Dick Cooper
Encyclopedia
Dick Cooper is a musician and writer based in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
.
A founding member of the popular 70s Canadian southern-rock band The Cooper Brothers
, he toured extensively throughout North America and helped the band achieve several hits under the Capricorn Records
label, including a number of songs which charted on The Billboard Hot 100.http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/C/Cooper_Brothers.html
When the band went their separate ways in 1983, Dick began working as a children’s television writer (working under the name Richard Cooper) and over the next few years scripted several shows for Nickelodeon
including You Can’t Do That On Television and Turkey T.V.
While working at local Ottawa television studio CJOH in 1986, Cooper also created and developed his first original series entitled Highschool Confidential. Cooper would write and produce 21 episodes of the teen variety series, and the show was later syndicated
in the U.S. and Canada, winning the International Iris Award at NATPE
in 1987.
In 1988, Cooper followed up Highschool Confidential by producing and directing 13 episodes of the television series Denim Blueshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120905/, a half-hour teen drama which was subsequently syndicated in both Canada and Japan. The show would also mark the acting debut of Golden Globe Winner Sandra Oh
as well as Tyley Ross, of the popular singing ensemble the East Village Opera Company
. The series was also presented with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters
Gold Ribbon Award in 1989.
In 1990, Cooper left CJOH to pursue a freelance career as a writer, director and producer. During this time, he continued to work as a story editor, as well as teaching screenwriting
at the Ottawa based Algonquin College
and the Summer Institute of Film and Television. Cooper also wrote and scored the soundtracks for several industrial films, television shows and documentaries.
In 1997, Cooper was hired on as the Creative Director of Ottawa based video game developer Artech Studios. Over the next ten years, Cooper would work on over 50 best-selling video game titles including: Q*Bert, Star Wars Monopoly, Jeopardy!
http://www.answers.com/topic/jeopardy-2nd-edition-game?cat=entertainment, Wheel Of Fortune
, Family Feud
, Stanley
, Trivial Pursuit Unhinged and Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit; working with the likes of Andy Serkis
, Whoopi Goldberg
, Alex Trebek
, Vanna White
, John O'Hurley
and John Cleese
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1042584/.
In 2006, Cooper once again become involved with the Cooper Brothers when the band reformed after twenty years of separation to release a “Best Of” CD under the EMI
Pacemaker label.
Dick left Artech Studios in 2007 when his first novel JUKEBOX, published by Rain Books, was released.http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=7f911e48-bc58-4e7b-a147-9567fa09bd91
Since then he has gone back to freelance writing, and written several episodes of Forensic Factor
(EPI Productions) which airs on the Discovery Channel
.
In February 2010, a new Cooper Brothers album entitled "IN FROM THE COLD" was released, featuring 12 brand new songs penned by Richard. The new CD also features a number of guest artists including Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy
, Delbert McClinton
, and Chuck Leavell
.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
A founding member of the popular 70s Canadian southern-rock band The Cooper Brothers
The Cooper Brothers
The Cooper Brothers are a 70s Canadian southern rock band founded in Ottawa, Ontario, by brothers Brian Cooper and Dick Cooper and their long-time friend Terry King. Starting in 1974, the band released several singles under the production guidance of Les Emmerson...
, he toured extensively throughout North America and helped the band achieve several hits under the Capricorn Records
Capricorn Records
Capricorn Records was an independent record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia.-First Incarnation:...
label, including a number of songs which charted on The Billboard Hot 100.http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/C/Cooper_Brothers.html
When the band went their separate ways in 1983, Dick began working as a children’s television writer (working under the name Richard Cooper) and over the next few years scripted several shows for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
including You Can’t Do That On Television and Turkey T.V.
While working at local Ottawa television studio CJOH in 1986, Cooper also created and developed his first original series entitled Highschool Confidential. Cooper would write and produce 21 episodes of the teen variety series, and the show was later syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
in the U.S. and Canada, winning the International Iris Award at NATPE
NATPE
The National Association of Television Program Executives is a professional association of television and emerging media executives...
in 1987.
