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Wilma Lee Cooper
- February 7, 1921
- September 13, 2011
- 90 years
- natural causes
About Wilma Lee Cooper
Wilma Lee Cooper, 90, American country music singer, natural causes.
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Full Biography
|Wilma Lee Leary (February 7, 1921 – September 13, 2011), known professionally as Wilma Lee Cooper, was an American country music entertainer. She was a guitarist, banjo player and vocalist, and was given the title of "First Lady of Bluegrass" by the Smithsonian Institution in 1974. In 1994 She was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award from the IBMA. She was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2023.
Biography
Leary, according to the 1930 U.S. Census, was born Willma Leigh Leary in Valley Head, West Virginia whose mother was a schoolteacher and father who was a coal miner. Wilma's mother played pump organ. She had two siblings, Jerry and Peggy. She began singing at the age of five.
She sang in her youth with her family's gospel music group, The Leary Family, which included her parents and sisters. They recorded for the Library Of Congress in 1938. That year, they were also recognized at the National Folk Festival in Washington, D.C., having been chosen through a competition to represent the state of West Virginia.
In 1941, Leary married fiddler and vocalist Dale T. "Stoney" Cooper, who was a musical accompanist for the Leary Family, and the duo formed their own group; Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper and the Clinch Mountain Clan. There were many similarities between Wilma's recordings and Roy Acuff. This is seen in the use Acuff's repertory and prominent featuring of the dobro on her recordings. 16 tracks were recorded during her first time in the studio, five of which were also previously recorded by Acuff.
They were regulars for ten years on Wheeling, West Virginia's WWVA-AM's rival to the Grand Ole Opry, WWVA Jamboree, beginning in 1947 before joining the Opry in 1957. They were hired to do a series of transcribed shows to be aired across the country, a project that would considerably increase their reach and help them gain a large following.
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper had remarkable record success in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Hickory Records given both their traditional country sound (which has rarely been as commercially successful) and the damage rock-n-roll was doing to country music's popularity at the time. They scored seven hit records between 1956 and 1961, with four top ten hits on Billboard charts, notably "Big Midnight Special" and "There's a Big Wheel". They remained connected to the Leary Family tradition as well, recording popular gospel songs like "The Tramp on the Street" and "Walking My Lord Up Calvary's Hill".[citation needed]
Stoney Cooper died in 1977 but Wilma Lee stayed on the Opry as a solo star and on occasion recorded an album for a bluegrass record label. In 2001 she suffered a stroke while performing on the Opry stage which ended her career, but Cooper defied doctors who said she would never walk again and eventually returned to the Opry to greet and thank the crowds.[citation needed]
The Cooper's daughter, Carol Lee Cooper, was the lead singer for the Grand Ole Opry's backup vocal group, The Carol Lee Singers until she announced her retirement live on the Opry on March 24, 2012.[citation needed]
Wilma Lee Cooper died from natural causes on September 13, 2011, at her home in Sweetwater, Tennessee. She had been a member of the Opry since 1957. She was 90 years old. Her last solo performance on the Opry was at the Ryman Auditorium on February 24, 2001. Wilma Lee joined the Opry cast at the grand re-opening of the Opry House on September 28, 2010, for a group sing-along.[citation needed]
Discography
Singles with Stoney Cooper
LP Gusto Records PO-242 (1975) Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper – Walking my Lord up Calvary's Hill
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Wilma Lee Cooper obituary"theguardian.com
- "Wilma Lee Cooper, Grand Ole Opry Singer, Dies at 90"nytimes.com
Reported coverage of Wilma Lee Cooper; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilma_Lee_Cooper
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Wilma Lee Cooper's archived record and the sources above.
1.Which hit record was notably released by Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper between 1956 and 1961?
- A.Clinch Mountain Clan Blues
- B.The Tramp on the Street
- C.Walking My Lord Up Calvary's Hill
- D.Big Midnight Specialcorrect
The biography lists Big Midnight Special as a hit record from their time on Hickory Records.
Source: Biography section
2.How many hit records did Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper score between 1956 and 1961?
