D.C. Cooper

by Gary Hill
Born in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, it certainly did not seem likely at the time that D.C. Cooper would become a bastion of European heavy metal, but that is just what happened. Cooper got his start in various bands in and around Pittsburgh. He decided that he needed to pursue his vocal talents quite seriously. So, he began studying opera under the tutelage of Charlotte Coleman. All the hard work began to pay off, though. Cooper made a bid for, and nearly got, the frontman spot in Judas Priest (vacated by Rob Halford). Although he only made it to runner-up status for that project, it served to help to secure a name for him. That name garnered him offers from a large number of European metal bands. Cooper accepted the one put forth by Royal Hunt, and late in 1994 became their vocalist. He stayed with that group for a time, recording three albums with them: Paradox, Moving Target, and a live disc. In 1998, when Cooper chose to begin work on a solo project during off-time from Royal Hunt, the group unceremoniously let him go. Undaunted, Cooper went forward with the release of his solo album, and has since formed the group Silent Force. Still with that group, after releasing two albums, things seem to be on track for D.C. Cooper.