Wilma lee cooper biography of christopher

Musical artist

Wilma Lee Leary (February 7, 1921 – September 13, 2011), known professionally as Wilma Appreciate Cooper, was an American homeland music entertainer.

She was regular guitarist, banjo player and thrush, and was given the honour of "First Lady of Bluegrass" by the Smithsonian Institution patent 1974.^[1] In 1994 She was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Accolade from the IBMA.^[2] She was posthumously inducted into the Universal Bluegrass Music Hall of Renown in 2023.^[3]

Biography

Leary, according to say publicly 1930 U.S.

Census, was autochthon Willma Leigh Leary in Gorge Head, West Virginia whose was a schoolteacher and priest who was a coal mentor. Wilma's mother played pump organ.^[2] She had two siblings, Jerry and Peggy. She began musical at the age of five.^[4]

She sang in her youth territory her family's gospel music company, The Leary Family, which target her parents and sisters.

They recorded for the Library Understanding Congress in 1938. That collection, they were also recognized pleasing the National Folk Festival case Washington, D.C, having been unfitting through a competition to personify the state of West Virginia.^[4]

In 1941, Leary married fiddler alight vocalist Dale T. "Stoney" Cooper,^[5] who was a musical accompanyist for the Leary Family, deliver the duo formed their up and down group; Wilma Lee & Intractable Cooper and the Clinch Point Clan.

There were many similarities between Wilma's recordings and Roy Acuff. This is seen deliver the use Acuff's repertory explode prominent featuring of the dobro on her recordings. 16 depart were recorded during her primary time in the studio, cinque of which were also before recorded by Acuff.^[4]

They were regulars for ten years on Propulsion, West Virginia's WWVA-AM's rival blame on the Grand Ole Opry, WWVA Jamboree, beginning in 1947 previously joining the Opry in 1957.^[6] They were hired to take apart a series of transcribed shows to be aired across influence country, a project that would considerably increase their reach swallow help them gain a weak following.^[4]

Wilma Lee and Stoney Actor had remarkable record success dull the late 1950s and perfectly 1960s on Hickory Records susceptible both their traditional country slope (which has rarely been rightfully commercially successful) and the streak rock-n-roll was doing to express music's popularity at the leave to another time.

They scored seven hit documents between 1956 and 1961, exchange four top ten hits dependable Billboard charts, notably "Big The witching hour Special" and "There's a Farreaching Wheel". They remained connected turn into the Leary Family tradition bring in well, recording popular gospel songs like "The Tramp on loftiness Street" and "Walking My Peer Up Calvary's Hill".^{[citation needed]}

Stoney Artisan died in 1977 but Wilma Lee stayed on the Opry as a solo star focus on on occasion recorded an tome for a bluegrass record christen.

In 2001 she suffered great stroke while performing on glory Opry stage which ended attend career, but Cooper defied doctors who said she would not in any way walk again and eventually exchanged to the Opry to welcome and thank the crowds.^{[citation needed]}

The Cooper's daughter, Carol Lee Journeyman, was the lead singer expulsion the Grand Ole Opry's blessing vocal group, The Carol Histrion Singers until she announced bring about retirement live on the Opry on March 24, 2012.^{[citation needed]}

Wilma Lee Cooper died from aberrant causes on September 13, 2011, at her home in Sweetwater, Tennessee.

She esoteric been a member of excellence Opry since 1957. She was 90 years old. Her resolute solo performance on the Opry was at the Ryman Meeting on February 24, 2001. Wilma Lee joined the Opry endorsement at the grand re-opening noise the Opry House on Sep 28, 2010, for a committee sing-along.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

Singles with Stoney Cooper

LP Gusto Records PO-242 (1975) Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper – Walking my Lord up Calvary's Hill

References

External links