- A.Ten
- B.Sevencorrect
- C.Sixteen
- D.Four
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper scored seven hit records between 1956 and 1961.
Source: Biography section
3.What health event ended Wilma Lee Cooper's career in 2001?
- A.A heart attack
- B.A strokecorrect
- C.A broken leg
- D.Severe vocal strain
In 2001, Wilma Lee Cooper suffered a stroke while performing on the Opry stage, which ended her career.
Source: Biography section
4.What was the name of the vocal group fronted by the daughter of Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper?
- A.The Clinch Mountain Clan
- B.The Carol Lee Singerscorrect
- C.The Leary Family
- D.The Grand Ole Opry Choir
Carol Lee Cooper was the lead singer for the Grand Ole Opry's backup vocal group, The Carol Lee Singers.
Source: Biography section
5.Where did Wilma Lee Cooper die?
- A.Nashville, Tennessee
- B.Wheeling, West Virginia
- C.Sweetwater, Tennesseecorrect
- D.Valley Head, West Virginia
Wilma Lee Cooper died at her home in Sweetwater, Tennessee.
Source: Biography section
6.In what year was Wilma Lee Cooper posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame?
- A.2023correct
- B.2012
- C.2011
- D.1994
Wilma Lee Cooper was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2023.
Source: Introductory section
7.How old was Wilma Lee Cooper when she died?
- A.85
- B.88
- C.90correct
- D.92
Wilma Lee Cooper was 90 years old when she died in 2011.
Source: Biography section
8.On what date was Wilma Lee Cooper's last solo performance at the Ryman Auditorium?
- A.September 28, 2010
- B.February 24, 2001correct
- C.March 24, 2012
- D.September 13, 2011
Wilma Lee Cooper's last solo performance on the Opry was at the Ryman Auditorium on February 24, 2001.
Source: Biography section
9.In what town was Wilma Lee Cooper born?
- A.Sweetwater, Tennessee
- B.Wheeling, West Virginia
- C.Valley Head, West Virginiacorrect
- D.Nashville, Tennessee
According to the 1930 U.S. Census, Wilma Lee Cooper was born in Valley Head, West Virginia.
Source: Biography section
10.What was the occupation of Wilma Lee Cooper's mother?
- A.Schoolteachercorrect
- B.Coal miner
- C.Radio host
- D.Fiddler
The biography states that Wilma Lee Cooper's mother was a schoolteacher.
Source: Biography section
11.At what age did Wilma Lee Cooper begin singing?
- A.Twelve
- B.Ten
- C.Seven
- D.Fivecorrect
Wilma Lee Cooper began singing at the age of five.
Source: Biography section
12.In what year did The Leary Family record for the Library of Congress?
- A.1941
- B.1930
- C.1947
- D.1938correct
The Leary Family recorded for the Library of Congress in 1938.
Source: Biography section
13.Who did Wilma Lee Cooper marry in 1941?
- A.A bluegrass musician named Jerry
- B.Stoney Coopercorrect
- C.A fellow coal miner
- D.Roy Acuff
In 1941, Wilma Lee Cooper married fiddler and vocalist Dale T. Stoney Cooper.
Source: Biography section
14.Which institution gave Wilma Lee Cooper the title 'First Lady of Bluegrass' in 1974?
- A.The Library of Congress
- B.The Smithsonian Institutioncorrect
- C.The International Bluegrass Music Association
- D.The Grand Ole Opry
Wilma Lee Cooper was given the title of First Lady of Bluegrass by the Smithsonian Institution in 1974.
Source: Introductory section
15.What radio program did Wilma Lee Cooper and Stoney Cooper perform on as regulars beginning in 1947?
- A.The WWVA Jamboreecorrect
- B.The National Folk Festival
- C.The Clinch Mountain Hour
- D.The Grand Ole Opry
Wilma Lee Cooper and Stoney Cooper were regulars on the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia, starting in 1947.
Source: Biography section
16.In what year did Wilma Lee Cooper and Stoney Cooper join the Grand Ole Opry?
- A.1961
- B.1957correct
- C.1941
- D.1947
Wilma Lee Cooper and Stoney Cooper joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1957.
Source: Biography section
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