John Cooper | |
|---|---|
 Cooper at Hellfest 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Landrum Cooper |
| Also known as | John L. Cooper, Doggie |
| Born | April 7, 1975 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Member of | Skillet, Fight the Fury |
| Formerly of | Seraph |
John Landrum Cooper (born April 7, 1975) is an American musician. He is lead vocalist, bassist and a founding member of the Christian rock band Skillet.
Cooper has stated on numerous occasions that he was born and raised in a very religious family and atmosphere, and listening to rock music was not allowed in his parents' household. [1] "You couldn't wear black, you couldn't listen to anything with drums, anything with guitars, you couldn't have long hair, you couldn't do this and you couldn't do that. Everything was so lifeless. I know I'd read the Bible and be like... 'This isn't what the Bible says. I like the idea of living for Jesus, but I hate the idea of living for you.' Ya know?" [2]
Cooper came from a musical family. His mother was a piano teacher and a singer in the church that he went to. He began singing at a very young age, playing guitar at around the age of 18 and bass guitar at the age of 19. [1]
Cooper was briefly in experimental rock group Seraph from 1989 to 1995. The band released a four-song demo, titled Silence E.P., before disbanding. [3]
Cooper formed Skillet in 1996 with Ken Steorts. Both had met while touring for previous bands; Cooper as vocalist for the Tennessee progressive rock band Seraph and Steorts as guitarist for Urgent Cry. The bands disbanded soon after, so Cooper and Steorts' pastor encouraged them to form their own band as a side-project. Coming from different styles of rock music, they decided to name the experiment Skillet. Soon afterward Trey McClurkin joined the band as a temporary drummer. Skillet was only together for a month when they received interest from major Christian record label ForeFront Records and were signed soon afterward. Ken Steorts left the band in 1999 and Trey McClurkin left the band in 2000 leaving Cooper as the only founding member of the band and primary songwriter.
Cooper provided vocals for !Hero: The Rock Opera. According to a review, Cooper did not tour with the rock opera. He only provided vocals for the Rabbi Kai on the soundtrack. [4] Cooper was the co-writer of the Decyfer Down single "Best I Can". [5]
He sang on the title track of TobyMac's album, Tonight , which peaked at No. 27 on the Christian Songs chart. [6] [7] He performed vocals on We as Human's song "Zombie", [8] which appeared on their debut self-titled album and made a cameo appearance in the music video for "Strike Back". [9] He signed them to his record label. [8]
Cooper started a side project, Fight the Fury, in September 2018. He hopes the band will meet the needs of those who enjoy Skillet's heavier music. The band released an EP on Atlantic Records later in 2018 and then went on tour in Russia in December. [10] As of October 27, 2018, They have released five songs. [11]
As of 2024, Cooper and his wife Korey have two children. [12]
Cooper has been an outspoken critic of the "deconstruction movement", believing that many churches are neglecting to teach the gospel as written in the Bible: "It is time for the church to rediscover the preeminence of the Word. And to value the teaching of the Word. We need to value truth over feeling. Truth over emotion." [13] [14] [15]
His favorite bass guitar players are Chris Squire and Doug Pinnick. [1]
| Year | Details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [17] | US Heat. [17] | US Rock [17] | US Hard Rock [17] | ||
| 2018 | Still Breathing
| — [upper-alpha 1] | 1 | 37 | 12 |
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christ. Rock [18] | ||||
| 2018 | "My Demons" | 25 | Still Breathing | |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Positions | Artist | Album | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Rock | US Christ. [ citation needed ] | US Christ. Airplay [19] | US Main. | |||||
| 2010 | "Tonight" | — | 27 | 27 | — | TobyMac | Tonight | Featured artist [20] |
| 2011 | "Zombie" | 23 | — | — | — | We As Human | We As Human | Featured artist [21] |
| 2018 | "Warrior" | 2 [22] | — | — | — | LEDGER | LEDGER EP | Featured artist, writer [23] |
| 2023 | "Wolf" | — | — | — | 21 | Saint Asonia | Introvert/Extrovert | Featured artist [24] |
Eden graphic novel series
Nonfiction
Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. The band currently consists of husband and wife duo John Cooper and Korey Cooper along with Jen Ledger and Seth Morrison. The band has released eleven studio albums, two of which, Collide and Comatose, received Grammy nominations. Two of their albums, Comatose and Awake, are certified Platinum and Double Platinum respectively by the RIAA, while Rise and Unleashed are certified Gold as of June 29, 2020. Four of their songs, "Monster", "Hero", "Awake and Alive", and "Feel Invincible", are certified Multi-Platinum, while another three, "Whispers in the Dark", "Comatose", and "The Resistance" are certified Platinum, and another three, "Rebirthing", "Not Gonna Die", and "The Last Night" certified Gold.
