Copeland has been the opening act for artists such as Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin and Ringo Starr. For more than 27 years, he hosted a radio program for San Francisco radio station KGO.[2] His program formerly aired weekdays from 2pm–4pm. On September 13, 2010, he became the host of "7 Live," a new hour-long, weekday program on KGO-TV in San Francisco.
In 2015, Copeland was officially recognized as a Legend of San Francisco Comedy by Comedy Celebration Day. In 2025, he was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
In 2004, Copeland premiered his first one-man show, Not a Genuine Black Man, at The Marsh. The show is an account of his experiences growing up in the East Bay suburb of San Leandro, California in the 1970s, when it was considered a racist enclave due to its 99.99% white population and the coordinated policies of housing discrimination and segregation which were in place until the 1960s.[1] The play, originally scheduled for a six-week run, went on to run 7 years, becoming the longest-running one-man show in San Francisco history.[4]
Further solo shows followed in 2012, The Waiting Period; 2013, The Jewelry Box; and 2014, The Scion.
Books
In 2006, the publishing house Hyperion released a memoir by Copeland based upon his play.[5] In 2009, the book was selected by Silicon Valley Reads to read and discuss as a community. This organization represents this Northern Californian region's libraries, bookstores, and schools, along with some civic leaders.[6]
Copeland has written two crime fiction novels in the Topher Davis series, Outraged (2024) and Shadows of Justice (2025).
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