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Articles
Country Music Capital News Magazine - February 2006
Article By Deborah Minter
Like the famous 10CC song, Kelly Cooper has no love for the game that dominates her husband Chris’ summers, but then, he has no passion for her great love, country music.
“I grew up listening to Slim Whitman, Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves”, Kelly said, “but though they love country music, none of my family are very musical”. Husband Chris admits his interest in music begins and ends with his pretty blonde wife. Without family influence behind her Kelly has had to find her own way. “Mum bought me a tambourine and told me it was for when I join a band. I thought, yeah, like that’s going to happen!”
Kelly threw herself into everything musical; from various local bands to musical theatre. “I did Grease with Vince Gelonese and the Queanbeyan Players,” Kelly said. Vince played ‘Danny’ (the John Travolta role) and also worked with Kelly in his Elvis Presley tribute shows. “He’s performing in Las Vegas now, but I decided that country music was really my niche. I guess it’s taken me ten years to find out how very important music is in my life. I couldn’t live without it”.
Kelly eventually joined a band that included Canberra musician Graham Gall. He was so impressed with her that he became her manager, an association that lasted several years before other commitments forced him to step aside.
When it was time for her to begin recording her first EP, friend and country entertainer Billy Bridge introduced Kelly to Roger Corbett, stalwart of the renowned country band The Bushwackers, musician, songsmith and one of Australia’s finest producers. Roger saw the potential of Kelly immediately. “Roger has a huge collection of songs from Nashville writers at his finger tips. So we listened to some CD’s and that’s how I found the songs,” said Kelly.
As time was tight, Kelly had the unusual challenge of choosing the songs, learning them overnight and then singing the guide vocals the next day “because I work full time, I only had weekends free”. Thankfully Kelly had time then to become familiar with the tracks before she returned to put down the final vocals. “I would have dies if I had to go with those guide vocals” she laughed.
“When I heard Thirsty I had to stop myself from crying. The words are so beautiful. I knew I had to do it. Those words ‘I’m just thirsty and you are my water’, I dedicate to my husband Chris and my daughter Samantha. It’s a very slow ballad, so it’s not ideal for radio, but I had to do it”.
Kelly’s first single from the self-titled EP is Are You With Me? “It’s really catchy” Kelly enthused. “When I first heard it a guy was singing it. I thought it was really unusual because of the words, they’re so emotional. It sounded more like a ‘girly song’ to me. I loved it instantly.
“I’m just a full on ballad girl”, she said “I love bringing out the emotions. Let Love Deliver You was chosen because it reminded me of those great ballads of Faith Hill; really modern country with a power edge. I’m totally in love with pedal steel, so anything with lashings of pedal steel just hooks me.
I’m finding quite a few people saying that Don’t Make Me Love You is their favourite. It was almost released as the debut single but after it was recorded I liked Are You With Me better”.
Kelly asked Billy Bridge to join her in a duet for the EP. He suggested the Smokey/Suzy Quatro classic Stumblin’ In. He wanted to record it on one of his own albums, but it had never happened” Kelly said. “We had a lot of fun doing it”.
Kelly still works full time in the office of a local real estate agent, but she hopes for a time when music can be her number one job. “It’s my dream to work as a singer full time”, she said. With her rich extraordinary voice, no one would be better suited.