Hopper Brothers & Connie, early 1970s

Group Members Soprano Debra Talley (1978-1983) Diane ??? (1983-1984) (filled in until Sharon Watts was hired) Sharon Watts (1984-1986) Stephanie Hopper (198?-198?) (daughter of Steve Hopper toured, but did not record) Kim Hopper (1989-Present) Alto Connie Hopper (1958-Present) Karlye Hopper (201?-Present) Tenor Will Hopper (1957-1982) Kirk Talley (1976-1980) Greg Bentley (1984-1989) Nathan Kistler (toured, but did not record on main group projects. He did record with the Hopper Brothers 2.0) Lead Steve Hopper (1957-1970); (1976-1977) Rex Foster (1970-1971) Dean Hopper (1982-Present) Baritone Claude Hopper (1957-Present) Bass Monroe Hopper (1957-1972) Lee Chilton (1972-1975) Mike Hopper (????-Present) (Also played drums) Pianist Connie Hopper (1958-1970) Rex Foster (1970-1971) Johnny Porrazo (1971-1974) Roger Talley (1974-1983) Steve Keen (1983-1985) James Rainey (1985) Shannon Childress (1985-1998) Denice Hopper (1998-2003) Josh Simpson (2003-2004, 2011-????) Lewis Wells (2006-2008) Jacob Crisp (2009-2011) Trevor Conkle (????-2017) Drums Dean Hopper (also sings lead) (1983-????) Mike Hopper (also sings bass) (????-Present) Position And Years Of Service Unknown Barry McGee Bob All Reb Lancaster Roger Fortner Frank Mills Taylor Barnes Shannon Briggs

Bandwagon Group Members Roger Talley Dean Hopper Kirk Talley Rodney Jennings

Hip Hoppers Group Members Dean Hopper Mike Hopper Frank Mills Shannon Childress

Hopper Brothers 2.0 Group Members Tenor Nathan Kistler (2015-201?) Reggie Smith (201?-Present) Lead Matt Griffith (2015-Present) Baritone Dean Hopper (2015-Present) Bass Mike Hopper (2015-Present)

The Hoppers (1957-Present) (AKA Hopper Brothers, Hopper Brothers & Connie)

History

In 1957 four brothers; Will Hopper, Steve Hopper, Claude Hopper and Monroe Hopper began singing as the Hopper Brothers. In 1958, Connie Shelton joined the group as their pianist. The group soon became known as the Hopper Brothers & Connie.

Claude and Connie married in 1961, and the group would start singing full time in 1970. Pianist Roger Talley joined the group in 1974 and stayed with the Hopper Brothers & Connie until his own family started a trio in late 1983. Roger's wife Debra Talley and brother Kirk Talley were also members of the Hopper Brothers & Connie. Other noted members included Rex Foster, Lee Chilton, Barry McGee, Sharon Watts, Shannon Briggs, Greg Bentley and Shannon Childress.

The group's vocal lineup solidified in 1989 after Dean Hopper married Kim Greene of the Greenes and Kim joined the group. The lineup of Dean, Kim, Claude, and Connie with Mike playing drums and occasionally singing bass has been consistent since that time.

After the departure of Childress in 1998, the group members pictured on album covers have been limited to family members Claude, Connie, Dean, Kim, Mike, Denice, and Karlye. Denice, who played piano and was married to Mike, left the group in 2003. She and Mike would ultimately divorce. Dean and Kim's daughter Karlye first appeared on an album cover in 2016 (Life Is Good). Karlye had been featured on some previous recordings. Several pianists (Josh Simpson, Lewis Wells, Trevor Conkle, etc.) have toured with the group since 2003. Kim's sister-in-law Taranda Greene and tenor singer Nathan Kistler have also toured with the Hoppers in recent years. Kistler was included on the special recording Hopper Brothers 2.0, but isn't credited on any of the main Hoppers recordings.

Awards

Singing News Fan Awards
Favorite Mixed Group (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)

Discography

Due to the large number of projects recorded by the Hoppers, the discography section has been divided into separate pages by decade. Please click on one of the links below to access the decade you wish to view.

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

History

Bandwagon, Hip Hoppers and Hopper Brothers 2.0

Dean Hopper has been involved with at least three spin-off groups over the years.

In the late 1970s, Dean, Roger Talley, Kirk Talley, and Rodney Jennings recorded a self-titled album billed as Bandwagon. This album was also issued with a cover billed as Hoppers Band titled "Pickin' & Singin'."

During the 1990s, Dean and his brother Mike Hopper recorded a novelty rap album billed as the Hip Hoppers along with band members Frank Mills and Shannon Childress.

In 2015, Dean and Mike launched the Hopper Brothers 2.0 with bus driver Matt Griffith and tenor singer Nathan Kistler. They recorded a self-titled CD that same year. Kistler was traveling and singing with the Hoppers at the same time. After Kistler left the group, Reggie Smith began filling the tenor role.

Discography

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1978 Bandwagon (Tri-State Recording Company/TSRC-8739): The World Didn’t Give It To Me; In The Garden; Put A Good Word In; Bells Of St Marys; Thankful; Do Lord; Won’t It Be Worth It My Child; It Is No Secret; I’ll Fly Away; Love Beyond Compare (Dean Hopper, Roger Talley, Kirk Talley, Rodney Jennings) (Also issued as Pickin & Singin billed as Hoppers Band with same product code TSRC-8739).

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1993 Hip Hoppers (Custom Records/RAP-001-CD): Here I Am; Can't Go Around The Cross; Jam For The Lamb; Heart, Soul, And Mind; Warriors Of The Word; Dry Ground; Yo Ho Ho (Dean Hopper, Mike Hopper, Frank Mills, Shannon Childress).

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2015 Hopper Brothers 2.0 (Custom Records): Something Within; They Can't Take That Away From Me; He Touched Me; You Can't Give Up On God; I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary; I Know; That's What I Love About Him; The Love God; I Just Feel Like Something Good Is About To Happen; We Believe (Nathan Kistler, Matt Griffith, Dean Hopper, Mike Hopper).