Let’s start off with the basics. Tell us who you are, where you are from, old friends, favorite drinks, entertainer, who inspires you to greatness, family, hometown, song, book, we will find you in your spare time doing… what?
I'm John Cooper Born and raised in OKC Came to Stillwater (OSU) in the fall of '76 Moved to the legendary "Farm" just outside of town in '79 Got a degree in education in '82 Went to graduate school and then held down several odd jobs for a while Taught biology and coached baseball and football for 6 yrs at Capitol Hill H.S. in OKC Quit teaching in '93 to be in Red Dirt Rangers fulltime Moved back to rural Payne Co. in '99 and plan to be here till I leave the planet I enjoy living in the country It inspires me I like hanging with family and friends, fishing, reading, playing and writing music My grandfather , Boone Smiley , was and is my greatest role model He taught by works, not words He showed me that the true measure of a man is how how treats others , especially those less fortunate than you I think of him nearly every day
How did you get started? When? Why?
I started in music singing at school and in church choirs when I was a kid I also listened to the radio constantly back then The late 60's and early 70's were a golden age for AM radio to me and those songs and artist continue to influence me today
What are some of the toughest challenges you’ve faced to this point?
A helicopter crash that we were involved in the summer of '04 was a big one It changed the way I look at everything The main thing I got from that experience is that there are no guarantees’ in this life You only get on breathe at a time You may not get the next one
Songwriting, do you write most of the songs, or do you write with others? If so, who? What inspires you to write? What was your first original song preformed by you? What qualities/abilities do you feel make a good songwriter? Is there a magic combination of things that make a song “good” versus just “taking up air”?
In RDR , we (Ben H. , Bradley P. and myself) all write songs Some by ourselves, some with each other , some with other friends Bob Childers has been and continues to be a constant collaborator All three of us have written with him Songwriting inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime Just keep your eyes, ears, and mind open , then run it through your heart and soul The first song I wrote and performed was one I wrote with Piccolo, "Neighbors", in '81 We still perform it today and it remains one of my personal favorites Randy Crouch says it's his favorite song of ours Again, open eyes, ears, mind, heart and soul are what make a good songwriter to me There's no magic combination I do believe you should write first and foremost for yourself and you should be your harshest critic If it pleases you, it has a chance to do the same for others
In playing cover songs, do you find there is a magic mix for the fans, or the venues?
I believe you should chose cover material that speaks to you and then put your own twist on it You can tell a lot about a band/artist by the songs they choose to cover
How should cover songs be used by a new band starting out?
I believe you should chose cover material that speaks to you and then put your own twist on it You can tell a lot about a band/artist by the songs they choose to cover
How would you define the music you create?
Straight from the heart and soul, mixed in with social commentary and a big heaping spoonful of fun Artist shouldn’t take themselves so damn seriously
Do you play both acoustic and full band gigs? Which do you prefer, and why?
We do both and I enjoy them equally Nothing like rockin' out with the full band and playing acoustic with a smaller line-up Both very enjoyable
Would you take a couple of songs and tell us how, why, when, etc you wrote them? How about some you co wrote… just a couple, do you mind sharing with us the songs and how, why, when, etc... that they were co wrote and who with… what else was going on at the time?
I'll talk about two songs, an old and a new one First, "Idabel Blues" started as conversation about the marijuana fields in southeast Oklahoma A guy we knew said he had a cousin whose job it was to guard the fields We started talking about what might happen if the guy fell asleep (got drunk) , passed out, and somebody came and stole the pot Now his buddies are after him An unusual scenario, but it has been one of our most popular and requested songs Second, "Under the Radar" began as Bob Childers and I overheard a conversation in a bar We had been talking about this absurd war were involved with in Iraq and that statement somehow struck a chord We wrote most of it on the spot, but it still needed something I showed it to Mike McClure, who had similar feelings about the war, and he came up with a middle verse Next, Bradley Piccolo heard what we had and added a killer Led Zepplin-like lick So now you got an Okie anti war Zepplin tune Crazy, huh?
How hard was putting your first album together? What was the biggest challenge? What do you see as the challenges of today? What studio do you use? Who does the mastering? What do you feel is adequate charge for recording a CD, for the new bands starting up…? Are videos necessary? Could an artist sell tunes on internet and never record a CD? Is the internet handling of music the new way to get music out? How do you feel about the trading of tunes that goes on behind closed doors?
Our first "album" was recorded and mixed at Lamb Studios in Stillwater in one marathon, beer stained session Mike Hufford owned the studio It was supposed to be a demo to help get club gigs, but for some reason we thought we had something good enough to be released It was titled "Cimarron Soul" and was available on cassette only Childers maintains it's the best "feeling" record we ever done It was fun to do but...... kinda hurts my ears to hear Our last two albums have been recorded at the now defunct Church Studios in Tulsa and engineered by our friend Steve Ripley and mastered at Terra Nova in Austin With recording capabilities today you can make a really good recording for under $7,500 and that includes everything except printing them up Videos are great, but not necessary The advent of the internet has completely changed the recorded music business You no longer need a label or radio support to get your stuff out there Of course, there are negatives and positives to this, but I think mostly positive I say trade away The majority of any bands' income should be through playing gigs, not selling records or merchandise Get out there and gig!
Who would you cite as your biggest musical influence? Who has influenced your life more than anyone else would? Do you have a mentor in the business? Who is the one you most wish to emulate in the business since of this profession?
