Gene Cooper

Although he only seems to have cut these 2 mid 60s 45s both Detroit singer Cooper’s releases are full of interest. The first (?) for Fortune subsidiary Hi Q The Kind Of Man I Am is a fine deep ballad on which he shows a lot of gospel fire especially on the excellent false ending. I’m sure you’ll recognise the lovely guitar licks too – nobody but the great Robert Ward made an axe sound quite like that. Wonderful.

His second 45, which was self-produced, is a real rarity – and the funk crew like the flip so it may get even harder to find. Look Up And Smile has a very effective simplicity that really gets under my skin. The honky tonk piano is a real bonus, and the sanctified backing vocals do a lot to enhance Cooper’s fire.

UPDATE ~ Davie Gordon writes that the matrix number of the Hi-Q 45 indicates a pressing date of 1966. I've amended the discography below to reflect this.

 

Thanks to Davie Gordon for extra info.

 

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