville Flyer.
- ^ Cooper, Dana (2018). "Artist Biography". Dana Cooper Music. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Dana Cooper Exhibit, Houston Folk Music Archive (Woodson Research Center, Rice University)
- Dana Cooper oral history (Woodson Research Center, Rice University)
- Dana Cooper Discography