John Cooper (musician)

Last updated

John Cooper
John Cooper au Hellfest 2022.jpg
Cooper at Hellfest 2022
Background information
Birth nameJohn Landrum Cooper
Also known asJohn L. Cooper, Doggie
Born (1975-04-07) April 7, 1975 (age 49)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, bass guitar, piano, guitar
Years active1989–present
Member of Skillet, Fight the Fury
Formerly ofSeraph

John Landrum Cooper (born April 7, 1975) is an American musician. He has been the lead vocalist, bassist and co-founder of Christian rock band Skillet since 1996 and the only constant member of his side project Fight the Fury since 2018.

Contents

Career

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. [1]

Cooper playing bass guitar in 2017 John Cooper Skillet Lifest 2017.jpg
Cooper playing bass guitar in 2017

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. [2] Cooper was the co-writer of the Decyfer Down single "Best I Can". [3]

He sang on the title track of TobyMac's album, Tonight , which peaked at No. 27 on the Christian Songs chart. [4] [5] He performed vocals on We as Human's song "Zombie", [6] which appeared on their debut self-titled album and made a cameo appearance in the music video for "Strike Back". [7] He signed them to his record label. [6]

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. [8] As of October 27, 2018, They have released five songs. [9]

Personal life

Cooper walking off stage with his wife Korey in 2017 John and Korey Cooper Skillet walking off stage Lifest 2017.jpg
Cooper walking off stage with his wife Korey in 2017

John 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. [10] "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?" [11]

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. [10]

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]

He has also garnered controversy concerning his viewpoints, as he cited backlash in 2021 commenting on the live Grammy performance of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Cooper said:

"We're living in a world where there are certain Dr. Seuss books that you cannot sell on eBay. They are just too much for anybody to be even allowed to buy, it's too evil. But you can and must applaud the sexual degradation of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion simulating sex together on the Grammys. This is the perfect example. You must celebrate it; in fact, if you don't celebrate it, you're actually a bad person...and you kinda don't love people. The question is, who is gonna define what is good and what is evil? Every dictator says that what they were doing was good. That's what they believe. If you go back and you read some of Hitler's speeches, he's like, 'I'm gonna set people free – free from the bondage of the Ten Commandments'. In his mind, he's a liberator. It's always like that, you guys. All you do is you just redefine evil and you redefine good. That's what's happening right now on the Grammys."

[16] [17]

Regarding the controversy that ensued on social media, he later said he was taken out of context. [17] He also garnered criticism regarding his views on COVID-19 vaccines and masks and his subsequent criticism of Rage Against the Machine for promoting them. [18]

Influences

His favorite bass guitar players are Chris Squire and Doug Pinnick. [10]

Discography

With Seraph

With Skillet

With Fight the Fury

Extended plays

YearDetailsPeak chart positions
US
[20] 		US
Heat.
[20] 		US
Rock
[20] 		US
Hard Rock
[20]
2018Still Breathing— [upper-alpha 1] 13712

Singles

YearSinglePeak positionsAlbum
Christ.
Rock
[21]
2018"My Demons"25Still Breathing
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Other appearances

YearTitlePeak Chart PositionsArtistAlbumNotes
Christian
Rock 		US Christ.
[ citation needed ]		 US Christ. Airplay
[22] 		US
Main.
2010"Tonight"—2727— TobyMac Tonight Featured artist [23]
2011"Zombie"23——— We As Human We As Human Featured artist [24]
2018"Warrior"2
[25] 		——— LEDGER LEDGER EPFeatured artist, writer [26]
2023"Wolf"———21 Saint Asonia Introvert/Extrovert Featured artist [27]

Bibliography

Eden graphic novel series

Nonfiction

Notes

  1. ↑ Still Breathing did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at number 31 on the Top Album Sales chart and at number 9 on the Top Digital Albums chart.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skillet (band)</span> American Christian rock band

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 two, "Whispers in the Dark" and "Comatose", are certified Platinum, and another four, "Rebirthing", "Not Gonna Die", "The Last Night", and "The Resistance" are certified Gold.

<i>Collide</i> (Skillet album) 2003 studio album by Skillet

Collide is the fifth studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. It was originally released on Ardent Records on November 18, 2003. The album was re-released on Lava Records as an enhanced CD with the bonus track "Open Wounds" on May 25, 2004. Collide peaked at No. 179 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Top Heatseekers. The album artwork, according John Cooper in a 2004 interview, is "faith and fear colliding." The album has sold over 320,000 units in the USA alone. The album received positive reviews. Collide was nominated for "Best Rock Gospel Album" at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2005. Even though the album has sold enough copies to go gold, it has never been certified by the RIAA. On this album, Collide shed the industrial rock sound that Skillet utilized for three records in favor a heavier nü-metal sound.

<i>Alien Youth</i> 2001 studio album by Skillet

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.

<i>Skillet</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Skillet

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.

