John Cooper (musician)

Infobox Celebrity
name = John L. Cooper


caption = John Cooper in concert on February 15, 2008.
birth_date = birth date and age|1975|4|7|df=yes
birth_place =
currently_resides = Kenosha, Wisconsin
occupation = Lead singer and bassist for Christian rock band Skillet
website = [http://www.skillet.com/ www.skillet.com]

John Landrum Cooper (born 1975; professionally credited as John L. Cooper) is an American musician.

As of 2008 he is the lead singer and bassist of the multiple Grammy-nominatedcite web |url=http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11561322/ |title=Skillet Closes Out 2007 With Grammy Nomination And R&R's No. 1 Christian CHR Song Of The Year |publisher=CCM Magazine |accessdate=2008-04-16] Christian rock band Skillet.

Biography

Music career

Cooper was one of the founding members of Skillet in 1996.Fact|date=April 2008 His wife, Korey Cooper, joined in 1999 as a piano player, guitarist, and backing vocalist. He is the only member of the band to appear on all seven of their albums.Fact|date=May 2007 He said at the 2006 Rock the Universe festival that the previous year's Rock the Universe was the most fun he had ever had at a show.Fact|date=April 2008 He also said at the 2007 festival that he had a lot of fun the previous year, and before their show at the 2007 festival had even ended, he said he wanted to come back for the next year. Skillet is scheduled to play the Hollywood Stage on the first night of Rock the Universe 2008. The festival has been given much support by both the fans and the bands who play it, and Cooper has said that it is his favorite show to play each year. [ [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/concerts/RockTheUniverse07.asp Concert Review of Rock The Universe 2007] on Jesus Freak Hideout]

Although he doesn't play keyboard for the band now, John was Skillet's original keyboardist.Fact|date=May 2007 When he started the band, he played bass guitar, keyboards, and sang lead vocals. John is classically trained on piano, and was also in marching band in high school and college playing trombone. Before starting Skillet, he spent 5 years playing in the band Seraph where he first learned how to rock the crowd, and get the fans involved. During Skillet concerts, in between songs, he frequently tells stories about his mother, who he says was a very devoted Christian, evangelizing people in the grocery store and such.Fact|date=May 2007 He speaks about the events affectionately although he also admits some embarrassment at the time. She was their church pianist, and taught John how to play. His relationship with his father was a rough one growing up though,Fact|date=May 2007 which has been the basis for the Skillet songs "Open Wounds" and "The Older I Get".

Other Compilations

John provided vocals for "!Hero: The Rock Opera". According to a review, Cooper did not tour with the rock opera (he only provided vocals for a couple songs on the soundtrack), so in his place was "Fusebox's lead vocalist Billy Buchanan who did splendidly in the role" [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/concerts/!Hero.asp] .

Personal life

Cooper is married to Korey Cooper, the keyboardist/guitarist for Skillet. They have two children: Alexandria (born in 2002), and Xavier (born in 2005).

References