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Name: Korey Cooper
Position in band: Keyboardist, Background Vocalist
Birthday: July 21
Hometown: Kenosha, WI
Family: John (husband), Alexandria (daughter), Xavier (son)
Previous jobs before Skillet: played in band Alkeme with Lori
Education: B.A. in Pastoral Studies from Christian Life College in Chicago
Sports / Activities in High School:
Basketball, Soccer, Choir, Madrigals, Jazz Choir
Hobbies: Reading, Running & Working out
Favorite thing to do on days off: Sleep, work out, movies
Favorite Food: Cereal - Cap'n Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Mexican with Chicken
Why did you give your life to Jesus:
I was raised in a Christian home - My parents were
both really passionate Christians, and constantly lived it. They weren't pushy or forceful with their beliefs, but they constantly
lived it and through their lives I knew it was real. When I was still in grade school, I began to see the futility of life
without Jesus. I wanted my life to have eternal value, not simply worldy success. I felt that I could succeed at whatever
I put my mind to & that I could become anything I wanted. However, what was the point of any kind of success - only to
grow old and die and not be able to take any of it with you. I wanted purpose - I wanted to give myself to something that
would matter after my heart stopped beating. I knew I could and was finding this in Christ. My early teen years were probably
the most shaky as far as my spiritual walk. I loved Jesus and knew His presence in my life. I knew He was always there and
loved and knew me fully and completely; however, I was still really insecure. I wanted to be cool and portray this cool image,
but on the inside I was becoming closed off from everyone else. I would never cry or show much emotion, for this was not in
my definition of cool. On the inside, I was becoming even more sad and miserable. I would always run to Jesus and pour out
my heart to him, but other peoples false judgements and misunderstandings of me was really wearing me down. I was definitely
walking some sort of a gray Christianity, which was against my very black and white mindset. Consequently, I was all locked
up on the inside, always building walls to protect myself from others. I went to a youth retreat and brought two of my cool
friends from school. I wanted them to see the purpose and life that I had found in Christ, even though I was messed up in
my own thinking. One of the nights, there was an altar call. A friend from church asked my to go up front with her. I made
sure my other friends knew I wasn't going forward for myself (as going forward showed weakness and need and I was too cool
for that!) Anyway, right when I got up to the front, someone approached me and said that she felt God wanted her to pray for
me. I didn't want her to feel bad, so I said ok. The second she started praying, the presence of God came all over me and
I started weeping. God was breaking me of all of my insecurities and hurts. I was a new person and will never forgot that
powerful move of God on my heart. It was then that I discovered Jesus as my Lord and not simply my best friend.
My walk with Jesus since has been a gradual
process of sanctification and a continually increased passion for Him.
Something God has taught you recently:
God has been teaching me about always walking,
living, and serving in His strength; and is drawing me deeper into dependence upon Him. I've been looking at Jacob, Martha
& Mary, and Caleb. Jacob because he wrestled with God -- ie. he walked in his own strength until God, in His grace, put
his hip out of joint. What a release of freedom he felt as God conquered him. Martha & Mary because Mary sat at Jesus'
feet, while Martha was busy doing. It's so easy to "do" for God in our own strength without first waiting on Him and being
in a place of rest in Him at all times. Caleb, because he was a man who could look beyond his own strengths, and see the mighty
hand of God. He was a man who lived in the rest that only God brings and relied fully on Him.
Biggest influence on your life: I'm blessed to have many amazing influences - My parents would be big influences,
My older sister Kim and brother-in-law John Lalgee, and the rest of my immediate family are all amazing, powerful Christians
and continual provocations to me.
What is your favorite thing about what
you do: Seeing people radically changed by the power
of the Spirit - real change and revelation from the Holy Spirit.
Gear:
Korg Trinity Pro V-3
Korg Prophecy
Korg O1W fd
Korg Delta
Roland MC 505
EMU ESI-4000
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Here's an interview with Korey Cooper with Will from Panheads.org:
KOREY COOPER, November 17, 2001:
Will: Okay. First question: This is one
we talked to Lori about too, is about you and Lori go back a little ways. Y'all have known each other how long?
Korey:
How old am I now? I must've met her when I was about four- thirteen or fourteen. Fourteen maybe?
W:
So y'all like grew up together?
