Gene Watson’s Peers within the country music industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas, so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as ‘the singer’s singer’ – and rightly so!
All of Gene Watson’s Peers, who were contacted by The Gene Watson Fan Site, during 2013, were most gracious with their time and words.
It is here, within this special part of The Gene Watson Fan Site, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from Peter Cooper, which he submitted to this site on Saturday 31 August 2013.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Peter Cooper who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
photo courtesy of Deone Jahnke Photography
Peter Cooper
This quote was submitted on Saturday 31 August 2013.
‘Gene Watson’s is one of the most enigmatic, intriguing and powerful instruments in country music history.
I’m honoured to be included.
Gene Watson is a treasure’
Thank you, Peter Cooper, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Peter Cooper…
photo courtesy of Deone Jahnke Photography
Peter Cooper was an East Nashville-based singer, songwriter, touring artist, sideman, producer, college professor and award-winning country music journalist.
As an award-winning country music journalist and historian, Peter Cooper wrote entertaining, intelligent and insightful articles about the country music industry, and was the senior music writer at The Tennessean in Nashville.
In January 2005, at an unnamed studio in East Nashville, Peter Cooper’s ‘The Clown Juice EP’ (Peter Cooper Independent Release, 2005) was recorded; Eric McConnell mixed the project, Peter Cooper produced the tracks and the mastering was undertaken by Jim Demain at YES Master.
Peter Cooper’s ‘The Clown Juice EP’ (Peter Cooper Independent Release, 2005) included the following tracks:
‘Gospel Song’
‘Andalusia’
‘Nirvana Was Better Than Pearl Jam’
‘What’s The Use (Gold Rush Blues)’
‘Thompson Street’
On Wednesday 10 March 2008, Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘Mission Door’ (Red Beet Records, 2008), his first full length album, which included the following tracks:
‘Boy Genius’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘All The Way To Heaven’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Wine’ (written by Peter Cooper and Baker Maultsby)
‘Couple of Lies’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Take Care’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Mission Door’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘They Hate Me’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘715 (For Hank Aaron)’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Sheboygan’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘One By One’ (written by Peter Cooper and Dave Nixx)
‘Andalusia’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Thin Wild Mercury’ (written by Peter Cooper and Todd Snider)
Personnel involved in the recording of Peter Cooper’s ‘Mission Door’ (Red Beet Records, 2008) included the following:
Lloyd Green (steel guitar)
Todd Snider (harmonica, vocals)
Bill Lloyd (electric guitar, harmony vocals)
Jen Gunderman (formerly of The Jayhawks and Last Train Home) (piano, wurlitzer, rhodes, accordion)
Pat McInerney and Paul Griffith (percussion)
Dave Roe (bass)
Nanci Caroline Griffith (Monday 6 July 1953 – Friday 13 August 2021) and Fayssoux McClean (vocals)
Jason Ringenberg (of Jason & The Scorchers) (harmonica on ‘They Hate Me’)
Peter Cooper was encouraged by Todd Snider, Kris Kristofferson and Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) to record ‘Mission Door’ (Red Beet Records, 2008), which was engineered by Richard McLaurin and Adam Bednarik and was mastered by Alex McCollough at YES Master.
As front man of the acclaimed roots-rock band, Last Train Home, as a solo artist, and as a duo with songsmith Peter Cooper, Eric Brace is a prolific and admired artist. A former music journalist for The Washington Post, Eric Brace relocated to Nashville in 2003.
In 2008, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper toured Holland and Germany together; they discovered that it was more fun to sing together than to do separate sets. They sang together, enjoyed the experience, the audience clapped and smiled, and they then decided to record an album together.
On Tuesday 18 November 2008, Eric Brace & Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘You Don’t Have To Like Them Both’ (Red Beet Records, 2008), which included the following tracks:
‘I Know A Bird’ (written by Eric Brace)
‘Omar’s Blues No.2’ (written by David Olney)
‘Down To The Well’ (written by Kevin Gordon and Colin Linden)
‘Drinking From A Swimming Pool’ (written by Karl Straub)
‘The Man Who Loves To Hate’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘The First In Line’ (written by Paul Kennerley)
‘Denali, Not McKinley’ (written by Peter Cooper and Todd Snider)
‘I Know Better Now’ (written by Jim Lauderdale)
‘Lucky Bones’ (written by Jim Lauderdale, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper)
‘Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still’ (traditional / Public Domain)
‘Just The Other Side of Nowhere’ (written by Kris Kristofferson)
‘Yesterdays & Used To Be’s’ (written by Todd Snider)
Personnel involved in the recording of Eric Brace & Peter Cooper’s ‘You Don’t Have To Like Them Both’ (Red Beet Records, 2008) included Lloyd Green, Tim O’Brien, Dave Roe, Jen Gunderman, Richard Bennett, Tim Carroll, Kenny Vaughan, Daniel Tashian, Jon Byrd and Scotty Huff.
