Peter Cooper, country music journalist and historian, dies
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Peter Cooper in 2018. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Peter Cooper, the artful storyteller who became one of country music's preeminent journalists and later a professor, historian, author, songwriter and Grammy-nominated artist, died Tuesday following a head injury. He was 52.
Cooper told the story of country music with the passion of a diehard fan and the craftsmanship of a poet laureate.
He made his name as a music journalist at the Tennessean, where he displayed the skill to write gut-wrenching long-form stories and humorous feature articles. Cooper earned the trust of Nashville's most consequential artists and songwriters, and became a decorated artist in his own right.
- He was comfortable in any format: narrative reporting, newsy scoops, detailed concert reviews, behind-the-scenes features, definitive obituaries of luminaries.
"Losing Peter Cooper is a hard blow to our creative community," singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell said on Twitter. "His passion for, and knowledge of, all things musical was pretty much unparalleled. He was as kind as he was insightful. And a damned good singer and writer of songs. God speed, dear boy. You’ll be missed."
- Recalling his long friendship with Cooper, country singer-songwriter Charlie Worsham said in a Facebook post, "it’s hard to fathom the magnitude of this loss for our country music community... i’m gonna miss him so very much, and i don’t know how Nashville can be Nashville without him."
Cooper described his approach to music journalism in his book: “Now for sure, you need a good bulls**t detector, you shouldn't rant, and you shouldn't cheerlead. But objectivity is dispassionate. And we're in the passion business. We're trying to make people feel something different than what they felt before they read our words.”
Along with the singer-songwriter Eric Brace, Cooper earned a Grammy nomination for his children's album of Tom T. Hall cover songs.
- He collaborated with country artist Bill Anderson on his autobiography "Whisperin Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music." Cooper also wrote the critically acclaimed book "Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride: Lasting Legends and Untold Adventures in Country Music."
- Cooper taught country music history at Vanderbilt University. Following his journalism career, he took a job as historian and executive at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- No matter his job title, Cooper's life's work was shining a light on the music he loved.
In lieu of flowers, Cooper's family is asking for donations to support his son Baker Cooper's education or to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- Donations for his son can be made for Baker Cooper c/o the Wells Fargo Bank at 1712 West End Avenue.
💭 Nate's thought bubble: I worked with Peter for a little over five years at the Tennessean, but I got to know him well before that when I was the Nashville Sounds beat reporter for the City Paper. Peter was a huge baseball fan, and he was a fixture at Greer Stadium.
- He was a friend during the difficult, aspiring phase of my career, which was especially meaningful because he was already so accomplished. I later learned many other young journalists received the same support from Peter.
Go deeper: Read Cooper's spellbinding work