K: Kinda. She got saved through a really good friend of mine. It
was like a family I kinda grew up with in the church. And this girl led Lori to the Lord. And so I - we didn't necessarilly
grow up together, but she got saved in junior high school. She'd go to different schools than me. But then, we went to high
school together. And then after that - ya know, when she got saved, she started coming to my church and, ya know, later on
when she started doing good she was playing drums and I was on the worship team so we played. We'ved played together for a
really long time. So we're really used to it.
W: Now y'all were in a band before Skillet, right?
K: Yeah, we were in lots of other bands.
W: Oh really? What's the one right
before, Alkeme? Is that right?
K: Yeah, yeah.
W: What kind of stuff was
that?
K: That was a mellower band. We did kinda, I mean, I guess sorta like Sixpence-ish but more
keyboard based than guitar based. Or Sarah MacLachlan-ish, I guess. Sorta that style.
W: Yeah. I
think she [Lori] said Sarah MacLachlan.
K: Yeah. We were in another band. The band before that was
kind of a heavy band. So it just depended on the mood I was in, I guess. (laughs) Cause I wrote all the songs.
W:
Oh really?
K: Yeah.
W: Now, you wrote "You Are My Hope"? Is that right?
No, you wrote "One Real Thing".
K: I wrote words. I wrote the second verse for "Hope". But yeah,
"One Real Thing" was all me. And "Will You Be There" was basically all me. Well, John wrote the bridge. That was a song from
the Alkeme days, actually.
W: Oh really?
K: Mhmm.
W:
I noticed something on the new album we hear a lot more of you singing. A lot more exposed stuff where before you done background.
Is that something we can expect in the future from Skillet? I mean, should we expect to hear more of you?
K:
I don't know. I don't know if you should expect to hear more of me than Alien Youth because I think you hear probably--
W:
Well, a fair amount, yeah. A couple of duets...
K: Yeah. Enough of me to not be annoying. You know
what I'm saying? Like, John and I both think that it's confusing when a band has two lead singers.
W:
Right.
K: So my voice is supposed to be mainly almost like a background keyboard part or, ya know.
Stuff like that to where--
W: Oh, all of us were totally excited when we heard you were doing more
exposed stuff.
K: Oh cool.
W: Yeah.
K: I mean,
worship albums, if we do another worship album, you'll hear me a lot. Ya know, I'll possibly do my own album at some point.
But otherwise, I think, you'll probably hear as much of me as you will hear out of a Skillet album on Alien Youth. It'll probably
be the same amount you'll hear on maybe the next rock album.
W: Another thing. I talked to you earlier
about the article in Keyboard Magazine, that they're doing another article on you. Do we know anything about that? About what
issue?
K: I don't know anything about it or when it comes out. When I do - I have no idea. They haven't
interviewed me yet either, ya know, so. Christine was really confused 'cause she called for a picture. And I was like, "Well,
I could get you one." And she was like, "Well, it's too late now. We used one." I was like, 'Well, are they even gonna interview
me?" And she's like, "I thought they did already. " So, I'll have to talk to our publicist about that 'cause apparently he's
the one who .. [garbled]. Yeah, when we find out, we'll put it up on the site or do something.
W:
Here's one we were talking about earlier. I'm sure you've answered this plenty of times, and I've heard this story a couple
of times, is about you and John meeting. How - what's the story with that? I don't think we have it on tape, so it'd be nice
to get it recorded.
K: Well, I was at a bible college in England with John's pastor and family and
lived over there with them. And it's because we're from related churches. So I would go down to visit them after we got back
from England and that's how John and I ended up meeting. That's the short version. We started actually talking seriously at
Ken's wedding.
W: Okay. Last question. Since we are Panheads.org, and we've heard Ken's version of
the definition of what a 'panhead' is. That's the only version out on the internet right now.
K:
(laughs) That's because he made it up.
W: Well, what would you define a panhead as?
K:
It's the next level of being a Skillet-fan. It's people who are so dedicated that they will drive eight hours or more or whatever
to see you play and they - I dunno. They're just all about what you're about. They catch the heart of what we're about and
they're all about it. You know what I mean? So even when - ya know, even when our second album came out and it was a huge
change of style, we still had our fans there because they loved what we were about and then they got used to - a lot of people
had to get used to that album. And now, it's a lot of people's favorite album still, you know. But, I think, that's what a
'panhead' is. It's somebody who catches the heart of what Skillet is about.
W: Cool.
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