| Da Yoopers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Ishpeming, Michigan, USA |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | You Guys |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Jim Bellmore Lynn Bellmore Jim DeCaire Reggie Lusardi Bobby Symons |
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| Past members | |
| Jim Boyer Dave "Doc" Bradbury Dick Bunce Steve Calhoun Jerry "Cuppa" Coffey "Cowboy" Dan Collins Joe DeLongchamp Jerry "Mungo" LaJoie "Billy Bob" Langson Pete "Casanova" LaLonde Robert "Dill" Nebel Jim Pennell Joe Potila Mike "Mikku" Powers various other guest contributors |
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Da Yoopers is a traveling comedy show and musical group from Ishpeming, Mich. They are known primarily for their humorous songs and skits, most of which center around 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 comprises Jim Bellmore (guitar, vocals), Lynn Bellmore (keyboards, vocals), Jim DeCaire (percussion, vocals), Reggie Lusardi (bass guitar, vocals), Bobby Symons (drums).
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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.[1] The band took their name from the word "yooper", a common term for people of the of the "U.P.", an abbreviation for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and "Da" came from the Yooper dialect pronunciation of "the".[2] 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,[1][3][4] 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.
By the release of Camp Fever, the band's third album, Pennell left and was replaced with Joe DeLongchamp.[5] In addition, Lynn Anderson married Jerry Coffey, who joined as a vocalist and percussionist.[1] It also included the first song of the band's career not to be written by Potila or DeCaire, as DeLongchamp wrote the title track. Yoop It Up, their fourth cassette, was released in 1989. This was the first album to feature DeCaire's son, Jesse.
Yoopy Do Wah, released in 1991, was the band's first album on compact disc,[1] released shortly after Dave "Doc" Bradbury took over on bass guitar. Also that year, a compilation titled For Diehards Only was released, featuring a selection of songs from the group's first four albums. Da Yoopers' 1993 album One Can Short of a Six-Pack featured both regular and Christmas songs, including a parody of "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" titled "Grandpa Got Run Over By a Beer Truck". After the release of this album, both Potila and Bradbury departed the group. Potila was replaced with lead guitarist Jim Bellmore, who made his first appearance on the 1995 album We're Still Rockin'. Bellmore also succeeded Potila as the band's main songwriter, usually working with DeCaire. "Cowboy" Dan Collins, who had previously appeared on two other albums as a backing vocalist, also officially joined as rhythm guitarist on this album, and Reggie Lusardi became bass guitarist afterward. Several members soon joined as sketch comedy actors as well: Dick Bunce (who also played bass guitar on some songs), Pete "Casanova" LaLonde, Jerry "Mungo" LaJoie and "Billy Bob" Langson.
Two albums were released in 2000: Jackpine Savage and Naked Elves in Cowboy Boots, the latter an album of Christmas music. Both Dan Collins and Jerry Coffey left shortly after Naked Elves in Cowboy Boots to pursue other interests. 2004 saw the release of the concept album Songs for Fart Lovers and Diehards II (a second compilation composed of songs from the first four albums), with the two-disc 21st Century Yoopers in Space following in 2006. This album also featured several guest contributions in both performing and songwriting. Lynn, who divorced Jerry in 2005, was again credited as Lynn Anderson on 21st Century Yoopers in Space, and married Bellmore shortly after that album's release.
Da Yoopers also own and operate a gift shop near Ishpeming called "Da Yoopers Tourist Trap", located in Ishpeming. This gift shop features various Upper Peninsula-themed merchandise.[3][6]
The band's membership comprises the following:[7]
All albums released on You Guys Records.
| Album | Release |
|---|---|
| Yoopanese | July 4, 1986 |
| Culture Shock | November 1, 1987 |
| Camp Fever | August 1, 1988 |
| Yoop It Up | August 1, 1989 |
| Yoopy Do Wah | October 1, 1991 |
| One Can Short of a Six-Pack | November 23, 1994 |
| For Diehards Only | April 16, 1995 |
| We're Still Rockin' | December 10, 1996 |
| Jackpine Savage | August 15, 2000 |
| Naked Elves in Cowboy Boots | November 14, 2000 |
| Songs for Fart Lovers | February 10, 2004 |
| Diehards II | 2004 |
| 21st Century Yoopers in Space | 2006 |