User:David Copper Live

David was born in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1954 to Richard and Clotean Copper. He got his first guitar as a gift from his Dad when he was 10 years old. At 10 ½ he made his first appearance at the Paint Valley Jamboree in Bainbridge, Ohio where he later played rhythm guitar for Jimmy Skinner and the Merrill Family.

He joined Chet and the Country Boys which consisted of Johnny Paycheck’s two brothers, two cousins, and David. The band was managed by Paycheck’s father, Gene Lytle. The members were paid a princely sum of $5.00 per night. With that success under their belts, they were hired by the Ross County Jamboree as regulars making a whopping $10.00 a night.

Chet and the Country Boys went on to perform weekly on the WMNI Radio Station with David as Lead Singer. The DJ at the station landed them an opening act for Conway Twitty with Carl and Pearl Butler at the Frontier Ranch in Columbus, Ohio. They later did a weekly show for WBEX Radio.

In 1969 Dave joined Johnny Paycheck as Lead Guitarist for about a year. After that he played with a country show band until 1978. That year, David formed a country band called Broadway. A year later he became a studio musician for the Bureau of Music Industry (BMI) in Nashville playing Lead Guitar for The Grand Ole Opry Tour after he left the circuit.

He moved to Florida in 1982 and joined the Tampa Chapter of the Florida Country Music Association (FCMA). David served as President of the FCMA Polk Chapter, Chapter Director, Sergeant-At-Arms, and Entertainment Chairman. In 1987, he received the FCMA President’s Award and his band, Creekwood, took Band of the Year.

Creekwood won several categories in the 1989 Tampa Chapter Showcase: Band of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, and Male Vocalist of the Year (David). They went to the State competition, winning all three categories. Creekwood also appeared on the local Dicapprio TV show. Dave formed another band in 1993 called Backstreet.

They performed locally in the Tampa area as well as appearing weekly on Channel 32 with Haywood Henson. Backstreet backed such stars as Jim Ed Brown, Johnny Russell, Jeannie Seely, Del Reeves, and Jack Green. In 2000, David was inducted into the Florida Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2001, his band was awarded Vocal Duo.

David plays a variety of instruments including the bass, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and keyboard. He has written and recorded his own songs and is currently producing an album of classic and new country songs.