Cooper's songs have been recorded by a long list of artists that include Trout Fishing in America, Rex Foster, Claire Lynch, Maura O’Connell, Pierce Pettis, and Susan Werner.
[4] Cooper moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s to work on his debut solo album with Elektra Records.
Their bandmates included Michael Mashkes on bass and guitar, Jim Alderman on drums and piano, and Pete Gorisch (and, later, Riley Osbourn) on keyboard.
[1] His 1997 album Miracle Mile, produced by fellow Kansas City native Josh Leo, featured guest appearances by Lyle Lovett and Maura O'Connell.
[3] Miracle Mile was nominated for a Nashville Music Award as “Best Pop Album” and was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as one of the top DIY recordings of the year.
Made of Mud, released on King Easy Records in 2005, won Cooper the “Best Male Songwriter” award by Indie Acoustic Project.
Together they have recorded four projects, The Conjurer in 2010, Road Show in 2012, Building a Human Being in 2015, and Incendiary Kid in 2017. Cooper has become an integral figure in the Nashville songwriting community, collaborating with renowned writers like Tom Kimmel, Kim Carnes and Don Henry.