The Cooper Brothers
| The Cooper Brothers | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Country rock |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels |
Capricorn Records (1978-1983) EMI (2006-present) |
| Website | thecooperbrothers.com |
| Members | Brian Cooper Dick Cooper Rob Holtz Darwin Demers Ed Bimm Jeff Rogers John Steele |
| Past members | Terry King Allan Serwa Charles Robertson III Don Bregg |
The Cooper Brothers are a Canadian southern rock band founded in Ottawa, Ontario, by brothers Brian Cooper and Dick Cooper and their long-time friend Terry King. Starting in 1974, the band released several singles under the production guidance of Les Emmerson (of the Canadian rock group Five Man Electrical Band). The group had some early regional success with the tracks “Finally (With You)” and “Miss Lonelyhearts” under the Polydor label.
After this success, Don Bregg (who sang on all hits of the Cooper Brothers) and Allan Serwa started a group, Sine, also produced by Gary Cape and recorded their first album in 1980 to high acclaim within the industry. Due to the failure of many record companies at the time, the album was never released.
The band first gained attention in the summer of 1978 when they signed with Capricorn Records and producer Gary Cape. The label was producing several of the most popular southern-rock acts of the time including: The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, Wet Willie and Elvin Bishop. Over the next few years the Cooper Brothers released two albums, the self-titled, 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”, all charted on The Billboard Hot 100. In 2006, the band was signed to record label EMI Records.
Among their many critical accolades, 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 A.S.C.A.P 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 Canada’s 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 and Hillman and Seals and Crofts. In addition, the band worked with some of the most prolific musicians of the day including Chuck Leavell, who played on the Cooper Brothers’ track “Ridin High”.
Despite their success, the band faced a dramatic transformation in late 1980, when Capricorn Records folded. The band however, would once again go into the studio with Cape producing but now the band was joined by Les Emmerson of Five Man Electrical Band. One more album was produced, Learning to Live with It, but it had little success. With Les Emmerson now lending his experience and expertise, the Cooper Brothers produced one last album, Reach for the Sky. This last album went unreleased and the band members parted ways shortly after in 1983.
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Wikipedia