Eric Brace and Peter Cooper gave a copy of ‘You Don’t Have To Like Them Both’ (Red Beet Records, 2008) to Rodney Crowell, who said:
‘Eric Brace and Peter Cooper have made a new record called ‘You Don’t Have To Like Them Both’. Well, guess what? I like them both, a lot.
Think of what you liked best about Gordon Lightfoot (Thursday 17 November 1938 – Sunday 1 May 2023), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 – Wednesday 19 September 1973) and Roy Acuff (Tuesday 15 September 1903 – Monday 23 November 1992), and then thank God these lads like each other enough to offer up such a smoking good batch of songs’
Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper’s instrumental hero was Mike Auldridge (Friday 30 December 1938 – Saturday 29 December 2012), who played Dobro for The Seldom Scene, a pioneering and progressive bluegrass band which played every week at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia.
Mike Auldridge (Friday 30 December 1938 – Saturday 29 December 2012) also had a hero as well, who turned out to be pedal steel guitar legend, Lloyd Green, whose work with The Byrds, Don Williams (Saturday 27 May 1939 – Friday 8 September 2017) and others, had elevated Nashville steel guitar and Dobro playing into something of other-worldly elegance.
Lloyd Green had taken notice of Mike Auldridge’s playing as well, and the two became mutual admirers, even collaborating on Mike Auldridge’s 1976 tune ‘Lloyd’s of Nashville’, which was written in Lloyd Green‘s honour. However, Lloyd Green and Mike Auldridge (Friday 30 December 1938 – Saturday 29 December 2012) had never made a full-length album together, until 2010.
Eric Brace and Peter Cooper had a bright idea; they invited Lloyd Green and Mike Auldridge (Friday 30 December 1938 – Saturday 29 December 2012) into a Nashville studio to have a musical conversation with each other, using some songs Eric and Peter had written, along with tracks they chose as conversation-starters.
Eric Brace and Peter Cooper surrounded Lloyd Green and Mike Auldridge (Friday 30 December 1938 – Saturday 29 December 2012) with the most talented and sympathetic musicians they knew, asking them all to start playing, and proceeded to have the time of their musical lives.
In the end, Lloyd Green and Mike Auldridge (Friday 30 December 1938 – Saturday 29 December 2012) said that they considered these recordings some of their finest and most fulfilling work.
On Tuesday 7 September 2010, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘Master Sessions’ (Red Beet Records, 2010), which featured special guests Lloyd Green and Mike Auldridge (Friday 30 December 1938 – Saturday 29 December 2012), and included the following tracks:
‘Wait A Minute’ (written by Herb Pedersen) / this track featured harmony vocals from Kenny Chesney
‘Suffer A Fool’
‘It Won’t Be Me’ (written by Eric Brace and Karl Straub)
‘Missoula Tonight’
‘Big Steve’
‘Circus’
‘Behind Your Back’ (written by Peter Cooper) / the characters on this track, which was written about Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020), included Lonesome Bob Chaney, Chris Richards, David Olney, Denice Franke and Vince Bell
‘I Flew Over Our House Last Night’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021)
‘Nice Old Man’
‘Silent Night’ (written by Jon Byrd)
‘I Wish We Had Our Time Again’
It was also on Tuesday 7 September 2010 when Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘The Lloyd Green Album’ (Red Beet Records, 2010), which included the following tracks:
‘Dumb Luck’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘The Last Laugh’ (written by Peter Cooper and Todd Snider)
‘Elmer The Dancer’ (written by Peter Cooper) / this track featured supporting vocals from Kim Carnes
‘Gospel Song’
‘Bells of Odilia’ (written by Chris Richards)
‘Mama, Bake A Pie’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021)
‘Champion of The World’
‘Tulsa Queen’ (written by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell) / this track featured harmony vocals from Rodney Crowell and Pam Rose
‘That Poor Guy’
‘What Dub Does’ (written by Peter Cooper and Baker Maultsby)
‘Here Comes That Rainbow Again’ (written by Kris Kristofferson)
‘Train To Birmingham’ (written by John Hiatt)
On Tuesday 10 May 2011, Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘I Love: Tom T. Hall‘s Songs of Fox Hollow’ (Red Beet Records, 2011), a various artists compilation of material, which celebrated the songs and artistry of Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021); the album included the following tracks:
‘I Love’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Patty Griffin
‘Sneaky Snake’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Buddy Miller, and also featured Duane Eddy (Tuesday 26 April 1938 – Tuesday 30 April 2024)
‘Everybody Loves To Hear A Bird Sing’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Peter Cooper, and also featured Duane Eddy (Tuesday 26 April 1938 – Tuesday 30 April 2024)
‘I Like To Feel Pretty Inside’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Jim Lauderdale
‘The Mysterious Fox of Fox Hollow’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Eric Brace & Last Train Home
‘I Wish I Had A Million Friends’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Elizabeth Cook and Tim Carroll
‘The Barn Dance’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Gary Bennett
‘The Song of The One-Legged Chicken’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Mark & Mike
‘How To Talk To A Little Baby Goat’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Jon Byrd
‘Ole Lonesome George The Basset’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Tommy Cash
