Ray Cooper (singer-songwriter)


Ray Cooper, also known as Chopper, is an English/Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist living in Sweden.

Initial musical collaborations and session work

Cooper's first professional band was Amazorblades together with Rob Keyloch and Ben Mandelson. They were a punk/jazz outfit who toured extensively and recorded the single 'Common Truth' in 1977 for Chiswick Records.
Between 1981 and 1982 Cooper played with the London based band OK Jive, who signed to CBS in 1981. In 1983, he played bass guitar and bugle with The Mighty Clouds of Dust on their single release Flowers on the Wall / Champion / Mr.Custer.
In 1983, Cooper joined the World Music group 3 Mustaphas 3 where he played cello and sang under the name of Oussack Mustapha, alias The Nightingale of Szegerely. He recorded two albums with them for Globe Style Records. They also recorded a single with Agnes Bernelle produced by Phil Chevron and Elvis Costello. Cooper left the group in 1986. He performed in a reunion of six group members at the 30th Anniversary concert for fRoots magazine at the Roundhouse in London on 22 January 2010.

Member of Oysterband

Cooper was a member of Oysterband between 1989 and 2013.

Discography

With Amazorblades

As Oyster Band
As Oysterband
Live albums
'Compilation albums