Ray Cooper
Co-president of Virgin Records BORN DECEMBER 16, 1948 - DIED JULY 28, 2018, AGED 69
WHEN a group of aspiring young pop stars arrived at Ray Cooper’s office in 1995, he knew he had found the next big thing.
In signing the band that became the Spice Girls to Virgin Records UK, Cooper acted as the unwitting catalyst of one of Britain’s most memorable crazes – girl power.
As the label’s joint managing director, Cooper was the marketing genius who propelled 2 Become 1 to the Christmas No.1 in 1996 and the record’s sales made Virgin the most successful label in the UK.
Born in Sheffield, Cooper was the son of Jack and Gladys. He was educated at High Storrs Grammar School, leaving aged 16 to work as a trainee at an engineering firm.
But his real passion was pop music and at 23 Cooper left for London, keen to start a career in the music business.
Securing a job in the warehouse of Transatlantic Records, he moved up to sales in 1973 where he promoted folk and jazz.
In 1980, Cooper joined Island Records and promoted Bob Marley, U2 and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. He helped U2 become a household name with their third album War reaching No.1 in 1983.
It was at Island that he met Ashley Newton and in 1987 the pair founded their own label Circa Records which was soon snapped up by Virgin founder Richard Branson.
In 1992 Cooper and Newton became joint managing directors of its UK business, where they signed and promoted big acts including The Verve and The Chemical Brothers as well as the Spice Girls.
Five years later Cooper was appointed CoPresident of Virgin Records America where he worked until 2002.
He died as a result of a neurological condition and is survived by his partner Philippa and two children.