In 1988, Cooper followed up Highschool Confidential by producing and directing 13 episodes of the television series Denim Blueshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1120905/, a half-hour teen drama which was subsequently syndicated in both Canada and Japan. The show would also mark the acting debut of Golden Globe Winner Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh is a Canadian actress. She is best known for the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award. She also played notable roles in the feature films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and had a supporting role on the...
as well as Tyley Ross, of the popular singing ensemble the East Village Opera Company
East Village Opera Company
The East Village Opera Company is a rock group co-founded by vocalist Tyley Ross and arranger/multi-instrumentalist Peter Kiesewalter, both Canadians. Vocalist AnnMarie Milazzo was then recruited to provide female vocals. EVOC includes eight other members: two guitarists, a bassist, a...
. The series was also presented with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters
Canadian Association of Broadcasters
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters was the national voice of Canada's private broadcasters, representing the vast majority of Canadian programming services, including private radio and television stations, specialty, pay and pay-per-view services....
Gold Ribbon Award in 1989.
In 1990, Cooper left CJOH to pursue a freelance career as a writer, director and producer. During this time, he continued to work as a story editor, as well as teaching screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
at the Ottawa based Algonquin College
Algonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college and member of Polytechnics Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec...
and the Summer Institute of Film and Television. Cooper also wrote and scored the soundtracks for several industrial films, television shows and documentaries.
In 1997, Cooper was hired on as the Creative Director of Ottawa based video game developer Artech Studios. Over the next ten years, Cooper would work on over 50 best-selling video game titles including: Q*Bert, Star Wars Monopoly, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
http://www.answers.com/topic/jeopardy-2nd-edition-game?cat=entertainment, Wheel Of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (video game)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, premiering in 1975 with a syndicated version airing in 1983. Since 1986, the show has been adapted into various video games, most based on the syndicated nighttime version. Most versions released before 1998 were...
, Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, Stanley
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:- Australia :* Stanley, Tasmania* Stanley, Victoria* County of Stanley, Queensland- Canada :* Stanley, British Columbia* Stanley, New Brunswick* Port Stanley, Ontario- Falkland Islands :...
, Trivial Pursuit Unhinged and Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit; working with the likes of Andy Serkis
Andy Serkis
Andrew Clement G. "Andy" Serkis is an English actor, director and author. He is popularly known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he earned several award nominations, including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers...
, Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
, Vanna White
Vanna White
Vanna White is an American television personality and film actress best known as the hostess of Wheel of Fortune since 1982.-Early life:...
, John O'Hurley
John O'Hurley
John George O'Hurley is an American actor, voice actor, and television personality. He is known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and was the host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010.-Early life:...
and John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1042584/.
In 2006, Cooper once again become involved with the Cooper Brothers when the band reformed after twenty years of separation to release a “Best Of” CD under the EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Pacemaker label.
Dick left Artech Studios in 2007 when his first novel JUKEBOX, published by Rain Books, was released.http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=7f911e48-bc58-4e7b-a147-9567fa09bd91
Since then he has gone back to freelance writing, and written several episodes of Forensic Factor
Forensic Factor
Forensic Factor is a Canadian television series, which airs on Discovery Channel Canada and Sun TV. The series is a documentary look at forensic techniques and their application in crime-solving....
(EPI Productions) which airs on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
In February 2010, a new Cooper Brothers album entitled "IN FROM THE COLD" was released, featuring 12 brand new songs penned by Richard. The new CD also features a number of guest artists including Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy
Jim Cuddy
Jim Cuddy is a Canadian singer-songwriter primarily associated with the band Blue Rodeo. He has also recorded three solo albums with the Jim Cuddy Band, which features musicians Bazil Donovan, Colin Cripps, Joel Anderson, Anne Lindsay and Gavin Brown...
, Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist....
, and Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band throughout the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
.
External links
- The Cooper Brothers Official Website
- Official Facebook Fan Page