Singer, songwriter ("Make Love to Me"), composer, arranger, conductor and author who joined The Modernaires vocal group after high school, and later arranged and conducted for records and musical commercials. He formed the Alan Copeland Singers, and also recorded as a soloist. Joining ASCAP in 1954, his chief musical collaborators included Eddie ...
October 1926, Los Angeles, California, United States
Place Of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA
Profession
Music Department, Actor, Soundtrack
Awards
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Performance by a Chorus
Albums
Christmas Serenade in the Glenn Miller Style, Conspiracy - A Bubble Called You
Star Sign
Libra
#
Fact
1
After Alan's first big break becoming the youngest member of the Big Band vocal group The Modernaires, he launched a brief career as a solo pop male vocalist taking the place of one of the personalities on the national nightly TV Show "Your Hit Parade" which was produced in New York prompting him to move his family from Los Angeles in the 1950's. Due to the multitude of male vocalists Alan ended up re-joining The Modernaires and moving back to Los Angeles.
2
Alan under the nick name "Weaver Copeland" recorded a number of Albums performing with his 2nd wife Joyce "Mahmu" Abbott Ross as the Jazz-Pop vocal group "Feather" released on Discovery Records in the 70's and 80's.
3
The creation of the Alan Copeland Singers: When Red Skelton decided to change the format of his popular long running prime time TV program on CBS "The Red Skelton Show", he hired The Modernaires to be a part of the new variety show style format replacing his mainly comedy content. Red's music director was the well celebrated TV show music creator David Rose (Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven etc.). Because of the new format David was expected to handle a greater amount of music arrangements than ever before which prompted him to enlist Alan Copeland's talent on a weekly basis usually handling the music for the "Guests" on the program. When a conflict arose with the show's Dance director, the Modernaires were going to be let go which prompted David Rose to suggest the idea to the producers to put a new vocal group around Alan. Thus the birth of what was called at first "The Skeltones" then changing to the Alan Copeland Singers a name that became associated with winning a Grammy in 1968 (presented in 1969).
4
Alan Copeland was a close friend with the Award winning musician Henry Mancini. Early on Alan took Orchestration coaching from Henry Mancini and later on hired Henry's wife Ginny Mancini to be one of the voices that Alan used to create the Alan Copeland Singers.
5
Alan is the ex-Brother-in-Law of the late dwarf actor/humanitarian Billy Barty who was the brother of Alan's first wife of over 20 years Dede Barty. He and Dede actually share the same birth date October 6, 1926.
6
He's teaching "Swing Choir" at Berkeley, California. [2000]
7
Alan Copeland won a Grammy award in 1968 for "Mission Impossible/Norwegian Wood".
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Arab in America
2007
Short music supervisor
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood
2000
TV Movie documentary music arranger
The Peter Marshall Variety Show
1977
TV Series musical director - 1 episode
Christmas in Disneyland
1976
TV Movie choral director
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
TV Series choral arranger - 1 episode, 1975 choral conductor - 1 episode, 1975
Bing Crosby and the Sounds of Christmas
1971
TV Movie choral director
The Ice Palace
1971
TV Series musical director
Howdy
1970
TV Movie musical director
Darling Lili
1970
choral supervisor
The Red Skelton Hour
TV Series vocal arrangements - 7 episodes, 1964 - 1968 vocals - 1 episode, 1967
An Hour with Robert Goulet
1964
TV Special conductor / music arranger: vocals
Daddy-O
1958
composer: song - as Allan Copeland
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Odd Couple
1974
TV Series
Piano Player / Alan
Your Hit Parade
1974
TV Series
Thoroughly Modern Millie
1967
Voice on Record (voice, uncredited)
The Red Skelton Hour
1951
TV Series
Modernaires (1965-1969)
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942
Choirboy (uncredited)
Meet John Doe
1941
Choirboy (uncredited)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1939
Choirboy (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Confessions of a Sorority Girl
1994
TV Movie writer: "Snap, Crackle, Pop" - as Allan Copeland
Rebel Highway
1994
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Happy Days
1970
TV Series performer - 1 episode
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1963
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1958
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The Bob Crosby Show
1953
TV Series performer - 1 episode
Ted Fio Rito and His Orchestra
1949
Short writer: "Olly Olly Oxen Free" - uncredited
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Super Night at Forest Hills
1977
TV Special
The 19th Annual Grammy Awards
1977
TV Special
The Don Knotts Special
1967
TV Special
The Andy Griffith-Don Knotts-Jim Nabors Show
1965
TV Movie
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Red Skelton Hour
1966
TV Series voice arrangements - 1 episode
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Happy Days
1970
TV Series
Himself
The Joey Bishop Show
1968
TV Series
Himself
The Jack Paar Tonight Show
1958-1962
TV Series
Himself / Themselves
Perry Presents
1959
TV Series
Himself - Vocalist
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show
1958
TV Series
Himself - 1950 'I Got Rhythm 'Singer
Your Hit Parade
1957-1958
TV Series
Himself
The Bob Crosby Show
1953
TV Series
Himself - Singer
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Columbo
1975
TV Series
Modernaires Member
Known for movies
Darling Lili (1970) as Music Department
An Hour with Robert Goulet (1964) as Music Department
Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (2000) as Music Department
$11 Million
