Hailing from British Columbia, Les Copeland ranks among the region’s standout guitarists, launching his career in country blues while relying on slide technique through a bottleneck worn on one finger. Over time he broadened his range by incorporating pieces from jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery and rocker Chuck Berry, choices that would surely have prompted his mentor Robert Johnson to hurry back to the crossroads for another midnight bargain. Copeland first encountered Delta blues not through Johnson but via a later follower, the brilliant, highly electrified Mississippi Fred McDowell, whose version of the standard “Red Cross Store” transformed the youngster’s direction at age 11. McDowell reached countless listeners after the Capitol label offered a free copy of the bluesman’s newest recording to anyone who mailed in a coupon.
The British Columbia musician then embarked on an individual journey of blues exploration, turning professional by 15 and concealing his age so he could perform at Vancouver Island clubs. He soon assumed a leadership role, heading the Les Copeland Blues Band and later Les Copeland & the Red Hot Ramblers. Both ensembles have appeared at nearly every major blues and folk festival across the Pacific Northwest while also becoming familiar presences in local taverns. Copeland continues to navigate the fluid membership of the group Indecision alongside his longtime associate George Bensmiller. Younger generations of aspiring string players benefit from his availability as a guitar instructor.
