Artist description Les is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who likes to fuse all of his influences. He doesn't play one predominant style but likes to snatch bits and pieces out of all of his bags. Les likes to improvise and is largely blues based. His songwriting style instrumentally, jumps from genre to genre where as his songs with lyrics stem from personal experience and are mostly blues.

Music Style Fingerstyle and Plectrum guitar

Musical Influences Django Reinhardt (parisian swing), Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Pass, Charlie Parker (bebop),Cuban, Spanish, Latin music. Any and all early American blues, Chicago blues.

Similar Artists The early American blues artists up to modern blues and jazz. Slide and bottleneck players.

Artist History Les has been performing and making his living playing music in Canada since 1974 when he started his first band at the age of 15.He started guitar lessons (plectrum style) at age 11. That same year he heard Mississippi Fred Mcdowell and Django Reinhardt.To date they are his greatest influences. In 1996 and 1997, Les was invited to Nashville to play guitar with a Parisian jazz guitarist named "Romane" to perform tunes in the Django Reinhardt style for Chet Atkins at the annual "Chet Atkins appreciation society" Convention. That same year he played with the legendary bluesman Honeyboy Edwards in Salmon arm B.C. and through that friendship began promoting Honeyboy and other blues Legends.Currently Les plays a regular gig at The Coldstream Motor Inn in Vernon B.C. with the band "The Red Hot Ramblers" Randy Mayer on bass and vocals, Brian Collis on drums and Les Copeland on lead guitar and vocals. Les records his own music and teaches some lessons and plays the local festival circuit as a single acoustic (mainly) blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He primarily records his own songs but sometimes includes old traditional blues.

Group Members Les Copeland

Instruments Aria pro II Herb Ellis model electric,Kay acoustic guitar,Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar, S. Yairi nylon string guitar, B.C. Rich 12 string acoustic guitar.

Albums The Human Race, Sonny walks so far

Additional Info Les is currently writing and recording the next album. It will also be available soon. He will keep all interested listeners posted.

Location Vernon, B.C. - Canada

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