Wilma Lee Cooper
Wilma Lee Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wilma Lee Leary or Willma Leigh Leary |
| Also known as | Wilma Cooper |
| Born | February 7, 1921 Valley Head, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | September 13, 2011 (aged 90) Sweetwater, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, guitarist, singer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1938–2001 |
| Labels | Library of Congress, Hickory |
| Formerly of | Stoney Cooper |
Wilma Lee Leary (February 7, 1921 – September 13, 2011), known professionally as Wilma Lee Cooper, was an American country music entertainer. She was a guitarist, banjo player and vocalist, and was given the title of "First Lady of Bluegrass" by the Smithsonian Institution in 1974. In 1994 She was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award from the IBMA. She was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2023.