A longtime force in writing about country music and preserving its history, Peter Cooper died on Tuesday (Dec. 6) at age 52. Cooper suffered a severe head injury last week and had been in critical condition at a Nashville hospital.
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Cooper was a music journalist for the Tennessean from 2000- 2014 before joining the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where he served as a senior director, producer and writer. He also taught country music history as a senior lecturer for Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music.
In addition, Cooper earned enough respect as a writer of album liner notes for Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson and others that he's quoted on George Jones' tombstone. As an author, he co-wrote Bill Anderson autobiography Whisperin' Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music and penned Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride: Lasting Legends and Untold Adventures in Country Music.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
An artist in his own right, Cooper collaborated with the likes of prolific singer-songwriter Thomm Jutz, steel guitar innovator Lloyd Green and bluegrass legend Mac Wiseman. Notable moments as a bassist came alongside Todd Snider during appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman. From the producer's chair, he guided the star-studded and Grammy-nominated tribute album I Love: Tom T. Hall's Songs of Fox Hollow, which featured country and Americana influencers Bobby Bare, Patty Griffin and Jim Lauderdale. He also ran indie label Red Beet Records with fellow journalist and frequent musical partner Eric Brace.
The South Carolina native fell in love with roots music in Washington DC after discovering bluegrass band the Seldom Scene. His journalism career began when he reviewed a Guy Clark concert for the student newspaper at Wofford College.
A statement from the family expressed gratitude for "the kind words and prayers you have offered over the past few days."
