Al Copley

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Al Copley at the piano

Alman LeGrande (Al) Copley (* 1952 in Buffalo , New York ) is an American blues pianist and, together with the guitarist Duke Robillard , founder of the band " Roomful of Blues ".

Life

Although he had to make a few moves in his youth, he received regular piano lessons. Fascinated by Boogie Woogie , he founded his first band, Ponce de Leon & the Young Ones, in 1965. Three years later he founded Roomful of Blues. In addition to appearing with Roomful of Blues, he studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

His style was heavily influenced by Big Joe Turner and includes different directions such as Boogie Woogie , Swing and Barrelhouse . His performances are characterized by energy and his live performances are reminiscent of the style of Jerry Lee Lewis .

In 1984 he left the group to go to Europe, where he performed at various festivals. He began releasing solo albums at the end of the decade. After a brief reunion with Roomful of Blues, a collaboration began with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, with whom he played as the opening act for Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall. The friendship with Eric Clapton led to the fact that in 1997 he worked with his own band as a support act for Clapton. He continued to release solo albums throughout the 1990s, but also worked with Hal Singer and put together his own band (Al Copley's Prophet Motive 1999).

As a pianist he played for Lou Rawls , The Fabulous Thunderbirds , Stevie Ray Vaughan , Ruth Brown , Jimmy Witherspoon , Snooks Eaglin , John Hammond Jr. , Big Mama Thornton , George "Harmonica" Smith , Otis Rush , Big Walter Horton , Helen Humes , Benny Waters , Hal Singer , Arnett Cobb , Scott Hamilton , Big Jay McNeely , Roy "Good Rockin" Brown, and others, or performed with them.

Discography

Solo albums

  • Radio Play (2005), One Mind Records OM1205
  • Jump On It (2003), One Mind Records OM1204
  • Rainy Summer (2000), One Mind Records OM1203
  • Blue Paris Nights (1995), One Mind Records OM1202
  • Live at Montreux (1994), One Mind Records OM1201
  • Good Understanding (1995), Al Copley & the Fabulous Thunderbirds , Bullseye Blues Records BB9596
  • Royal Blue (1991), Al Copley & Hal Singer, Black Top Records BT1054
  • Rockabilly Pie (1990), Suffering Egos Records SE753
  • Acoustic 88 (1988), Suffering Egos SE752
  • Automatic Overdrive (1989), Black Top Records BT 1047, original edition entitled Ooh-Wow !! (1987) Suffering Egos SE751
  • A Handful of Keys (1986), Off Beat Records WIK 52

With Roomful of Blues

  • Roomful of Blues (1977), MSI Music Distribution
  • Let's Have a Party (1979), Mango
  • Hot Little Mama (1981), Varrick
  • Dressed Up to Get Messed Up (1984) Varrick

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c AMG biography of Greg Prato
  2. ↑ AMG Roomful of Blues discography
personal data
SURNAME Copley, Al
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alman LeGrande Copley (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues musician
DATE OF BIRTH 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Buffalo , New York