Biography
Born in Virginia, Clarence Cooper ranks among the lesser-recognized gospel and blues vocalists who contributed to the folk revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s. His recording career opened in the 1950s with the ten-inch Elektra album Goin' Down the Road, captured in 1954, and continued with an appearance on the same label’s New Folk Sampler, where he performed “The Erie Canal.”
Recruited in 1957 to replace Alan Arkin in the folk trio the Tarriers—after Arkin had exited following a European tour to concentrate on acting—Cooper supplied both the baritone lead vocals and the forceful guitar work that strengthened the group’s overall sound. He performed on multiple Tarriers albums and contributed arrangements to their recordings. By the close of the decade he and co-founder Bob Carey formed the group’s nucleus once co-founder Erik Darling departed for the Weavers. Cooper remained through the subsequent memberships of Eric Weissberg and Marshall Brickman, outlasting Carey to become the Tarriers’ longest-serving participant.
A congenital heart condition forced him to step away in 1964 for corrective surgery. Newport Folk Festival organizer George Wein credited Cooper with an essential role in programming the festival’s blues and gospel selections over several years. The Simon Sisters—Carly Simon and Lucy Simon—later included one of his compositions, “So Glad I’m Here,” on their album Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod.
Recruited in 1957 to replace Alan Arkin in the folk trio the Tarriers—after Arkin had exited following a European tour to concentrate on acting—Cooper supplied both the baritone lead vocals and the forceful guitar work that strengthened the group’s overall sound. He performed on multiple Tarriers albums and contributed arrangements to their recordings. By the close of the decade he and co-founder Bob Carey formed the group’s nucleus once co-founder Erik Darling departed for the Weavers. Cooper remained through the subsequent memberships of Eric Weissberg and Marshall Brickman, outlasting Carey to become the Tarriers’ longest-serving participant.
A congenital heart condition forced him to step away in 1964 for corrective surgery. Newport Folk Festival organizer George Wein credited Cooper with an essential role in programming the festival’s blues and gospel selections over several years. The Simon Sisters—Carly Simon and Lucy Simon—later included one of his compositions, “So Glad I’m Here,” on their album Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod.