The Dude Coopers: (l-r) Mark Jones, Richard H. Eyres, Howard Burton, Charlie OgunremiThe Dude Coopers (UK) report (19 Sept. 2009):
Ever wondered where band names come from? Or said to yourself 'why did they call themselves that?' Well, we had the very same problem to contend with when choosing our band name.
At the beginning of the year we had to come up with a band name in a hurry, and came up with The OffChords - not an inspired choice, I grant you, but it seemed like a good one at the time. We soon realised that it was not for us, but as we were booked for several summer festivals in the UK, we decided to stick with it for them. After having lots of time to think, we feel we have come up with a great name for our band, with great meaning behind it.
Our new band name is The Dude Coopers. It might not seem like it straight away, but our name is steeped in the bluegrass tradition. Let me explain.
Band guitarist Mark Jones used to live in rural East Tennessee, a hotbed of traditional bluegrass and old-time music. It is an old mountain community with time-honoured values born from tough times past and present. Cooper's store, known as 'Dude Cooper's' after the owner, was the only store for miles around and the focal point of the community. When you went to pay for your groceries it was quite common to see a shotgun and pistol by the till, so it was unwise to forget your money! It also offered the best biscuits and gravy around, and it was not uncommon to be sharing your lunch with prisoners from the local jail chain gang, who often dined there. So what with the obvious bluegrass music connection, and Mark's experiences, it seemed a great name for the band: The Dude Coopers.
So to sum up the OffChords are now the Dude Coopers. We hope you all like the new name as much as we do, and the next time you see a band with an unusual name, just ask yourself, 'I wonder where that band name came from', or better still ask them!
In action at the North Wales Bluegrass Festival, 2009
