Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Last updated

Beverly Glenn-Copeland
BornJanuary 1944 (age 80)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Origin Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada (now Tantramar, New Brunswick, Canada)
Genres Jazz, new age, folk
Occupation(s)Songwriter, musician, actor
Instrument(s)Guitar, piano, synthesizer
Years active1970–present
Labels GRT, Atlast
Website beverlyglenncopeland.com and www.songcycles.com

Beverly Glenn-Copeland (born January 1944) is an American-born Canadian [1] [2] singer-songwriter. His albums include Keyboard Fantasies (1986). [3] Glenn-Copeland began publicly identifying as a trans man in 2002. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Early life

Glenn-Copeland was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a musical family. [7] 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. [6]

In 1961, Glenn-Copeland was one of the first black students to study at McGill University in Montreal. [8]

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. [9]

Musical career

Glenn-Copeland started his career as a folk singer incorporating jazz, classical, and blues elements. [10] He also performed on albums by Ken Friesen, Bruce Cockburn, Gene Murtynec, Bob Disalle, and Kathryn Moses [11] , [10] and was a writer on Sesame Street . [12] He spent twenty-five years entertaining children as a regular actor on Canadian children's television show Mr. Dressup . [13]

Glenn-Copeland's 1986 electronic album Keyboard Fantasies , recorded using equipment including a Yamaha DX7 and a Roland TR-707, [14] and other recordings were rediscovered and promoted by Japanese record collector Ryota Masuko in 2015. [6] [15] [16] 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 . [17] The album was named as the public vote winner of the Polaris Heritage Prize at the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. [18] Keyboard Fantasies was remastered and reissued in February 2017 as Copeland Keyboard Fantasies by Invisible City Editions [19] and re-released again on vinyl that same year on Séance Centre.

Other albums by Glenn-Copeland include Beverly Copeland (1970), Beverly Glenn-Copeland (1971), At Last! (1980), Primal Prayer (released under the pseudonym Phynix in 2004), and the career-spanning compilation Transmissions (2020). [20]

Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story , a documentary directed by Posy Dixon, was released in 2019. [21] [22]

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. [23] 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. [24]

Discography

Studio albums

Other albums

Films

Related Research Articles

<i>Every Breath You Take: The Singles</i> 1986 greatest hits album by The Police

Every Breath You Take: The Singles is the first compilation album by the Police, released in 1986. In 1990, the album was repackaged in New Zealand, Australia and Spain as Their Greatest Hits with a different cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffy Sainte-Marie</span> American musician

Buffy Sainte-Marie, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and social activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dears</span> Canadian indie rock band

The Dears are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band is led by the husband-and-wife duo of singer-guitarist Murray Lightburn and keyboardist Natalia Yanchak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Plaskett</span> Canadian singer-songwriter

William Joel MacDonald Plaskett is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genres, from blues and folk to hard rock, country, and pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Pallett</span> Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist

Michael James Owen Pallett-Plowright, known professionally as Owen Pallett, is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Under their former pseudonym Final Fantasy, Pallett won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds. Pallett is also known for their contributions to Arcade Fire, having toured with the band and been credited as an arranger and instrumentalist on each of their studio albums. In January 2014, Pallett and Arcade Fire member William Butler were nominated for Best Original Score at the 86th Academy Awards for their original score of the film Her (2013).

<i>Labyrinth</i> (1986 soundtrack) 1986 soundtrack album by David Bowie and Trevor Jones

Labyrinth is a soundtrack album by David Bowie and composer Trevor Jones, released in 1986 for the film Labyrinth. It was the second of three soundtrack releases in which Bowie had a major role, following Christiane F. (1981) and preceding The Buddha of Suburbia (1993). The soundtrack album features Jones' score, which is split into six tracks for the soundtrack: "Into the Labyrinth", "Sarah", "Hallucination", "The Goblin Battle", "Thirteen O'Clock", and "Home at Last".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivek Shraya</span> Musical artist

Vivek Shraya is a Canadian musician, writer, and visual artist. She currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, where she is an assistant professor in the creative writing program at the University of Calgary. As a trans femme of colour, Shraya often incorporates her identity in her music, writing, visual art, theatrical work, and films. She is a seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, and considered a Great Canadian Filmmaker of the Future by CBC Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timber Timbre</span> Canadian folk music band

Timber Timbre is a Canadian music group, featuring Taylor Kirk. The moniker refers to an early series of recordings made in a timber-framed cabin set in the wooded outskirts of Bobcaygeon, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvvays</span> Canadian indie pop band

Alvvays is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and subsequently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan (keyboards), Alec O'Hanley (guitars), Abbey Blackwell (bass), and Sheridan Riley (drums). Their self-titled debut studio album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts. Their second studio album, Antisocialites, was released on September 8, 2017. Their third studio album, Blue Rev, was released on October 7, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Shauf</span> Musical artist

Andy Shauf is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Regina, Saskatchewan. He plays several instruments, including, guitar, drums, and clarinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Caesar</span> Canadian singer-songwriter

Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds, known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, Praise Break (2014) and Pilgrim's Paradise (2015), Caesar released his debut studio album, Freudian, in August 2017, which garnered widespread critical acclaim. He released his second studio album, Case Study 01, in June 2019. In March 2021, Caesar was featured alongside Giveon on Justin Bieber's single "Peaches", which serves as his first number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100. Caesar released his third studio album, Never Enough, in April 2023 as his first release under Republic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snotty Nose Rez Kids</span> First Nations hip hop duo

Snotty Nose Rez Kids are a First Nations hip hop duo composed of Haisla rappers Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce. They are originally from Kitamaat Village, British Columbia. Their 2017 album The Average Savage was shortlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize, and for the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019. In 2018, the duo received nominations for Best Hip Hop Album at the Indigenous Music Awards, and for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Their third album TRAPLINE was released on May 10, 2019 and was later shortlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. Their fourth album Life After (2021) was shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize and was followed by their fifth album I’M GOOD, HBU? in 2022.

