David Cooley found his calling at the tender age of 8, when his father brought him to see a concert by country singer Jimmy Dean.
Cooley, of Vancouver, has been a professional singer for nearly 30 years. But it was Dean’s signature sound and moves that first got him hooked, he said.
“I saw him walking down the aisle, with a mic, and that was it,” Cooley said. “I caught the bug, and it never left.”
Cooley has sung all over the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Japan and other locations during his career, but until now, he hadn’t made an album of original music.
His first such CD, called “Cooley,” will be unveiled at a release party at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 in Portland at Vie de Boheme, Seventh Avenue and Southeast Clay Street.
The album shows the eclectic nature of Cooley’s musical career. In the 1980s, he worked in a ’50s and ’60s cover band called the Cool Rays. He’s also performed rock, jazz, swing, blues and other styles by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, the Doors and Elton John.
“In fact I used to impersonate Little Richard — pink jumpsuit, satin cape and all that,” Cooley said.
He started working on his first song for the album, “This Love,” about 12 years ago.
“It seemed sort of trite and not worthy at first, but then I kept working on it and over the years it became an audience favorite,” Cooley said.
Another song, “Belly Up to the Bar of Love,” is a swing-blues number aimed at getting people onto the dance floor, he said.
“It’s about a guy who loses his heart in one dance on the dance floor,” Cooley said, then paused.
“Actually, a broken relationship has spurred a lot of these songs,” he added.
Yet another song, “Her Willing Eyes,” is a country waltz.
“The genres are really varied. They reflect all the work I’ve done as a cover artist,” Cooley said. “I never thought I’d be a songwriter. I’ve worked with a lot of songwriters. But somehow I kept working on these songs and knew I had to make this happen.”
His friend, Dan Gaynor, a keyboard player and producer, also helped spur him into action on putting the album together, Cooley said.
“We actually started in his bedroom, with his 1-year-old daughter asleep right there, and we made a template for what we wanted to do,” Cooley said.
After that, he basically friend-sourced the production to pay for mixing and mastering.
“I contacted about 50 of my friends and they came through, some with checks for $200,” Cooley said. “I was amazed. I didn’t know people cared that much.”
Cooley said he hopes to tour through the area to promote the album, but he also plans to continue his cover band work at weddings and corporate events.
“I feel very fortunate — I still love to sing all the cover songs,” Cooley said. “The older I get the more I feel the songs. Music is therapy for me. It kind of puts me in a place of sweetness.”
For more on Cooley or to buy the CD, visit www.cooleytunes.com.
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