Singer, songwriter, and musician Michael Vernon Cooper was born in Vallejo, CA, on November
15, 1952. He is one of the founders of the legendary R&B Funk band, Con Funk Shun.
Con Funk Shun (originally named Project Soul) was formed in 1969 along with co-founder Louis McCall.
Cooper and McCall were high school students at the time. The group expanded to seven members and in 1973 they moved to Memphis, Tennessee where they were hired to backup the group Soul Children. It was then they caught the eye of Estelle Axton who signed them to her label “Fretone Records” but in 1976 they were offered a deal with Mercury Records and this is when their careers took off and the band became a huge success.
Con Funk Shun released a total of eleven albums over a ten year period including: –
- Secrets – 1977, featured hit songs “Sho Feels Good To Me” and “Ffun”
- Love Shine – 1978
- Candy – 1979
- Spirit of Love” – 1980
All of the four albums went gold selling over 500,000 units earning the band great recognition.
Con Funk Shun disbanded in 1986 and Michael Cooper signed with Warner Brothers as a solo artist the following year. Cooper released his debut solo album “Love Is Such a Funny Game”, which included the hit single “To Prove My Love.” The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard R&B chart. Cooper also managed to find the time to co-write “Do Me Right” for the legendary singer Pebbles.
Michael Cooper kept the music flowing and released his second album, “Just What I Like,” in 1989 which included hits like“ Should Have Been You,“ “My Baby’s House,” and “Over and Over.” Cooper
would follow up with 3 more albums “ Get Closer,” “This Heart of Mine,” and “Are We Cool.”
In 2022, Cooper received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Christian Bible Institute and was awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement award signed by President Joe Biden.
Coopers’ music legacy continues to influence Pop/Hip Hop culture today. Timeless hits written by Cooper
like “Love Train” has been sampled by top recording artists such as Dru Hill as well as Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak on their “Silk Sonic” album.
2024 will make over 50 years of Michael Cooper being in the music industry sharing his talent and love for music. His albums continue to be remastered and sampled by recording artist the world.