<i>Invincible</i> (Skillet album) 2000 studio album by Skillet

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.

<i>Comatose</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Skillet

Comatose is the sixth studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. Released on October 3, 2006, by Lava Records, Ardent Records and Atlantic Records, this album continued a similar music style set by the band's 2003 album, Collide, of downplaying the keyboard elements that were prominent in previous releases in favor of distorted guitars, and included more of an emphasis on orchestral elements. Comatose was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 3, 2009, their first album to do so, and has since gone platinum, selling over 1,000,000 copies as of May 20, 2016. A deluxe edition of the album was released on December 26, 2007, and a live DVD of their headlining tour in support of the record was released in fall 2008. Comatose was nominated for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2008.

<i>Ardent Worship</i> 2000 live album by Skillet

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fireflight</span> American Christian rock band from Florida

Fireflight is an American Christian rock band formed in Eustis, Florida, in 1999. The band was signed by Flicker Records.

<i>Hey You, I Love Your Soul</i> 1998 studio album by Skillet

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebirthing (song)</span> 2006 single by Skillet

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decyfer Down</span> American rock band

Decyfer Down is an American Christian rock band formed in 1999 and based in Morehead City, North Carolina, United States. Until 2002 – the year that Christopher Clonts joined the band – they went by the moniker Allysonhymn. Decyfer Down is well known in Christian music, but the band is also known for their mainstream success, having toured with bands like Puddle of Mudd and Breaking Benjamin.

<i>Comatose Comes Alive</i> 2008 live album by Skillet

Comatose Comes Alive is the second live album by American Christian rock band Skillet, which peaked at No. 164 on the Billboard 200. It is the band's first combination CD/DVD of live recording, as their first official live album was 2000's Ardent Worship, a worship album recorded live. The band's first live DVD was the Alien Youth DVD, which featured an acoustic performance. Comatose Comes Alive was recorded at the Tivoli Theatre on May 9, 2008, in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was released on October 21, 2008. The album is a CD of the concert's audio and a DVD capturing the live show. However, John Cooper's speech after "Savior" is cut from the CD. This is also the first release to feature Jen Ledger on drums.

<i>Awake</i> (Skillet album) 2009 studio album by Skillet

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster (Skillet song)</span> 2009 single by Skillet

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awake and Alive</span> 2010 single by Skillet

"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.

<i>The Early Years (1996–2001)</i> 2010 compilation album by Skillet

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.

<i>Awake and Remixed EP</i> 2011 EP by Skillet

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Steorts</span> Musical artist

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.

<i>Unleashed</i> (Skillet album)

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.

<i>Victorious</i> (Skillet album) 2019 studio album by Skillet

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Seraph | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  2. ↑ !Hero – The Rock Opera Tour. Jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Decyfer Down". HollywoodJesus.com. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  4. ↑ "tobyMac Tonight Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Tonight (feat. John Cooper Of Skillet)". Amazon. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Justin Cordle of We As Human". HardrockHaven.net. August 6, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  7. ↑ "We As Human - "Strike Back" (Official Video)". Skillet.com. August 3, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  8. ↑ "SKILLET's JOHN COOPER Launches Metal Project FIGHT THE FURY". September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Fight The Fury - Still Breathing EP". JesusFreskHideout.com. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "Skillet – Interview with vocalist and bass player John Cooper". Guitar Mania EU. November 21, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Creation Festival 2010, YLO Interview
  12. ↑ "Skillet: 5 Things to Know About the Band's Touring Family". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Skillet's John Cooper says it's time to stop putting people as Christianity's 'source of truth'". Chvnradio.com. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Skillet's John Cooper is Deconstructing Deconstruction". Faithstrongtoday.com. January 28, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Christian Rocker on Deconstruction Movement: Too Many Churches Not Preaching the 'True Gospel' - Michael Foust". Christianheadlines.com. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Skillet frontman faces backlash after comparing 'WAP' Grammy performance to Hitler speeches". NME . March 22, 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Skillet frontman John Cooper attempts to clarify comments about Cardi B, the Grammys, and Hitler". Consequence.net. March 19, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Skillet's John Cooper - Rage Against the Machine Are 'Government Rock'". Loudwire . December 3, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Seraph (6)". Discogs. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Chart Search | Billboard". Billboard . Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Fight The Fury Chart History (Christian Rock)". Billboard . Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  22. ↑ "tobyMac Chart History (Christian Airplay)". Billboard . Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Tonight". Open.spotify.com. February 5, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Zombie (feat. John Cooper)". Open.spotify.com. June 21, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Christian Rock | Week of 8 December 2018". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Warrior (feat. John Cooper)". Open.spotify.com. April 13, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  27. ↑ Wolf (feat. John Cooper of Skillet), November 10, 2023, retrieved November 10, 2023
  28. ↑ "Wimpy, Weak and Woke w/ John Cooper – Ezra Institute". www.ezrainstitute.com. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.