Alien Youth is the fourth studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. Developing their sound into hard-hitting industrial rock, it was released August 28, 2001 through Ardent Records. This was the first Skillet album to include guitarist Ben Kasica, replacing Kevin Haaland. Kasica joined Skillet late in the recording process for the album, only recording guitars on "Earth Invasion". It peaked at No. 141 on the Billboard 200 and No. 16 on The Australian Christian Albums Chart.
Skillet is the debut studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. Released on October 29, 1996, as an enhanced CD and audio cassette on ForeFront Records and Ardent Records, it showcases Christian lyrics with a grunge sound.
Invincible is the third studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. It was released on February 1, 2000 on ForeFront Records and Ardent Records. This album continues the electronic and industrial rock that was heard on Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1998), however, this album's industrial sound is more modernized than on Hey You, I Love Your Soul. Kevin Haaland replaced original guitarist Ken Steorts, although Steorts performed additional guitar on the album. Korey Cooper, John Cooper's wife, was the keyboardist and backing vocalist on the album and also did loops, programming, and sampling.
Ardent Worship is the first live album by American Christian rock band Skillet. It was released in 2000 by Ardent Records seven months after Invincible. It is a worship album consisting of both live and studio recordings of six songs written by Skillet and four songs covering other artists. Original Skillet members Ken Steorts and Trey McClurkin appear on "Safe With You" and "Shout To The Lord" to finish the live set with fellow founding member John Cooper. This is the only Skillet album with no music videos and the first album with Lori Peters on drums, who replaced Trey McClurkin. Two songs come from previous Skillet albums, "Safe With You" being from their self-titled album and "Angels Fall Down" being the hidden track on Invincible.
Hey You, I Love Your Soul is the second studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. It was released on April 21, 1998 as an enhanced CD on ForeFront Records and Ardent Records. Hey You, I Love Soul introduces the industrial rock sound that carries onto Alien Youth, with songs like the title track "Hey You, I Love Your Soul" and "Take".
"The Older I Get" is the fourth single released by the Christian rock band Skillet from their sixth album Comatose in 2007. The song was also released on an EP called "The Older I Get EP." The song charted at No. 27 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 14 on the Billboard US Hot Christian Songs chart.
"Rebirthing" is a song by the Christian rock band Skillet, and it is the first single off their sixth album Comatose. The song has achieved a large amount of popularity in both the mainstream and Christian radio. The song was No. 1 on ChristianRock.Net's Weekly Top 30 for sixteen straight weeks, No. 3 on their Annual Top 100, and was the most requested song of the year in 2006. The song also charted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.
Jennifer Carole Ledger is a British-American musician who serves as the drummer and co-vocalist for the Christian rock band Skillet. At the age of 18, she became Skillet's drummer when Lori Peters retired.
The discography of the American Christian rock band Skillet consists of 11 studio albums, 4 EPs, 2 live albums, 3 compilation albums, and 70 radio singles with 21 reaching No. 1 on at least one chart.
