Ray Cooper

Ray Cooper

Birth : 1947-09-19, Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK

History

Raymond Thomas "Ray" Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English virtuoso percussionist. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Rick Wakeman, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd and Elton John. Cooper absorbed the influence of rock drummers from the 1960s and 1970s such as Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, and John Bonham.

Profile

Ray Cooper

Movies

Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium
Self
A once-in-a-lifetime live, global original concert event offering fans from around the world a front-row seat to witness the groundbreaking magic of the Rocket Man back at Dodger Stadium and showcasing Elton John as audiences have never seen him before, paying tribute to the icon and the seminal moment in 1975 that cemented his global success.
An Accidental Studio
Himself
Charts the early years of HandMade Films seen through the eyes of the filmmakers, key personnel, and the man who started it all: former Beatle George Harrison.
Peter Maffay - MTV Unplugged
Himself
A Little Chaos
Executive Producer
A landscape gardener is hired by famous architect Le Nôtre to construct the grand gardens at the palace of Versailles. As the two work on the palace, they find themselves drawn to each other and are thrown into rivalries within the court of King Louis XIV.
Elton John - The Million Dollar Piano
Percussion
Elton John's 'The Million Dollar Piano' is a residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The show has been running since September 2011 with the most recent leg being 16 shows between March 29 and April 26 2014. The concerts are the culmination of Elton John's decades long partnership with Yamaha pianos. This film features classic Elton John tracks from across his extraordinary career performed either with his band, with percussionist Ray Cooper or solo. The multimedia staging is extraordinary with vast screens behind the stage illustrating the songs, and the piano itself acting as a screen for graphics and animations. Elton John is the ultimate live showman and this is the definitive Elton John concert experience.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Vladimir
A travelling theatre company has more to it than meets the eye. It is an imaginary world commanded by the mind of Doctor Parnassus and the audience is in for more than just a show.
Concert for George
As a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his passing, The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 . Organized by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne. A benefit for Harrison's Material World Charitable Foundation, the all-star concert took place on the day of the first anniversary of his death. Proceeds from the film also went to the Material World Charitable Foundation. The film was shot using discreet cameras from over twelve locations.
Party at the Palace: The Queen's Concerts, Buckingham Palace
Himself
Well known performers accompanied by 12,000 selected members of the public on the lawn of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
Lost in La Mancha
Self - Longtime Gilliam Colleague
Fulton and Pepe's 2000 documentary captures Terry Gilliam's attempt to get The Man Who Killed Don Quixote off the ground. Back injuries, freakish storms, and more zoom in to sabotage the project.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Original Music Composer
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
Music for Montserrat
Music For Montserrat is a concert, held on September 15, 1997 in the Royal Albert Hall. Musicians came together for Montserrat. Phil Collins, Ray Cooper, Carl Perkins, Jimmy Buffett, Mark Knopfler, Sting, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and more. The concert, and proceeds from the DVD and CD, benefited a cultural center in Montserrat, built by George Martin.
The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 'Twelve Monkeys'
Self
A documentary following Terry Gilliam through the creation of "Twelve Monkeys."
Eric Clapton - MTV Unplugged
Recorded at Bray Studios, England before a small audience for the MTV Unplugged series, Eric Clapton performed a live acoustic set which included his successful 1991 single “Tears in Heaven” and an acoustic version of “Layla”. The accompanying album became the most successful live album ever released.
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
Co-Producer
Pressure from his boss and a skin-cream client produces a talking boil on a British adman's neck.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Functionary
An account of Baron Munchausen's supposed travels and fantastical experiences with his band of misfits.
Eric Clapton at Tokyo Dome
The Russian Film
Short film directed by Sophie Muller, featuring footage of the live debut of the band Shakespears Sister (Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit) in Leningrad in 1988.
Brazil
Technician
Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.
Water
Himself - The Singing Rebels' Band
A British diplomat to a West Indian island nation finds his idyllic existence thrown into chaos when a large American drilling company finds a huge source of natural mineral water there.
A Private Function
Music Producer
In the summer of 1947, Britain prepares to commemorate the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. To get around food-rationing laws, Dr. Charles Swaby, accountant Henry Allardyce and solicitor Frank Lockwood are fattening a black-market pig for the big day. Egged on by his wife, meek Gilbert Chilvers steals the swine, but the couple must conceal it from inspector Morris Wormold.
Popeye
The Preacher
Popeye is a super-strong, spinach-scarfing sailor man who's searching for his father. During a storm that wrecks his ship, Popeye washes ashore and winds up rooming at the Oyl household, where he meets Olive. Before he can win her heart, he must first contend with Olive's fiancé, Bluto.
Elton John: To Russia... with Elton
Himself
Footage of a concert given in Moscow, Russia, by rock singer Elton John.
Elton John at Dodger Stadium
Self
Documentary chronicling Elton John’s iconic two-day concert at Dodger Stadium in 1975.