Johnny Coppin
| Johnny Coppin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 April 1946 South Woodford, Essex, UK |
| Origin | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Broadcaster |
| Instruments | Guitar, Piano |
| Years active | 1968—present |
| Labels | Vertigo, Rola, Avada, Red Sky |
| Associated acts | Decameron, Phil Beer, Laurie Lee, Show of Hands, Anthony Head |
| Website | www.johnnycoppin.co.uk |
Johnny Coppin is an English singer/songwriter, composer, poetry anthologist and broadcaster. He plays guitar and piano and has written and recorded many albums as a solo artist. He has a weekly one-hour show on BBC Radio Gloucestershire entitled Folk Roots which he has produced and presented every week since 1996. Coppin has been the Musical Director for the Festival Players since 1992.
Coppin formed his first band The Shifters with cousin Martin Wright on bass, Neil Dunwoody on guitar, and Howard Jones on drums in 1959. Their first public performance was at the United Reformed Church Hall in Woodford Green. Eddie Broadbridge joined band as lead singer and they renamed themselves as Eddie and the Shifters. In 1966, while studying architecture at the Gloucestershire College of Art in Cheltenham, he formed Love to Mother with Al Fenn on guitar, Tom Bennison on bass and Mike Ketskemety on drums.
Coppin first came to prominence as one of the founding members of Decameron. The band was originally formed as a duo with Dave Bell (vocals, guitar, bass guitar, percussion) in 1968 and Coppin and Bell wrote most of Decameron's songs throughout their existence. Decameron became a four piece in 1969 with the addition of former Love to Mother bandmate Fenn (vocals, guitar, mandoline) and Geoff March (vocals, cello, fiddle, keyboards) the following year.
When Coppin, Fenn and March graduated from university, Decameron went fully professional and were signed by the Fingimigig Agency run by Jasper Carrott and John Starkey. After much touring, the band recorded their first album Say Hello to the Band in 1973. The same year Dik Cadbury (vocals, bass guitar, 12 string guitar) joined to complete the classic line-up. They also appeared on rare occasions using their alter-egos The Magnificent Mercury Brothers playing mostly covers of Beach Boys and Jan and Dean songs featuring the rich vocal harmonies that Decameron were famous for.
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