Johnny Copeland
Johnny Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997[1]) was an American blues guitarist and singer.
Career
Born in Haynesville, Louisiana, while Copeland was becoming interested in music, he also pursued boxing, mostly as an avocation, and it is from his days as a boxer that he got his nickname "Clyde."[2] Also as a teenager influenced by T-Bone Walker he formed the "Dukes of Rhythm" in Houston, Texas, and made his recording debut in 1956, signing with Duke Records the following year. In his early years he played with such acts as Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Mama Thornton and Freddie King. Although his early records met with little commercial success, he became a popular touring act over the next two decades.
Driven by disco to rethink his future, he moved to New York in 1979[3] and played extensively in the eastern cities. In 1981 he was signed by Rounder Records, releasing a string of critically acclaimed albums including Copeland Special (1981) and Bringing It All Back Home (1985), and touring widely. Copeland appeared at the 1983 Long Beach Blues Festival, and the 1988 San Francisco Blues Festival. He won a Grammy in 1987 for best traditional blues album for the Showdown album, recorded with Robert Cray and Albert Collins.
Copeland also played at the 1985 Montreaux Jazz Festival as a special guest with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.
His later years were dogged by ill health due to a congential heart defect. He died, aged 60, in Harlem, New York, from complications during heart surgery for a heart transplanted six months earlier.[4] Copeland was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[5]
His daughter Shemekia established a successful career as a singer. He was also survived by his wife, Ethel Lee Copeland, son Dawrence Clyde Copeland Sr., daughter Sharee Copeland all of Houston, TX and daughter Demetria L. Brown of Corpus Christi, TX.
Recommended recordings
- Texas Twister; When the Rain Starts Fallin' (Rounder)
- Catch Up with the Blues; Jungle Swing (Verve Records)[3]
See also
- List of blues musicians
- List of Electric blues musicians
- List of Texas blues musicians
- List of people from Teaneck, New Jersey
References
- ^ Allmusic biography - accessed December 2007
- ^ Allmusic
- ^ a b Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 182. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ Dead Rock Stars Club website
- ^ Strauss, Neil. "Johnny Copeland, 60, Who Sang Texas Blues and Played Guitar", The New York Times, June 4, 1997. Accessed November 4, 2007. "Johnny Copeland, one of the foremost Texas blues singers and guitarists of the 70's and 80's, died yesterday at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. He was 60 and lived in Teaneck, N.J."