Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Clinch Mountain Jamboree" (Quality Records, 1958) (LP)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "The Big Wheel" (Hickory Records, 1959) (LP)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Family Favorites" (Hickory Records, 1962) (LP)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Songs Of Inspiration" (Hickory Records, 1963) (LP)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Wilma Lee And Stoney Cooper Sing" (Decca Records, 1966) (LP)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "The Great Speckled Bird: A Tribute To Roy Acuff" (Skylite Country, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Joel Gentry & Rex Collier)
I woulda thunk these tracks were reissued from their days on Hickory Records (Roy Acuff's old label) but then I spotted the producer's credit for southern gospel czar Joel Gentry, and realized these were newer recordings. Still, they're paying homage to their old colleague and boss, and it's hard not to like an album's worth of classic Roy Acuff gospel tunes. No secular stuff, though. No release date either, alas, or musician credits, although the liner notes do confirm that Carol Lee Cooper is once again on board for the ride...
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Walking My Lord Up Calvary Hill" (Power Pak Records, 1974) (LP)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper" (Rounder Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by John Nagy)
A humble, down-to-earth set lovingly produced by the folkies at Rounder Records... The Coopers are joined once again by Carol Lee Cooper (and The Carol Lee Singers) as well as bass player Jimmy D. Brock, Bill Carver (dobro and mandolin), Glen Davis (drums), Butch Robins (banjo and guitar), Jerry Shook (guitar)
and bluegrass songwriter L. E. White on backing vocals...
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Sing The Carter Family's Greatest Hits" (Starday-Gusto Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Hill)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Live Radio: 1976" (Country Road Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Ira Stewart, Glen Meisner & Joan Taylor)
A posthumous release, following Stoney Cooper's passing in 1977... These tracks were a real throwback to the old days, in more ways than one: the songs were chestnuts ("Back Up And Push," "Hills Of Roane County," "My Curley Headed Baby," "Give Me Roses While I Live," et.al.) but also the album's concept and execution were an echo of days gone by, with the Coopers recording the tracks in May, 1976 at Nugget Studios in Nashville, to be edited for airplay on Canadian radio. The musicians include Carol Lee Cooper, as well as Bob Black, Bill Carver, Joe Stuart and, amazingly, hillbilly music old-timer George McCormick, who was on the Hickory label in the early 'Sixties, along with the Coopers. Plus it was mixed in monophonic sound, which you gotta love.
Wilma Lee Cooper "A Daisy A Day" (Leather Records, 1979) (LP)
Originally released on the Virginia-based indie Leather Records, this was also reissued by Rebel Records in '83.
Wilma Lee Cooper "Wilma Lee Cooper" (Rounder Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Al Pachucki. John Nagy & Sundance)
Though this is billed as a solo album, there's also a lot of Stoney Cooper on here as well; about half of this album seems to be unreleased material from their self-titled 1976 Rounder album, with several new tracks featuring Wilma Lee on her own
Wilma Lee Cooper "White Rose" (Rebel Records, 1984) (LP)
Wilma Lee Cooper "Classic Country Favorites" (Rebel Records, 1996) (LP)
Discography - Best-Ofs
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Sacred Songs" (Harmony Records, 1960) (LP)
Not sure of the exact provenance of these recordings, though the budget line Harmony label often provides some pleasant surprises. One assumes these are tracks from old 78s, dating back to the Cooper's tenure on Columbia Records, from roughly 1949-54. These tracks are gathered elsewhere, but the Harmony LPs are not to be sneezed at, particularly if you want this stuff on vinyl.
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Sunny Side Of The Mountain" (Harmony Records, 1966) (LP)
Ditto for this album.
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Early Recordings" (County Records, 1979) (LP)
A powerfully simple, straightforward set, and one of the finer archival efforts from the folks at County Records. I think this came out on CD as well.
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Walking My Lord Up Calvary Hill" (Hollywood, 1988)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "The Very Best Of" (Varese Sarabande, 2002)
Awesome! These mid-to-late-'50s recordings made for Wesley Rose's independent Hickory label are a treasure trove for fans of rugged, unruly country music. Their unapologetically rough, rural intonations were a throwback to the barn dance antics of the 1930s -- back when the Opry was just a little twinkle on the radio dial. Struggling along with the rest of their country brethren during the early rocknroll era, Cooper and Lee had a few hits in the '50s, including clamorous of folk oldies like "Midnight Special" and Stuart Hamblen's "This Ole House." Their version of Don Gibson's "There's A Big Wheel" was a big hit; also notable is their rambunctious take on the Louvin Brothers oldie, "There's A Higher Power," one of those hillbilly gospel tunes where they sound like they really mean it. Still, as far as the countrypolitan crowd was concerned, they were strictly backwoods second-stringers, and they mostly fell off the radar after a brief resurgence in the early '60s. This is a cool collection of some of their best country material -- great hick music that flew in the face of the style of the time.
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Sing The Original Carter Family's Greatest Hits" (King Records, 2002)
I'm not sure when these tracks were actually recorded -- I'd guess the mid-1970s, but it's hard to say, since, as with many King/Gusto releases, the liner notes are pretty sparse. At any rate, Wilma & Stoney were pretty long in the tooth when these songs were recorded, and this is a pretty laid-back set... No zip or flashy pyrotechnics, though the songs are still great, and these performances have a calm, confident charm. Worth checking out...!
Wilma Lee Cooper "Classic Country Favorites" (Rebel Records, 1996)
(Produced by Mike Haynie)
A nice disc gathering two late sessions, one from 1979 and the other from 1981, with a humble band anchored by dobro player Gene Wooten; fiddler Tater Tate is on the '81 recordings. Cooper's daughter, Carol Lee Cooper, sings harmony throughout... Wilma Lee's voice is clearly that of an older woman, but still supple and robust, with strong phrasing and a dramatic command of the material. Worth checking out!
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Best Of The Best" (King Records, 2003)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "The Golden Age Of Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper" (Binge Discs, 2004)
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper were a husband-and-wife team whose career spanned back to the '30s, and whose music remained resolutely hillbilly and hick, well into the "Nashville Sound" era, when the rest of Nashville went pop. This fine collection focusses on their early work on the Columbia, Rich-R-Tone and Harmony labels, material recorded between 1947-53, offering a soulful, rough-edged mix of heart songs and old-timey stringband music, with a hefty dose of sentimental gospel material to round things out. This disc's a real treat, gathering material you're not likely to hear anywhere else anytime soon. Recommended!
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "On The Banks Of The River" (BACM, 2006)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "24 Greatest All-Time Hits" (Tee Vee Records, 2006)
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper "Big Midnight Special" (Bear Family Records, 2007)
Bear Family hits another one out of the ballpark... This is a swell 4-CD box set covering their work on the Columbia, Hickory and Rich-R-Tone labels... all great stuff, pure hick music from bygone days. Highly recommended!
Links
Hick Music Index
Wilma Lee Cooper (1921-2011) and Stoney Cooper (1918-1977) were a husband-and-wife team whose career spanned back to the 1930s, and whose music remained resolutely, unapologetically hillbilly and hick, well into the "Nashville Sound" era, long after the rest of Nashville went pop. Wilma Lee came from a family band that specialized in gospel material, and that influence remained a major part of their music for decades to come. The Cooper's daughter, Carol Lee Cooper, became a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry, leading a group of back up vocalists which also did a lot of Nashville studio work... Here's a quick look at the Coopers and their legacy.