Beverly Glenn-Copeland

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Beverly Glenn-Copeland
Born1944 (age 78–79)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresJazz, new age, folk
Occupation(s)Songwriter, musician, actor
Instrument(s)Guitar, piano, synthesizer
Years active1970–present
LabelsGRT, Atlast
Websitebeverlyglenncopeland.com and www.songcycles.com

Beverly Glenn-Copeland (born 1944) is an American singer and songwriter. He has spent most of his life and career in Canada.[1] His albums include Keyboard Fantasies (1986).[2] Glenn-Copeland began publicly identifying as a trans man in 2002.[3][4][5]

Early life[edit]

Glenn-Copeland was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a musical family.[6] As a child, Glenn-Copeland listened to his father play the music of Bach, Chopin, and Mozart on the piano, and heard his mother occasionally sing spirituals.[5]

In 1961, Glenn-Copeland was one of the first black students to study at McGill University in Montreal.[7]

In 1973, while in Los Angeles, Glenn fell in love with the chanting at a local Soka Gakkai International meeting and has been a practicing Buddhist since the mid-1970s.[8]

Musical career[edit]

Glenn-Copeland started his career as a folk singer incorporating jazz, classical, and blues elements.[9] He also performed on albums by Ken Friesen, Bruce Cockburn, Gene Murtynec, Bob Disalle, and Kathryn Moses,[9] and was a writer on Sesame Street.[10] He spent twenty-five years entertaining children as a regular actor on Canadian children's television show Mr. Dressup.[11]

Glenn-Copeland's 1986 electronic album Keyboard Fantasies, recorded using equipment including a Yamaha DX7 and a Roland TR-707,[12] and other recordings were rediscovered and promoted by a Japanese collector [13] in 2015.[5] Before Glenn-Copeland's gender transition was made public, "Keyboard Fantasies" was selected as one of the 70 greatest recordings by women by The Stranger.[14] The album was named as the public vote winner of the Polaris Heritage Prize at the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.[15] Keyboard Fantasies was remastered and reissued in February 2017 as Copeland Keyboard Fantasies by Invisible City Editions[16] and re-released again on vinyl that same year on Séance Centre.

Other albums by Glenn-Copeland include Beverly Glenn Copeland (1970), Beverly Copeland (early 1970s), At Last! (1980), Primal Prayer (released under the pseudonym Phynix in 2004), and Transmissions (released in September 2020).[17]

Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story, a documentary directed by Posy Dixon, was released in 2019.[18][19]

Planned 2020 international tours to Australia, the United Kingdom, and other European destinations were rescheduled to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A fundraising campaign was initiated to help Glenn-Copeland and his wife after the loss of their house that resulted from these changes; the campaign raised over $90,000.[20] In the same year, Glenn-Copeland created a prerecorded video performance of his song "Courage" for Buddies in Bad Times and CBC Gem's online Queer Pride Inside show.[21]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

  • Beverly Glenn Copeland (1970)
  • Beverly Copeland (early 1970s)
  • At Last! (1980)
  • Keyboard Fantasies (1986)[22]
    • Copeland Keyboard Fantasies (Invisible City, 2017) – remastered and reissued edition
    • Copeland Keyboard Fantasies (Séance Centre, 2017) – on vinyl
  • Primal Prayer (2004) – released under the pseudonym Phynix
  • Transmissions (2020)[23]

Other albums[edit]

Films[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Exclusive: Watch Beverly-Glenn Copeland's Incredible Lecture at the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender in Montreal". Complex. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  2. ^ "Keyboard Fantasies review – glorious doc about pioneering trans composer". The Guardian. November 9, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "Voice soars above gender, says transgender man performing in Toronto this week". Cbc.ca. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "The singer formerly seen as she". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Beverly Glenn-Copeland's Music for a Future That Never Came". The New Yorker. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Schot, Josh (April 10, 2021). "Musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland on growing up black and gay in Philadelphia, and finding fame at 70". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  7. ^ Díaz, Devan (January 7, 2020). "Going Exploring With Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Papermag.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  8. ^ Negru, John Harvey. "We're All Different: Musician Glenn Copeland on his journey as a Black, Buddhist, transgender artist - Lion's Roar". Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Beverley Glenn-Copeland - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  10. ^ Ryce, Andrew. "Review: Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Copeland Keyboard Fantasies". Resident Advisor. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  11. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Seance-centre.com. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  12. ^ Ediriwira, Amar (October 20, 2016). "Invisible City Editions preps Beverly Glenn-Copeland reissue". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  13. ^ "Play It Forward: Glenn Copeland On Patience, Positivity And The Band Bernice". Npr.org. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Problem with NPR's '150 Greatest Albums Made by Women' List". Thestranger.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  15. ^ "2020 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize Winners Named". FYI Music News, November 16, 2020.
  16. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Copeland Keyboard Fantasies · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  17. ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (September 14, 2020). "Listeners Found Beverly Glenn-Copeland. It Was Time". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  18. ^ Reynolds, Daniel (August 28, 2020). "The World Is Finally Ready for Trans Musical Genius Glenn Copeland". The Advocate. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Review: In 'Keyboard Fantasies,' legendary musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland gets his due". Los Angeles Times. October 30, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  20. ^ Sanders, Wren (June 3, 2020). "GoFundMe Launched for Composer and Black Trans Elder Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Them.us. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  21. ^ Peter Knegt, "This Pride, come inside for a digital queer cabaret unlike anything else". CBC Arts, June 22, 2020.
  22. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Keyboard Fantasies". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  23. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  24. ^ Smyth, David (December 10, 2021). "Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined review". Evening Standard. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  25. ^ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Anania, Billy (February 14, 2022). "The Joyful Return of a Trans Icon and Electronic Music Pioneer". Hyperallergic. Retrieved January 17, 2023.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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