‘I Care’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) / this track was performed by Bobby Bare
‘I Made A Friend of A Flower Today’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021) and Dixie Hall (Saturday 26 May 1934 – Friday 16 January 2015) / this track was performed by Fayssoux Starling McLean and Tom T. Hall
On Tuesday 23 April 2013, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘The Comeback Album’ (Red Beet Records, 2013), which included the following tracks:
‘Ancient History’
‘Ponzi Scheme’
‘Thompson Street’ (written by Peter Cooper and Baker Maultsby)
‘Johnson City’
‘Mad’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021)
‘She Can’t Be Herself’
‘Kissing Booth’
‘Nobody Knows’
‘Boxcars’
‘Carolina’ (written by Karl Straub)
‘Sailor’
‘Rain Just Falls’ (written by David Halley)
On Tuesday 10 September 2013, Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘Opening Day’ (Red Beet Records, 2013), which was produced by Peter Cooper, and included the following tracks:
‘Much Better Now’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Opening Day’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘A Million Miles To The City’, which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021)
‘Feels Like Home’ (written by Peter Cooper and Irene Kelley)
‘Jenny Died At 25’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Grandma’s Tattoo’ (written by Peter Cooper and Womack)
‘Distraction’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Quiet Little War’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Part Time’ (written by Peter Cooper)
‘Great Today’ (written by Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz)
‘Birches’ (written by Bill Morrissey)
Personnel involved in the recording of Peter Cooper’s ‘Opening Day’ (Red Beet Records, 2013) included the following:
Lloyd Green (pedal steel guitar)
Jen Gunderman (keyboards, accordion)
Thomm Jutz (guitars, harmony vocals)
Richard Bennett (guitars)
Kieran Kane (percussion, octave mandolin)
Dave Roe, Dave Jacques and Mark Fain (bass)
Paul Griffith (drums, percussion)
Pat McInerney (percussion)
Eric Brace and Julie Lee (harmony vocals)
In 2015, Peter Cooper saw the release of ‘Depot Light: Songs of Eric Taylor’ (Red Beet Records, 2015), which included the following tracks:
‘All So Much Like Me’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Depot Light’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘The Great Divide’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Prison Movie’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Charlie Ray McWhite’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘More Storms’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Carnival Jim & Jean’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Dollar Bill Hines’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Two Fires’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Deadwood’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Louis Armstrong’s Broken Heart’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
‘Happy Endings’, which was written by Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020)
Peter Cooper’s work has won praise from each of his chief influences: Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 – Friday 20 August 2021), John Prine (Thursday 10 October 1946 – Tuesday 7 April 2020), Todd Snider, Eric Taylor (Sunday 25 September 1949 – Monday 9 March 2020) and Kris Kristofferson.
Kris Kristofferson said, ‘Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist’s eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original, creative imagination, alive with humour and heartbreak and irony and intelligence, with truth and beauty in the details. Deep stuff. And they get better every time you listen’.
Named as one of Nashville’s ‘Ten Most Interesting People’ by Nashville Arts & Entertainment Magazine, Peter Cooper is a session player, and a producer who has worked with Todd Snider, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Fayssoux Starling McLean, and others.
Peter Cooper, who is pictured above at Greer Stadium in Nashville (photo courtesy of Deone Jahnke Photography) was also a professor of country music at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, and a senior music writer at The Tennessean, Nashville’s daily newspaper.
photo courtesy of Deone Jahnke Photography
Peter Cooper, one of the most pre-eminent journalists covering country music in the 21st century, a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter-producer in his own right, and most recently, one of the foremost public faces of the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, passed away on Tuesday 6 December 2022; Peter Cooper was 52 years old.
A significant part of the Nashville music community had been keeping Peter Cooper in collective thoughts and prayers since he suffered a severe head injury in a fall late last week. Peter Cooper had remained in critical condition in the days leading up to his death, although hospital visitors had described him as showing signs of responsiveness as they gathered around his bedside.
Statement from the family of Peter Cooper
‘It is with heavy hearts that we let you know that Peter Cooper passed away in his sleep last night, December 6, after suffering a severe head injury late last week.
We so appreciate the kind words and prayers you have offered over the past few days. Please know that they have provided Peter and us with much comfort.
We will soon announce details about a celebration of life to take place in early 2023′
• Visit Peter Cooper’s official site at petercoopermusic.com