<i>Keyboard Fantasies</i> 1986 studio album by Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Keyboard Fantasies is the third studio album by Canadian musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland, self-released on Atlast Records as a cassette in 1986, a time when Glenn-Copeland was best known for his children's television music. The album was inspired by the nature and environment of his home in Huntsville, Ontario, including the surrounding lakes and woods. Recorded using only a Yamaha DX7 and Roland TR-707 drum machine, the musician felt he was able to musically display the feelings that the environment gave him accurately. He felt the entirely electronic instrumentation he used was comparable to an orchestra because of the range of sounds he could create.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haviah Mighty</span> Canadian rapper (born 1992)

Haviah Mighty is a Canadian rapper from Brampton, Ontario. She rose to prominence in 2016 as a member of the hip hop group the Sorority, before releasing several EPs on her own, most notably Flower City, in 2017. Her first album, 13th Floor, was released in 2019 and won the Polaris Music Prize. After her debut, XXL named her one of the "15 Toronto rappers you should know" and CBC Music called her one of the "New Faces of Canadian Hip Hop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Jarvis</span> Musical artist

Yves Jarvis is the stage name of Jean-Sébastien Yves Audet, a Canadian experimental musician, singer and producer who also previously released music under the stage names Un Blonde and Faux Fur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Shabason</span> Musical artist

Joseph Shabason is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and composer. He is best known for playing is the saxophone. As a band member and session musician, Shabason has contributed to bands such as DIANA, Destroyer and The War on Drugs. Under his own name, Shabason has released experimental ambient jazz albums as a solo project as well as numerous albums with collaborators.

The 2020 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on October 19, 2020. The longlist was announced on June 15, 2020, with the shortlist following on July 15, 2020 and the winner announced on October 19, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional winner's gala did not take place this year, and instead a special cinematic tribute to the shortlist was streamed online by CBC Music and CBC Gem, following which the winner was announced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Lee (band)</span>

Cindy Lee is the drag queen hypnagogic pop project of Canadian musician Patrick Flegel, former guitarist and lead singer of Women.

Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story is a 2019 British documentary film about Beverly Glenn-Copeland that was directed by Posy Dixon. The film "details the Black trans musician's rise to fame" over the previous few years. It includes talking heads interviews with Copeland and his collaborators, documentary footage and live performances.

<i>The Ones Ahead</i> 2023 studio album by Beverly Glenn-Copeland

The Ones Ahead is the fourth studio album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Beverly Glenn-Copeland, released on July 28, 2023, through Transgressive Records. The album marks his first album of new music since 2004's Primal Prayer, released under the name Phynix, and the first under his real name since when he came out as a transgender man. It received positive reviews from music critics.

References

  1. ↑ "Exclusive: Watch Beverly-Glenn Copeland's Incredible Lecture at the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender in Montreal". Complex. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ Weldon, Tori (May 28, 2020). "Musician's meteoric rise comes to a crashing halt | CBC News". CBC . Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Keyboard Fantasies review – glorious doc about pioneering trans composer". The Guardian. November 9, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Voice soars above gender, says transgender man performing in Toronto this week". Cbc.ca. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  5. ↑ "The singer formerly seen as she". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "Beverly Glenn-Copeland's Music for a Future That Never Came". The New Yorker. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Díaz, Devan (January 7, 2020). "Going Exploring With Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Papermag.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ Negru, John Harvey (March 31, 2018). "We're All Different: Musician Glenn Copeland on his journey as a Black, Buddhist, transgender artist - Lion's Roar" . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Beverley Glenn-Copeland - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ Archive, Canadian Jazz (March 7, 2024). "Kathryn Moses Musician Biography | Canadian Jazz Archive Online". canadianjazzarchive.net. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  12. ↑ Ryce, Andrew. "Review: Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Copeland Keyboard Fantasies". Resident Advisor. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Seance-centre.com. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  14. ↑ Ediriwira, Amar (October 20, 2016). "Invisible City Editions preps Beverly Glenn-Copeland reissue". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Play It Forward: Glenn Copeland On Patience, Positivity And The Band Bernice". Npr.org. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  16. ↑ "The Incredible Life of Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Canadian Music's Unsung Hero | Exclaim!". The Incredible Life of Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Canadian Music's Unsung Hero | Exclaim!. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  17. ↑ "The Problem with NPR's '150 Greatest Albums Made by Women' List". Thestranger.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  18. ↑ "2020 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize Winners Named". FYI Music News, November 16, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Copeland Keyboard Fantasies · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  20. ↑ Currin, Grayson Haver (September 14, 2020). "Listeners Found Beverly Glenn-Copeland. It Was Time". The New York Times . Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ Reynolds, Daniel (August 28, 2020). "The World Is Finally Ready for Trans Musical Genius Glenn Copeland". The Advocate . Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Review: In 'Keyboard Fantasies,' legendary musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland gets his due". Los Angeles Times. October 30, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  23. ↑ Sanders, Wren (June 3, 2020). "GoFundMe Launched for Composer and Black Trans Elder Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Them.us. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  24. ↑ Peter Knegt, "This Pride, come inside for a digital queer cabaret unlike anything else". CBC Arts, June 22, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Keyboard Fantasies". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Live at Le Guess Who?". AllMusic . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  28. ↑ Smyth, David (December 10, 2021). "Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined review". Evening Standard. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  30. ↑ Anania, Billy (February 14, 2022). "The Joyful Return of a Trans Icon and Electronic Music Pioneer". Hyperallergic. Retrieved January 17, 2023.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.