Biography
Primarily active behind the scenes in the music industry, Marty Cooper found his greatest achievements through songwriting and record production for fellow performers, though he released occasional material under his own name. Born James Martin Cooper in Denver, Colorado, he relocated to California during his early teenage years and established himself in Los Angeles. There he nurtured a strong passion for music that led him to begin singing and composing; still attending high school, he reached out to a modest imprint called Crest Records listed in the phone book, which accepted his songs and issued his debut single, "Can't Walk ‘Em Off" b/w "You Bet Your Little Life," in 1958. Though commercially unsuccessful, the release opened industry doors, prompting him after graduation to enroll in daytime college courses in business administration while networking with other musicians during his free hours.
His initial major opportunity arrived when producer H.B. Barnum selected the song "Peanut Butter" for a single by the vocal group the Marathons; the track achieved nationwide success in 1961, leading Cooper to abandon his studies and commit to music full-time. Although he issued a few novelty singles as Don & Marty, El Clod, and simply Marty Cooper, his stronger contributions came as a songwriter and producer. He oversaw several recordings by R&B singer Bobby Day and worked repeatedly with noted arranger and composer Jack Nitzsche, co-writing one of Nitzsche’s infrequent solo successes, "The Lonely Surfer." In 1963 Cooper arranged and produced an unconventional RCA album credited to the Marty Cooper Clan; New Sounds, Old Goodies presented a vocal chorus performing the lead guitar lines from various instrumental rock hits, supported by a band of top session musicians.
Cooper next partnered with celebrated songwriter and producer Lee Hazlewood on a new venture. The Shacklefords, a pop-oriented folk ensemble comprising Cooper, Hazlewood, Albert Stone, and Gracia Nitzsche (Jack’s wife), recorded the Mercury album Until You've Heard the Shacklefords, You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet in 1963. Its single "A Stranger (In Your Town)" achieved modest chart success, yet the group waited until 1966 to release the follow-up The Shacklefords Sing on Capitol; a handful of additional singles appeared on Hazlewood’s LHI label before the act disbanded. In 1968 Cooper produced the debut album … I Can Remember Everything for singer and actress Jennifer; neither that release nor its 1969 successor, See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me, sold strongly, though the vocalist later prospered in the 1970s under the name Jennifer Warnes. Another production client, Catherine Share, who recorded Cooper’s song "Ain't It, Baby" in 1965 as Charity Shayne, experienced far less favorable outcomes; her musical path declined after she joined Charles Manson’s outlaw "Family," resulting in a five-year prison sentence tied to a failed 1971 armed robbery that ended in a police shootout.
Across the 1960s and into the early 1970s, Cooper supplied songs recorded by major artists such as the Kingston Trio ("Little Play Soldiers"), Bobby Bare ("Cowboys and Daddys"), Stevie Wonder ("Hey Harmonica Man"), Donna Fargo ("You Can't Be a Beacon if Your Light Don't Shine"), and Donny & Marie Osmond ("A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock ‘n' Roll"). Introduced by his friend Rick Cunha to producer Ken Mansfield, Cooper received an offer to sign with Barnaby Records, the label established by Andy Williams that was broadening into pop and country. His 1972 album A Minute of Your Time, his first full-length project since the unsuccessful New Sounds, Old Goodies, earned favorable notices and yielded the minor hit single "The Indiana Girl," yet the album itself achieved limited commercial impact and remained his sole Barnaby release. Williams later recorded one of Cooper’s compositions for the 1980 album Let's Love While We Can. In 1979 Cooper issued his third album, If You Were a Singer, through EMI for German and other European markets but not the United States. Thereafter he set aside singing and producing to concentrate on writing and gradually receded from the music world. In 2012 the U.K. reissue label Big Beat revived interest in his catalog with the collection I Wrote a Song: The Complete 1970s Recordings.
His initial major opportunity arrived when producer H.B. Barnum selected the song "Peanut Butter" for a single by the vocal group the Marathons; the track achieved nationwide success in 1961, leading Cooper to abandon his studies and commit to music full-time. Although he issued a few novelty singles as Don & Marty, El Clod, and simply Marty Cooper, his stronger contributions came as a songwriter and producer. He oversaw several recordings by R&B singer Bobby Day and worked repeatedly with noted arranger and composer Jack Nitzsche, co-writing one of Nitzsche’s infrequent solo successes, "The Lonely Surfer." In 1963 Cooper arranged and produced an unconventional RCA album credited to the Marty Cooper Clan; New Sounds, Old Goodies presented a vocal chorus performing the lead guitar lines from various instrumental rock hits, supported by a band of top session musicians.
Cooper next partnered with celebrated songwriter and producer Lee Hazlewood on a new venture. The Shacklefords, a pop-oriented folk ensemble comprising Cooper, Hazlewood, Albert Stone, and Gracia Nitzsche (Jack’s wife), recorded the Mercury album Until You've Heard the Shacklefords, You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet in 1963. Its single "A Stranger (In Your Town)" achieved modest chart success, yet the group waited until 1966 to release the follow-up The Shacklefords Sing on Capitol; a handful of additional singles appeared on Hazlewood’s LHI label before the act disbanded. In 1968 Cooper produced the debut album … I Can Remember Everything for singer and actress Jennifer; neither that release nor its 1969 successor, See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me, sold strongly, though the vocalist later prospered in the 1970s under the name Jennifer Warnes. Another production client, Catherine Share, who recorded Cooper’s song "Ain't It, Baby" in 1965 as Charity Shayne, experienced far less favorable outcomes; her musical path declined after she joined Charles Manson’s outlaw "Family," resulting in a five-year prison sentence tied to a failed 1971 armed robbery that ended in a police shootout.
Across the 1960s and into the early 1970s, Cooper supplied songs recorded by major artists such as the Kingston Trio ("Little Play Soldiers"), Bobby Bare ("Cowboys and Daddys"), Stevie Wonder ("Hey Harmonica Man"), Donna Fargo ("You Can't Be a Beacon if Your Light Don't Shine"), and Donny & Marie Osmond ("A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock ‘n' Roll"). Introduced by his friend Rick Cunha to producer Ken Mansfield, Cooper received an offer to sign with Barnaby Records, the label established by Andy Williams that was broadening into pop and country. His 1972 album A Minute of Your Time, his first full-length project since the unsuccessful New Sounds, Old Goodies, earned favorable notices and yielded the minor hit single "The Indiana Girl," yet the album itself achieved limited commercial impact and remained his sole Barnaby release. Williams later recorded one of Cooper’s compositions for the 1980 album Let's Love While We Can. In 1979 Cooper issued his third album, If You Were a Singer, through EMI for German and other European markets but not the United States. Thereafter he set aside singing and producing to concentrate on writing and gradually receded from the music world. In 2012 the U.K. reissue label Big Beat revived interest in his catalog with the collection I Wrote a Song: The Complete 1970s Recordings.
Albums
American Portraits
2025
The American Dreamers Collection
2012
I Wrote a Song: The Complete 1970s Recordings
2012
Singles
