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Les Copeland
One of British Columbia’s finest blues artists,
Les Copeland has always played guitar.
Primarily self-taught, his unique sound has
developed out of a rich mixture of influences
including blues, jazz, Spanish flamenco, pop and
classical music.
The call of the blues beckoned when Les was just
eleven. Capitol Records was giving away a free
copy of Delta blues great, Mississippi Fred
McDowell’s latest recording, “London Calling” to
anyone who sent in a coupon. The lean sound of
one of the tracks, “Red Cross Store”, set
destiny in motion and Les on a lifetime journey
down the road to the blues - all for the price
of a stamp.
From down home Delta to uptown Chicago blues,
Les can improvise anything. He started his
career as a country blues guy with a bottleneck
stuck on one finger. By adding material by jazz
guitarist, Wes Montgomery and Chuck Berry to his
repertoire, he developed great versatility and
chops that would have sent his idol, Robert
Johnson, back to the crossroads for another
meeting with the devil. Disguising his age so
that he could play in Vancouver Island clubs,
Les was a professional by the time he was
fifteen. Almost immediately, he stepped into a
leadership role by fronting the Les Copeland
Band, followed by Les Copeland and the Red Hot
Ramblers. Both of Les’ groups rocked many a
tavern in the region, and played at most of the
major blues and folk festivals in the Pacific
Northwest.
Les has earned the respect of some of best
bluesmen in North America and he is known in
western Canada for performing with and promoting
legendary blues artists such as Honeyboy Edwards,
Jimmie D. Lane, Sonny Rhodes, Jimmie Lee
Robinson and others. Subsequent generations of
up-and-coming string-benders are thrilled that
he has made his talents as a guitar teacher
available. Currently residing in Vernon, BC,
Les is kept busy touring and playing local gigs,
and is sometimes joined by his son, Sonny
Copeland.
Les began working on a new album for Chicago
based Earwig Music Company in 2009, which was
released in May of 2010. It showcases Les’ fine
finger picking, melodic sensibility and chordal
finesse, and his wry and ironic lyrical
observations about everyday people. Blues legend
Honeyboy Edwards, with whom Les has toured in
Canada for 14 years, guests on guitar on 2
tracks, and Honeyboy’s manager Michael Frank
plays harmonica on 3 tracks. This cd is a
healthy dose of Americana roots and blues, done
Les’s inimitable way.
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Don't Let The Devil In