Peter Cooper

Peter Cooper is one of the nation's most respected country music journalists. As a reporter for the Tennessean since 2000, he has written about music and musicians, profiling notables from Johnny Cash to Taylor Swift, and winning numerous awards along the way. His work has also appeared in Esquire, Oxford American, Mix and American Songwriter magazines, and in liner notes for albums from Country Music Hall of Fame members Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Cowboy Jack Clement, Ronnie Milsap...See more

Peter Cooper is one of the nation's most respected country music journalists. As a reporter for the Tennessean since 2000, he has written about music and musicians, profiling notables from Johnny Cash to Taylor Swift, and winning numerous awards along the way. His work has also appeared in Esquire, Oxford American, Mix and American Songwriter magazines, and in liner notes for albums from Country Music Hall of Fame members Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Cowboy Jack Clement, Ronnie Milsap and Mac Wiseman. He wrote the inscription on George Jones' tombstone. Cooper is also a Grammy-nominated producer and a singer-songwriter. He has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, A Prairie Home Companion, The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. A senior lecturer at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music, Cooper teaches a course on the History of Country Music, educating Vanderbilt scholars about the music's treasured artists and instruments and its place in American culture. See less