Biggest musical influence for me personally is a guy named Doug Sahm from San Antonio Sahm could go from rock 'n roll to blues to country to tex-mex to western swing seamlessly He helped show me that you can play all different styles of music and still retain who you are That's one of the foundations of our band and I believe it's one of the things that's helped us have the longevity we've had My grandfather, Boone Smiley Probably Bob Childers I've known Bob for over 25 years and always admired his integrity concerning music and the music business Tom Skinner is another guy I've known that long and admire the same way These guys are giants in our scene On the business side, I always admired Bill Graham He basically invented the rock concert and always tried to give the fans more than they paid for
How important is creative freedom to you, both as a writer as an artist?
Without it I don't think you can be either one
What do you feel your greatest reward has been as an artist thus far?
The fact that people still enjoy the band and the music 19 yrs after we started
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
Be true to your music, your fans, and yourself
What were some of the toughest challenges that you faced when you first started out?
Learning to play together Only one way to make that happen ; practice,practice,practice
How do you feel that the music market in Texas or Kansas or Arkansas differs from Oklahoma; or Nashville?
Texas music fans are the best I've ever seen They support their musicians and music as well as anyone, anywhere Oklahoma fans are great as well, there just happens to be 10 times more people in Texas than here This region produces some of the best music heard anywhere I can't really speak about Nashville I'm not a huge fan of what's called "country music" that comes from there
Do you/have you ever found it trying at times to try and balance both your personal life, and career? Wish to share a thing or two?
It's hard at times As a musician you often have to work nights and weekends as well as a lot of travel It's great when your young but becomes more difficult as you start to have families and other concerns To me, you can't make music the "everything" of your life You've got to strive for a balance, not just in your career , but in everything else as well
A lot of artists/bands starting out say…”Nashville, or East/West Coast Music sucks”…. What is the difference between Nashville and Oklahoma music? Or is it the level of maturity, and understanding that sort of hits when one realizes “it is about money, because I need to pay bills??”. Your opinion please???
I don't want to knock anyone's music because of region Every place has good music It's just what's force fed from these places that's frustrating Honestly, if your in music for the money you need to do something else There's a lot easier ways to make money The music business can be brutal
Living in Oklahoma, is there something special about Oklahoma and being from it that has helped or hurt your career? Is Oklahoma music and its perspective different, if so, how?
Being from Oklahoma has had a huge impact on our band Per capita, you'd be hard pressed to find a place that has produced so much outstanding talent I think the thing that makes music from here different is the community Oklahoma bands and musicians, at least the ones who can get their egos out of the way, tend to really help each other Our scene has had that component in it from the start We helped out Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, and Stoney LaRue just like we got help from Bob Childers, Tom Skinner, Greg Jacobs and Jimmy LaFave and they got help from Steve Ripley and Chuck Dunlop before them And there's lots of others I didn't name We're in this big ol' goofy thing some people call Red Dirt music
Who are some of the best instrumentalist, and vocalist, you have ever performed with, and why? In these areas, who would you like to perform with and have not to date?
Too many to name We've been blessed to play with and be around some of what I consider some of the most talented musicians on the planet I want to perform with anyone that's willing to give an audience all they got
What makes your music stand out? What is your "edge"?
Diversity It was so hard to put a name on what we do that somebody, somewhere invinted a name for our music : Red Dirt Seems to have stuck
Who are some folks who helped you get started that you would like to recognize... say thanks too, etc? family, friends, venues, etc?
Greg Morris from Stillwater and OKC for letting us endlessly practice at his house in the early days Our families for not thinking we were completely insane for quitting our day jobs All the older guys from our scene for all the help early on All the younger guys from our scene for keeping us involved David Sanger , drummer for Asleep at the Wheel and the most honest man we've found in the music biz John Wooley, longtime entertainment writer for the Tulsa World, who was the first person in the press to really believe in us
What were some of the places you played around Oklahoma starting out?
To start, anywhere that would have us, but especially VZD's in OKC Also, the Blue Door in OKC run by our great friend Greg Johnson
Are you self managed, or is there someone helping with that? Do you do your own booking?
We do it all
How do you perceive a band to be? Is it family, business, friends, etc??? How does one work through problems that come up?
I can only speak for our band We are friends ,family , and a business We solve our problems through the love we have for each other and for the band itself
Where have you all played? What was your best show to date?
We've played from coast to coast, border to border, Europe, and places around Oklahoma you wouldn’t believe Couldn’t even begin to try My favorite show ever with RDR is the next one
Has the makeup of the content of your music changed much over the years? If so, how?
I think our music has matured nicely since we started We are very comfortable with who we are and what we do People keep showing up to see us and we keep the music coming Writing and adding new songs is something you have to do to keep it fresh for you and your audience, but don't forget what got you where your at
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? 10 years?
Doing what we've done for the last 19 years, hopefully for an ever expanding fan base
What do you think has contributed the most to your success and longevity over the past years?
Staying true to who you are musically for yourself and your fans Loving playing with the people in our band Not defining success by anyones standard but our own
This is your call, anything you would like to add, this is your chance. Anything you wish to say to the hometown fans, the newer fans, the golden oldie fans… to the venues.. etc.
Just a big thank you to everybody whose given our music chance We've always said, "Come see us for a set and we’ll guarantee you'll hear something you like" Also a big thanks to you Stan and all folks like you who support our kind of music We couldn't do it without you
"The Red Dirt Rangers draw from a lot of influences, throw them all in the pot, and mix well. What comes out is a sometimes wild, but always an outstanding and enjoyable ride, all over the map of roots music."--AnnMarie Harrington, Take Country Back
"The Rangers have a sound that combines the legacy of Woody Guthrie and Bob Wills with the spirit of everyone from Merle Haggard to the Grateful Dead and all manner of American music in between."--Greg Johnson, No Depression magazine
Interviews:
- Brad Piccolo
- Ben Han