Wilma lee cooper
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On tonight's Grand Ole Opry, Carol Lee Cooper announced her retirement. She appeared on Marty Stuart's segment and received a great ovation from the audience. In addition, she received a special framed poster from Opry general manager Pete Fisher, and was joined on stage by the other Carol Lee Singers. (I will say that Marty treated her like gold on stage tonight).
For those of us to follow the Opry, this is not a real surprise. Carol Lee has battled health and voice issues for the past year, and has not been on the Opry stage since last winter. She was on a YouTube video about a month ago with Larry Black where she talked briefly about being healthy again and praising God for her recovery.
I am happy that Opry management gave her some nice recognition before she left the Opry. I know it had been speculated earlier, on other websites and addressed on this one, that Carol Lee had been fired right after her mom, Wilma Lee Cooper, had passed away. I did not believe that story then and still do not believe it now. I think her retirement was her decision.
It is really the end of anot
For those of us to follow the Opry, this is not a real surprise. Carol Lee has battled health and voice issues for the past year, and has not been on the Opry stage since last winter. She was on a YouTube video about a month ago with Larry Black where she talked briefly about being healthy again and praising God for her recovery.
I am happy that Opry management gave her some nice recognition before she left the Opry. I know it had been speculated earlier, on other websites and addressed on this one, that Carol Lee had been fired right after her mom, Wilma Lee Cooper, had passed away. I did not believe that story then and still do not believe it now. I think her retirement was her decision.
It is really the end of anot
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Carol Lee Cooper (born 21 March 1942) is known as a long-time Grand Ole Opry background vocalist and leader of the Carol Lee Singers for 36 years.
As a child, she toured the country performing and showing her tremendous abilities as a singer and musician at an early age. At the age of 14, Carol Lee Cooper joined the Grand Ole Opry along with her parents, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, in 1957. This gives Carol Lee the unique distinction of being the youngest member ever to join the Grand Ole Opry.recorded with her famous parents on several of the trios' great classics such as, "Big Midnight Special", "Come Walk With Me", and “Loving You".
During these early years, Carol Lee performed as part of a 40 day tour that crossed Canada featuring such legends as Hank Snow and the Rainbow Ranch Boys, Cowboy Copas, Mother Maybelle Carter and Carol Lee's parents, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper. They crossed the beautiful Canadian landscape in a five car caravan for 40 straight days. When they arrived i
| Carol Lee with Stoney & Wilma Lee |
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Wilma Lee Cooper
Wilma Lee Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wilma Lee Leary or Willma Leigh Leary |
| Also known as | Wilma Cooper |
| Born | (1921-02-07)February 7, 1921 Valley Head, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | September 13, 2011(2011-09-13) (aged 90) Sweetwater, Tennessee, U.S.[citation needed] |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, guitarist, singer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1938–2001 |
| Labels | Library of Congress, Hickory |
| Formerly of | Stoney Cooper |
Musical artist
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.[1] In 1994 She was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award from the IBMA.[2] She was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2023.[3]
Biography
Leary, according to the 1930 U.S. Census, was born Willma Leigh Leary
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