Awake is the seventh studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. It is the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated album Comatose. The album was released on August 25, 2009, by Lava Records, Ardent Records and Atlantic Records and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 27, 2010, and has since gone double platinum, selling over 2,000,000 copies to date. It was nominated for Top Christian Album at the Billboard Music Awards 2011 and won. This is the last album to feature guitarist Ben Kasica and the first studio release to feature drummer Jen Ledger. The singles "Awake and Alive", "Hero", and "Monster" are certified 2× Platinum, 3× Platinum, and 5× Platinum, respectively.
"Monster" is the second single from the 2009 album Awake by the American Christian rock band Skillet, and is the second track on the album. The single went on to become the band's breakthrough single, charting at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. A radio edit of the song can be found on the deluxe version of the album Awake which doesn’t include the growling section of the song. It is also the fifth single by Skillet to be released to physical media.
"Awake and Alive" is the third single of the 2009 album Awake by the Christian rock band Skillet and is the fourth track on the album. It was released on February 15, 2010, to Christian Hard rock and Rock radio. Before release as a single, the song charted at No. 100 in the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and No. 16 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers after the release of Awake thanks to digital sales, becoming Skillet's first song to hit the Hot 100. The song also charted at No. 1 on Christian Rock.net. It has also debuted on Christian Rock charts at No. 12.
The Early Years (1996–2001) is the first compilation album by American Christian rock band Skillet, released on July 27, 2010. It includes songs from Skillet's first four studio albums: Skillet (1996), Hey You, I Love Your Soul (1998), Invincible (2000), and Alien Youth (2001). Two music videos, "Best Kept Secret" and "Gasoline", are also included in the compilation.
Awake and Remixed EP is the third EP by American Christian rock band Skillet. All songs are remixed versions from their previous album, Awake. It was released on March 22, 2011 and debuted at No. 98 on the Billboard 200.
We as Human was an American Christian rock band originally from Sandpoint, Idaho, United States, formed in 2001. They were discovered by John Cooper, lead singer of the band Skillet, in 2010 who introduced them to Atlantic Records, their current label. They moved to Nashville, Tennessee in September 2011, where they resided until they disbanded. They have played shows with Avenged Sevenfold, Skillet, Korn, Alter Bridge, Papa Roach, and Shinedown. Their music has been accepted in both the Christian and mainstream rock markets.
Saint Asonia is a Canadian-American rock supergroup consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Gontier, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Cale Gontier, and drummer Cody Watkins. In 2017, the band's original drummer, Rich Beddoe, left the band and was replaced by Mushok's Staind bandmate Sal Giancarelli, and one year later bassist and backing vocalist Corey Lowery left the band to join Seether and his place was taken by Gontier's cousin Cale Gontier. The band formed in Toronto, Canada in 2015 after Gontier's departure from Three Days Grace in 2013. Their second studio album, titled Flawed Design, was released on October 25, 2019. On January 26, 2020, Art of Dying drummer Cody Watkins became the new drummer for Saint Asonia replacing Sal Giancarelli.
Ken Steorts is the founder and president of Visible Music College in Memphis, Tennessee and founding guitarist of the Grammy-nominated band Skillet. Visible Music College is an accredited, bachelor-degree-granting institution of higher education in music, music production, and music business. He is president of Madison Line Records, a non-profit artist development and music production company and a BMI songwriter/guitarist/band leader in his band "the beep." Steorts is a church music leader and active in the music community of Memphis.
Unleashed is the ninth studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet, released on August 5, 2016. The album was announced on May 20, 2016, and a lyric video was released for the track "Feel Invincible" at the same time on the band's YouTube channel. Six days later, the band released a lyric video for the track "Stars" on their YouTube channel. The album was certified gold on December 4, 2018, selling 500,000 copies.
Victorious is the tenth studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet, released on August 2, 2019. The album was announced on May 7, 2019, and a lyric video was released for the track "Legendary" at the same time on the band's YouTube channel. The band released the song "You Ain't Ready" on July 26, 2019, as a promotional single. "Legendary" was later chosen to be the new theme song for a new look WWE Raw, which debuted in 2019.
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