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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]

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

  • Beverly Copeland (1970)
  • Beverly Glenn-Copeland (1971)
  • At Last! (1980)
  • Keyboard Fantasies (1986)[25]
    • Copeland Keyboard Fantasies (Invisible City, 2017) – remastered and reissued edition
    • Copeland Keyboard Fantasies (Séance Centre, 2017) – on vinyl
  • Primal Prayer (2004) – released under the pseudonym Phynix
  • The Ones Ahead (Transgressive, 2023)

Other albums

Films

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. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b "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

External links

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