Ray Cooper

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Lore & Background

Cooper has long been associated with Elton John's career, playing on more than 90 recordings, and performing in more than 800 concerts with John both as a duo and in the Elton John Band. His first appearance with John was during the sessions for Madman Across the Water, and he played his first live show with him in early 1972. After contributing to various Elton John albums, Cooper joined the Elton John Band full-time in 1974 and spent the next two years recording and touring with the group. During John's semi-retirement in the late 1970s, Cooper played on various singles and albums for John, and recorded with George Harrison, the Kinks, Wings and Art Garfunkel. In 1977 and again in 1979, Cooper toured with Elton John as a duo in which John would play a solo set and then be joined by Cooper on percussion for the second half of the concerts. In 1986, he joined John's touring band for the Tour De Force tour concerts in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, augmenting Jody Linscott, who was the band's percussionist on the rest of John's world tour. During 1994 and 1995 Face to Face tours with Billy Joel, and during Elton John's tours in 1995, John played 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting', which then flowed into a solo by Cooper on percussion. In the 1995 'Evening With Elton John and Ray Cooper' tour, the two men performed in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica, where John performed a solo set, then was joined by Cooper on percussion for the second half of the show.

In Their Own Story

In 2009, John and Cooper performed a small exclusive series of shows, mostly in the UK and Europe, the first time since 1995 that the two had toured together without a band. Amongst their performances was one at the Royal Albert Hall to raise funds for a new organ which the Royal Academy of Music would assemble in their Duke's Hall. They raised further funds with a further performance at the Royal Opera House in 2011. The organ was constructed by Orgelbau Kuhn and has been named the Sir Elton John and Ray Cooper Organ. It was heard for the first time on 7 October 2013. In a greeting to Cooper on his 70th birthday, John's website stated that when Elton composed the song 'Tambourine' for his 2016 Wonderful Crazy Night album, he made sure to bring in Cooper to play the instrument on the track. In 2023, Cooper toured with John as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road farewell tour.

Reader's Guide

Ray Cooper's career extends far beyond Elton John. He had a short stint with the Rolling Stones, playing percussion for their 1974 It's Only Rock 'n Roll album. He played on and co-produced the album Somewhere in England by George Harrison in 1981. In 1983, he participated in a short tour for the Ronnie Lane ARMS Charity Concert along with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and other artists, including Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. In every tour during 1990, Eric Clapton and the band played 'Sunshine of Your Love', which then flowed into a short one-minute drum solo by Steve Ferrone, then into a seven-minute percussion solo by Cooper on the tambourine, congas and gong. On 16 January 1992, he played percussion for Clapton's instalment of the MTV Unplugged television series. On 15 September 1997, Cooper was the principal percussionist along with Phil Collins at the Music for Montserrat fund raiser concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Cooper was part of the band at the Concert for George, the memorial concert for George Harrison, held at the Royal Albert Hall in 2002. He contributed to the tribute concert for Jim Capaldi in January 2007. He worked on Katie Melua's album Pictures (2007). In February 2024 Cooper was the guest of Michael Berkeley on the BBC Radio 3 programme Private Passions.

Did You Know?

• Cooper played on more than 90 recordings and performed in more than 800 concerts with Elton John.
• His first appearance with John was during the sessions for Madman Across the Water, and he played his first live show with him in early 1972.
• Cooper had a short stint with the Rolling Stones, playing percussion for their 1974 It's Only Rock 'n Roll album.
• An organ built by Orgelbau Kuhn was named the Sir Elton John and Ray Cooper Organ and first heard on 7 October 2013.
• In February 2024 Cooper was the guest of Michael Berkeley on the BBC Radio 3 programme Private Passions.