The Cooper Brothers

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This article is about the rock band. For the accounting company, see PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
The Cooper Brothers
OriginOttawa, Ontario, Canada
GenresCountry rock
Years active1974–present
LabelsCapricorn Records (1978-1980)
Salt Records (1980)
Pacemaker Entertainment (2006-present)
Gunshy Productions (2010-present)
MembersBrian Cooper
Dick Cooper
Rob Holtz
Darwin Demers
Jeff Rogers
John Steele
Sherri Harding[1]
Past membersTerry King
Allan Serwa
Charles Robertson III
Glenn Bell
Ed Bimm
Les Emmerson
Websitecooperbrothersband.com

The Cooper Brothers are a Canadian southern rock band founded in Ottawa, Ontario, by brothers Brian Cooper, Dick Cooper and their long-time friend Terry King.

Biography[edit]

The band's first single, "From Day to Day", was released in 1973 under the local label Diana.[2]

The following year, the band released two more singles under the production guidance of Les Emmerson for Polydor; "Finally (With You)" and "Miss Lonelyheart".[3]

The band's breakthrough came when they teamed up with producer/manager Gary Cape and signed to Capricorn Records in 1978. This resulted in two albums, The Cooper Brothers and Pitfalls of the Ballroom. Both albums sold well and the singles "The Dream Never Dies", "Show Some Emotion" and "I'll Know Her When I See Her", charted on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

The Cooper Brothers were voted Best New Group in 1978, Best MOR Group in 1979 and Best Overall Group in 1980 by Canadian Contemporary Music Programmers. In 1980, "The Dream Never Dies" also earned an ASCAP Award as one of the most performed songs on U.S radio. The song has subsequently been recorded by several other artists including Bill Anderson and Juice Newton, and was also the title theme for a feature-length documentary on the Canadian National Ski Team.

At the height of their career the band toured extensively throughout North America, opening for The Doobie Brothers, Black Oak Arkansas, Joe Cocker, Charlie Daniels, Atlanta Rhythm Section, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman and Seals and Crofts. The band also worked with Chuck Leavell, who played on the Cooper Brothers' track "Ridin' High".

The band faced a dramatic transformation in 1980 when Capricorn Records folded. In 1982 they returned to the studio with Cape, now joined by Les Emmerson of Five Man Electrical Band, and produced the album Learning to Live with It, which saw little success. The Cooper Brothers produced another album with Les Emmerson, Reach for the Sky, but this album was not released. The band members parted ways in 1983. Dick Cooper transitioned from music to a career as a screenwriter for children's TV programs including You Can't Do That on Television'.' While working at Ottawa television station CJOH, he created his own teen drama series, Highschool Confidential.

In October 2006, the Cooper Brothers reunited to release a CD collection of their most popular tracks entitled, The Best of the Cooper Brothers under the Pacemaker label, and the band performed live together for the first time in over twenty years. The performance led to several sold-out live performances throughout Southern Ontario, including an Ottawa Bluesfest concert with the band opening up for James Taylor in front of a crowd of over 25,000 people. Following this, Richard Cooper began writing songs again and the brothers approached musician/producer and old friend Colin Linden with the intent of recording another album. Linden recalls, "When I heard the songs, I thought they sounded timeless. They were brimming with ideas. They weren't trivial and they were musically and lyrically so well thought out...".[citation needed]

In September 2009, with Colin at the helm, the brothers went to Masterlink Studio in Nashville to begin recording with session musicians including Audley Freed, Dan Dugmore, Lynn Williams, and Steve Mackey. Following additional recordings in Ottawa and Toronto, the CD was mixed in Los Angeles by John Whynot.

In February 2010, a new Cooper Brothers album, In From the Cold, was released, featuring 12 new songs. The album also featured guest artists including Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, plus Delbert McClinton and Chuck Leavell.

In June 2013, the Cooper Brothers released the album Southbound, which was recorded at the Tragically Hip's studio in Bath, Ontario, and was produced by Colin Cripps. The album featured eleven new Richard Cooper-penned tracks including the first single, "Southbound". The album also includes the tracks "Love's Been a Stranger", a duet featuring Brian and Juno Award winner Kellylee Evans, as well as "Maybe This is the Night" and "Bridges".

The live band line-up at the time includes Ed Bimm, Rob Holtz, Jeff Rogers, Darwin Demers, and John Steele. Other session musicians include Gary Craig, Topher Stott and Carey Blackwell.

Radio Silence, the Cooper Brothers’ seventh studio album was released in 2017.[5]

It was the eighth album in the band's career and the first they recorded in their hometown of Ottawa - at Audiovalley Studios. The brothers, spent over a year on this project. They relied on their live band, Jeff Rogers, Darwin Demers, Ed Bimm, Rob Holtz and John Steele. Amongst special guests on the recording are Colin Cripps, Ray Legere, and Rebecca Noelle.

The Cooper Brothers received the Mayor's City Builder Award[6] from Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson in recognition of their charity work. This work included being founding members of Ringside for Youth, which raised $3.5M from 1993 to 2019.[7]

Former band member Glenn Bell (born September 3, 1954) died in his sleep on February 16, 2019, at age 64.[8] Another former band member Ed Bimm (born July 9, 1951) died on October 6, 2019, at age 68.[9]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

The Cooper Brothers - 1978 - Capricorn Records[edit]

Track listing[edit]

All selections written by Richard Cooper. Produced by Gary Cape.

