The Cooper Brothers

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The Cooper Brothers

Background information
Genre(s)	Country Rock
Years active	1974 — present
Label(s)	Capricorn Records (1978-1983) EMI Pacemaker (2006-present)
Website	The Cooper Brothers
Members
Brian Cooper Dick Cooper Les Emmerson Steve Hollingworth Ed Bimm Brian Sim
Former members
Terry King

The Cooper Brothers are a 70s 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, best known for the popular 70’s anthem “Signs”). The group had some early regional success with the tracks “Finally (With You) ” and “Miss Lonelyhearts” under the Polydor label[1].

The band first gained international attention in the summer of 1978 when they landed a major recording contract with Capricorn Records (famous for 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 under the Capricorn label, the self-titled, The Cooper Brothers and Pitfalls of the Ballroom. Both albums sold extremely well and the singles “The Dream Never Dies”, “Show Some Emotion” and “I’ll Know Her When I See Her”[2], all charted on The Billboard Hot 100 [3].

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 such diverse artists as: 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 - the current keyboardist for The Rolling Stones - 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 join Les Emmerson of Five Man Electrical Band. With Emmerson lending his experience and expertise, the Cooper Brothers produced two more albums – Learning to Live with It and the unreleased Reach for the Sky. Neither album achieved success and the band members parted ways shortly after in 1983.

In October of 2006, the Cooper Brothers would reunite to release a CD collection of their most popular tracks entitled: The Best of the Cooper Brothers[4] under the EMI Pacemaker label. The band also performed for the first time on stage in over twenty years, leading to renewed interest in the group and prompting a series of live dates throughout Southern Ontario.