A living legend of American music - John Cooper of Skillet

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

John Cooper (full name - John Landrum Cooper) is a famous American musician. Since 1996, he has been a regular member of the rock band Skillet, where he sings and plays bass. There are few who have not heard his songs, but is enough known about this talented person?

Brief biography of John Cooper

The musician was born on April 7, 1975, all his childhood was spent in the city of Memphis. At the age of five he was baptized, and in the fifth grade he began to listen to Petra. John was brought up by strict religious parents, for whom any rock music was recognized as the creation of the devil. Therefore, before starting to listen to a new group, little John had to get permission to do so. As a result, he managed to defend his tastes and listen to rock, however, only performed by Christians. Basically it was the groups Amy Grant and Russ Taff. Inspired by the work of these bands, he began to learn the basics of guitar art.

By the way, John only bought his first disc of non-Christian artists when he came of age.

The performer is married to Corey, who also plays with him in the band. Instead of rings, John Cooper and his wife have tattoos on their fingers. They have two children - son Xavier, born in 2002, and daughter Alexandria,born in 2005.

Interesting facts

John Cooper loves Dr. Pepper soda and drinks it so often that the band's second guitarist, Seth Morrison, calls him a soda connoisseur.

The musician also enjoys collecting posters of Spiderman and Batman.

Among his phobias are the sight of bare feet and the fear of getting wet. Even when John goes to the beach, he wears special tennis shoes as he hates the feeling of mud and sand sticking to his feet.

His nickname Doggy, which means "doggy" in English, is often mentioned on the radio and podcasts of Skillet.

He loves 80s ballads and sincerely believes that any even slightly good rock band should have their own cool ballad.

Creativity

Cooper first joined a musical group at the age of fourteen, he mainly performed covers, and at the age of fifteen he founded Tribunation with friends.

Before forming the legendary band Skillet, he was a member of Seraph. After it broke up, he decided to fulfill his old dream and conquer the musical Olympus.

Since the guy grew up in a very strict religious family, he decided to play Christian rock. Kurt Cobain's vocals became a kind of model for him. The musician, whom Cooper first saw on stage in 1992, was his real idol.

John's love and devotion to music deserves respect, because even after many years,Having started a family and two children, he continues to do what he loves.

Skillet and John Cooper

Skillet is one of the first bands to dispel the typical image of rock musicians living under the slogan "Sex, drugs and rock and roll". This group has existed for more than eighteen years and, focusing on the belief in their own success, is still in artistic search. Cooper's family relationship can also be called a reference: he and Corey communicate equally warmly both at home with each other, and with others, and with fans, and on stage.

Take at least the story of John and his wife dating - they met quite by chance, in the church, when John had been playing in the band for about seven years. After the birth of her first child, Corey learned to play the guitar and synthesizer in just a few months in order to work with her husband, participate in a band and never leave. When she was preparing for the arrival of her second child, she was temporarily replaced by session guitarists.

The band was created by John Cooper with Ken Stewart and Trey McLurkin. They chose a very unusual name for the team (skillet translates from English as “frying pan”). It has become a symbol of mixing a variety of musical styles. According to John, the band members still don't like the name, but it perfectly captures its essence.

The first albums of Skillet and Hey you were released in 1996-1998. The group seemed to the sophisticated audience as a trio of ordinary guys who very much wanted to be like the legendary Nirvana, but neverthelessabsolutely different. At first they performed compositions in the post-grunge style, later industrial metal and alternative rock became the main musical direction.

Over the years, the group has also changed in appearance: dirty tangled hair and shapeless clothes were replaced by shiny tight leggings, neatly curled curls and shiny patent leather shoes on a high platform. In this form, they repeatedly performed on the same stage with Marilyn Manson and the Nine Inch Nails group.

Skillet soon changed their style again, preferring sweaters, jeans, ordinary hairstyles. Only John's leather jacket remained unchanged. In 2004, their new album was nominated for the prestigious Grammy music award.