Lawrence "Pops" Dopson

Lawrence "Pops" Dopson was born and raised in Chicago. His oldest brother bought him a set of bongos and had him learn Tito Puente’s "T Mambo," so he would understand rhythm: where the beat is and how to count it. His brother brought him jazz next, and R&B became his own love. He started studying chord progressions, how they sound and how they work together. That early grounding in rhythm and harmony still shapes how he teaches.

He spent about twelve years performing in Chicago with the soul group the 5 Wagers, managed by the legendary Dells. The group recorded "Come And Ask Me" (Tiara Records, 1974) and opened for Al Green, the Jackson 5 and Teddy Pendergrass. Those years taught him discipline, professionalism and what it takes to perform at a high level. In 1976, as disco turned the clubs they played into dance floors, the group moved to Los Angeles to keep the music going.

Pops began teaching in 1990, working one-on-one with students in Los Angeles. With his daughter, also a vocal trainer, he spent several weeks in Japan training students at a school there. Back home, his son opened 1500 Sound Academy in Inglewood, where Pops became one of its primary teachers of vocal training, chords and music fundamentals.

His teaching is about communication. Hitting the right notes is only the start: he teaches singers to understand what a song is saying and make the listener believe it. Even in a group, he works with each person’s strengths, personality and goals, and keeps the room comfortable enough that nobody is afraid to make a mistake.

His parents taught him to always believe in himself, the foundation for his faith in himself and in the Most High. He passed that same belief to his children, and seeing it in them is what makes him proudest.