Side One
  1. "Rock And Roll Cowboys" - 4:30
  2. "The Dream Never Dies" - 4:11
  3. "Melody's In My Mind" - 4:50
  4. "Old Angel Midnight" - 4:49
Side Two
  1. "Life Names The Tune - We Dance" - 6:34
  2. "Away From You" - 6:27
  3. "Portrait" - 3:59
  4. "Crazy Sundays" - 3:57
Personnel[edit]
The Cooper Brothers
Additional Personnel

Pitfalls of the Ballroom - 1979 - Capricorn Records[edit]

Track listing[edit]

All selections written by Richard Cooper. Produced by Gary Cape.

Side One
  1. "Make The Last One A Fast One" - 3:30
  2. "I'll Know Her When I See Her" - 3:44
  3. "Show Some Emotion" - 3:51
  4. "Ridin' Hight" - 4:47
Side Two
  1. "Is It The Dancer Or The Dance" - 5:07
  2. "Sweet Forgiver" - 4:17
  3. "Mustard The Dog" - 3:45
  4. "Heroes" - 4:46
Personnel[edit]
The Cooper Brothers[1]

Learning To Live With It - 1982 - Salt Records[edit]

Track listing[edit]

All selections written by Richard Cooper. Produced by Gary Cape.

Side One
  1. " If My Heart Only Knew" - 4:28
  2. "Come Back Baby" - 3:02
  3. "You Live Just A Little" - 3:56
  4. "Poor Little Rich Girl"- 3:24
  5. "Dangerous Moon" - 3:31
Side Two
  1. "It's What's In Your Heart That Matters" - 3:18
  2. "Trouble Written All Over You" - 3:41
  3. " Learning To Live With It" - 4:39
  4. "Rules Of The Road" - 3:06

Best Of the Cooper Brothers - 2006 - Pacemaker Entertainment[edit]

Track listing[edit]
  1. Rock & Roll Cowboys
  2. The Dream Never Dies
  3. Know Her When I See Her
  4. Show Some Emotion
  5. Dangerous Moon
  6. Life Names the Tune
  7. Icy Blue Eyes
  8. Old Angel Midnight
  9. Ridin' High
  10. No Love Lost
  11. Voices (In the Night)
  12. If My Heart Only Knew
  13. Hard Ticket
  14. Away from You

In From The Cold - 2010[edit]

Track listing[edit]

Producer: Colin Lindon

  1. Gunshy
  2. '62 Fairlane
  3. Jukebox (Featuring Delbert McClinton)
  4. Hard Luck Girl (Featuring Jim Cuddy)
  5. That's What Makes Us Great
  6. Never Cease To Amaze
  7. Paradise Pie
  8. Our Love Deserves Better
  9. Love Of The Ages
  10. Tear Down The Walls
  11. The Way She Shines
  12. Little Blue Church

Southbound - 2013[edit]

Track listing[edit]

Producer: Colin Cripps

  1. Southbound
  2. The Last Time I Saw Georgia
  3. Waiting for the Hammer to Fall
  4. Love's Been a Stranger
  5. Bordertown
  6. Bridges
  7. Maybe This is the Night
  8. Five Point Five
  9. Club Shangri-La
  10. Havana Nights
  11. What I Leave Behind

Radio Silence - 2017[edit]

Track listing[edit]

Producer: The Cooper Brothers

  1. Radio Silence
  2. Smuggler's Moon
  3. Straight Outta Nowhere
  4. (There's Gonna Be) Rain
  5. I'm Not Afraid
  6. End Of The Day
  7. Mister One Percent
  8. Government Town
  9. Gone Are The Days
  10. You Don't Have To Worry
  11. Follow Your Heart
  12. Getting Away With It

Singles[edit]

45s[10]
Year Label Number A Side B Side
1973 Diana[11] DO-1008 From Day to Day What She Can Do
1974 Polydor 2065-220 Finally (with you) Lovers
1978 Capricorn Records CPS-0315 Away From You Portrait
1978 Capricorn Records CPS-0303 Rock and Roll Cowboys Portrait
1978 Capricorn Records CPS-0308 The Dream Never Dies Crazy Sundays
1979 Capricorn Records CPS-0323 The Dream Never Dies Rock and Roll Cowboys
1979 Capricorn Records CPS-0325 I'll Know Her When I See Her Heroes
1979 Capricorn Records CPS-0330 Show Some Emotion Mustard The Dog
1982 Salt Records[12] SR-104 DJ If My Heart Only Knew (DJ) If My Heart Only Knew (LP)

The Cooper Brothers gallery[edit]

  • The Original Cooper Brothers
    The Original Cooper Brothers
  • Civic Centre 1982
    Civic Centre 1982
  • Brian Cooper
    Brian Cooper
  • Dick Cooper
    Dick Cooper
  • Brian & Darwin
    Brian & Darwin
  • Jeff Rogers
    Jeff Rogers
  • Brian Cooper
    Brian Cooper
  • Darwin Demers
    Darwin Demers
  • Barrymore's 2008
    Barrymore's 2008
  • Rob Holtz
    Rob Holtz

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "The Cooper Brothers — The Dream Never Dies". Cooperbrothersband.com. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Cooper Brothers – From Day To Day (1973, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  3. ^ "Cooper Brothers at Jam!". Jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 193.
  5. ^ "Radio Silence Released! — The Cooper Brothers". Cooperbrothersband.com. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Richard and Brian Cooper (The Cooper Brothers) receive Mayor's City Builder Award". Pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com. 24 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Final bell coming for Ringside For Youth". Ottawasun.com.
  8. ^ "Glenn Stephen Bell 03-Sep-1954 - 16-Feb-2019". Arbormemorial.ca. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Edward Lawerance Bimm 09-Jul-1951 - 6-Oct-2019". Ottawacitizen.remembering.ca. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  10. ^ "Cooper Brothers". Discogs.
  11. ^ "Diana (2)". Discogs.
  12. ^ "Salt Records (2)". Discogs.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Cooper Brothers.
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