Da Yoopers
| Da Yoopers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Ishpeming, Michigan, US |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | You Guys |
| Website | Official website |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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Da Yoopers is a traveling comedy show and musical group from Ishpeming, Michigan. They are known primarily for their humorous songs and skits, most of which center on life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The band's name includes the term "Yooper," slang for residents of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the use of "da" instead of "the" is typical of the Yooper dialect.
Da Yoopers has released thirteen albums, all on their personal label, You Guys Records. The band's lineup consists of Jim Bellmore (guitar, vocals), Lynn Bellmore (keyboards, vocals), Jim DeCaire (percussion, vocals), Bobby Symons (drums), and Matt Bullock (sketch comedy actor).
Da Yoopers was founded in 1975 by drummer Jim DeCaire and guitarist Rodney "Joe" Potila, along with keyboardist Lynn Anderson and bass guitarist Jim Pennell. The band took their name from the word "yooper", a common term for people of the "U.P.", an abbreviation for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and "Da" came from the Yooper dialect pronunciation of "the". The band toured throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula for several years, before recording their first album, Yoopanese, in 1986 on their personal label, You Guys Records. This album included nine songs, all written by Potila and DeCaire.
A second album, Culture Shock, was released a year later. This second album featured several comedy songs, including "Second Week of Deer Camp" and "Rusty Chevrolet" (the latter a parody of "Jingle Bells"), both of which became local hits, including airplay on stations in Chicago and Milwaukee. In addition, "Second Week of Deer Camp" would later be played on several Dr. Demento shows. "2nd Week of Deer Camp" has also received heavy radio air-play in North Central Pennsylvania annually since 1995 in late November and early December during deer hunting season. This album also featured humorous dialogue and skits between songs, a feature later duplicated both in concert and on subsequent albums. Several local guest musicians also performed on this album.
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