Barry T asked about this song in a Brothers Four thread. I hadn't really paid attention to the song before, so I'm glad Barry brought it up. I found this biographical information on songwriter Marty Cooper in the Google cache of a Website that has changed, so I figured I should post it here.

Source: http://www.tinpansouth.com/performer.cfm?artistid=770

Marty Cooper is a storyteller who still believes in the power of a song. His material has been recorded by artists as varied as Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis, Jr., The Ventures and Bobby Bare. He is the recipient three ASCAP Awards, including one for his number-one record "You Can't Be A Beacon (If Your Light Don't Shine)" as recorded by Donna Fargo.

More recently, Cooper's material has found its way into pop culture and advertising campaigns, which has introduced his songs to whole new generation of listeners. When you hear "A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock 'N Roll" coming from Country Elmo or in the recent Pepsi commercial featuring the Osmonds and the Osbournes, or hear Cooper's first chart record, "Peanut Butter" in the Peter Pan peanut butter commercial, you can see the effect Cooper has had on American culture.

"Peanut Butter," the 60's classic, which Cooper also produced, went on to be recorded by Billy Vera, Chubby Checker and even Barney the Dinosaur.

Cooper was a strong voice in the changing political scene of the Vietnam era; His emotionally-charged "Little Play Soldiers" was recorded by two of the top acts of the era, The Brothers Four and The Kingston Trio. Despite national TV performances and strong chart activity, enthusiasm for the anti-war movement in its early stages was just too much for radio and it eventually was dropped from the airwaves. Similarly, Burl Ives' recording of "One More Time, Billy Brown" was pulled from the shelves after Ives performed the song on national television.

After a series of chart successes, Cooper reevaluated his artistic goals and moved to Malibu, CA where he concentrated on his writing. On the advice of the great balladeer Burl Ives, who had recorded four of Cooper's songs, he went into the studio to record his own album. "A Minute of Your Time" produced one of top easy-listening singles of 1974, "The Indiana Girl," in addition to many cover recordings, including "Cowboys and Daddies" by Bobby Bare.

A second album of Cooper's originals was released in Australia, Scandinavia and Germany to glowing reviews and produced perhaps the most well-known of Cooper's songs, "A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock 'N Roll." This song became the centerpiece of the long-running Donny & Marie television series with a lyric changed to suit the show's stars. The original version can be heard in Cooper's set.

It's easy to realize why audiences have found Cooper's material to be so engaging. His rich detail and imagery draw the listener into his stories of love and lust, tragedy and broken dreams. Most of all, his songs carry an air of truth and believability. Cooper likens his songs to maturing children: "Songs continue to grow after they're brought to life, and like a person, can mean different things to different people, but no matter what anybody thinks, they're still your children."

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Allmusic.com says Marty Cooper (also known as M.H. Cooper) was a member of the 1960's group "The Shacklefords" with Lee and Naomi Hazlewood. Naomi's maiden name was Shackleford - I think she and Hazlewood are divorced now. The Shacklefords did folkie-type stuff in the early 1960's. I can't tell for sure if this is the same Marty Cooper, but it seems likely.

-Joe Offer-