Echford Lee Cooper Jr. (possibly April 13, 1925 – possibly August 1966),[1] known as Lee Cooper, was an American blues guitarist. Because of his relatively short career and the anonymous role of session musicians in the 1950s, Cooper is said to be "overlooked and highly underrated."[2] Cooper was an early master of the preferred bold style of Chicago blues guitar, so much so that he became the first successor to Howlin' Wolf's original lead guitarist.[3]
In the mid 1950s, he succeeded Willie Johnson as the regular guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band, and appeared on many of Wolf's most successful recordings, before being in turn replaced by Hubert Sumlin. He also played on sessions by Jimmy Witherspoon, Big Walter Horton and others,[2] and in Eddie Boyd's band. Boyd said of Cooper: "He was the best guitar I ever played with... just as good.. as any guitar player I ever heard.... [He] could play, he could go from John Lee Hooker to Charlie Parker... He was that kind of musician. He knew how to pick anything."[4] Boyd also said that Cooper was dependent on alcohol.[4]
Cooper is believed to have died in Chicago in 1966.[1]
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