Roger Cooper Kentucky Master Fiddler

Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories.

I reached out to Roger over the phone, eager to discuss a project that had been brewing in my mind. Strangely enough, we had never met before, and I hadn’t even known he existed until a couple of weeks prior to our call. To my surprise, he agreed to meet with me. As soon as we sat down, I was struck by the quiet strength of Roger Cooper’s character. He was a man of few words, He never boasted about his accomplishments, yet every now and then, he would reveal something remarkable about himself in the most unassuming way.

Born in 1949, Roger has spent his entire life in Lewis County, Kentucky. He and his wife, Charlotte, have been married for nearly 54 years. He is the eldest of eleven siblings, raised along the Ohio River on Front Street in Vanceburg. His childhood home was filled with the sounds of music. Hiis father strumming the guitar on the front porch, his uncles showcasing their talents on banjo, guitar, and mandolin. At just six years old, Roger’s Uncle Gene introduced him to the fiddle, setting him on a path he would pursue for a lifetime. Although he later learned the guitar, it was the allure of the fiddle that captured his heart. He taught himself to play by ear, guided by an acute sense of hearing rather than sheet music, finding the latter too slow for his taste.

Roger is one of the few remaining Lewis County fiddlers from his generation, having mastered the region’s unique fiddling style. it was his friendship with Buddy Thomas, a well-respected local fiddler, that truly transformed his musical journey. They first crossed paths in 1957 at Morgan Staggs' country grocery store, where Roger was entranced by Buddy’s mastery, often likening it to “magic.” Their friendship flourished, with Roger admitting that he could spend hours discussing Buddy’s talent, a bond that remained strong until Buddy’s passing in 1975. “Even today, whenever I work on a fiddle tune, I think about how Buddy would have done it”, says Roger.

In his early twenties, Roger ventured to Mansfield, Ohio, for construction work to make ends meet. He would work for a few weeks, save some money, and then return home to immerse himself in fiddling. His passion was infectious; he described it as a “fiddling disease,” a compulsion that seeps into your soul. Realizing he needed to support himself, he shifted to playing country music, recognizing that his traditional fiddling alone wouldn’t suffice financially. Throughout his career, he collaborated with various country musicians, yet the timeless melodies of old-time fiddling always called him back.

Roger Cooper is not just a fiddler; he is an award-winning artist whose talents have graced stages like the Lincoln Center in New York City. He has triumphed in countless old-time fiddle contests across Kentucky and Ohio, including The Ohio State Championships, and even placed in the top 20 at the World’s Championship in Union Grove, North Carolina. His contributions to the art have not gone unnoticed; he received a Kentucky Governor’s Award in the Arts in 2017 and served as a master artist in the Kentucky Arts Council’s Folk Arts Apprenticeship program.

Today, Roger performs at events like the annual Singin' Gatherin' Old Time Music Day at the McConnel House in Greenup, KY, and on Saturdays, you can catch him playing swing music at Carproni's Restaurant in Maysville. Although he has contemplated retirement more than once, he plans to make it permanent soon.

Meeting someone of his extraordinary talent and genuine humility has truly been a privilege, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share his story.

Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com)