Dale Troy Cooper (October 16, 1918 – March 22, 1977), known professionally as Stoney Cooper, was an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

star and member of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

. He played the

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

and the guitar.

Biography

Cooper was the son of Kenny and Stella (Raines) Cooper of Harman, West Virginia, United States. His family was among the first settlers of Randolph and Pendleton counties, and these roots in the Appalachian mountains had an impact upon his music. While in high school, Cooper was a member of the Leary Family Singers. In 1939, he married Wilma Lee Leary. They became Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, one of the biggest country music acts of the 1940s through the 1960s. They had one daughter, Carol Lee Cooper. In 1947, they were cast members of '' WWVA Jamboree'' in Wheeling, West Virginia until 1957. Their band was called The Clinch Mountain Clan. In 1948, Cooper signed a recording contract with Columbia with the help of Fred Rose that lasted to 1955. In 1954, Cooper joined the

. He also recorded for Rich-R-Tone, Hickory Records and Decca.

Death

In 1973, Stoney's health began to fail; he suffered a series of heart attacks and spent long periods in the hospital. Finally, he suffered a heart attack on February 4, 1977, from which he died in the intensive care unit of a Nashville hospital on March 22, 1977.

Discography

Singles with Wilma Lee Cooper

References

Bibliography

* ''The Country Music Encyclopedia'', Melvin Shestack. 1974, KBO Publishers, Inc., * ''Country Music, U.S.A.'', Bill C. Malone. 1985, University of Texas Press,

External links

* Stony Cooper at allmusic.com
Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Stoney 1918 births 1977 deaths People from Randolph County, West Virginia American country singer-songwriters American country fiddlers Grand Ole Opry members 20th-century American singer-songwriters Country musicians from West Virginia Singer-songwriters from West Virginia