Dana Cooper – House Concert

Out of the heartland of America, stomping grounds of Truman and Twain, “powerhouse” troubadour Dana Cooper dedicated himself to a life of music over 40 years ago. This song poet engages and inspires audiences around the world with his quick wit, insightful stories and commanding presence. Dana is the recipient of the 2014 Heritage Musician Award from Pilgrim Center for the Arts in Kansas City, MO. He was also named the 2015 Spirit of Folk award winner by Folk Alliance International. He has performed on Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage and the Kerrville Folk Festival where he was nominated for their Hall of Fame. Cooper’s songs have been recorded by top-notch artists such as bluegrass star Claire Lynch and Irish vocalist Maura O’Connell. Cooper’s mixture of flat-picking, finger-picking and percussive strumming style is legend among other guitarists. An expressive singer, his voice is ageless evoking a rich lifetime of experience. At the age of 12, he was already playing several instruments in local bands. By 13 he began writing his own songs and at 16 he performed regularly at the prestigious Vanguard Coffeehouse in Kansas City. Cooper took to the road touring Midwest college coffeehouses for one year then sold an electric guitar and his entire record collection to buy a one- way ticket to Los Angeles. Four months later he was signed to Elektra Records where his eponymous first album was released in 1973. He played whenever possible in clubs all over the Bay Area. Cooper’s diverse experiences as a taxi driver, warehouseman, nurse’s aid, gardener, waiter and touring musician continued to bring maturity and depth to his song writing. Cooper eventually moved to Texas writing, performing and recording with Shake Russell in the late 70s and with his own power trio, DC3 during the early 80s. Returning to his roots as a solo performer Cooper relocated to Nashville in 1988. He has become an integral figure in the Music City composing community. Cooper has been invited to participate in song writing workshops from Belfast to Copenhagen to Austin. His prolific endeavors have resulted in over 20 albums. “This veteran song poet is a self-contained road warrior — a man of many tunes and tunings and a right hand few guitarists will ever know. His music is vital and live you will see him channel all his energy into the song. The songs are smart, but they come from his heart.” — Frank Goodman, puremusic.co Lantern Folk Roots Music Society is pleased to present Dana Cooper in the intimacy of a house concert setting, $20 tickets are available at ABC Hobby in Kelowna, Mad Hatter Bookstore in West Kelowna or online at lanternfolk.ca. Tickets go on sale Monday, Mar 26 for members only at ABC and Mad Hatter and Thursday, Mar. 29 for the general public at all outlets.