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The Next Generation: Update (added 6th July 2012) In the past four years we have had several additions to the family, as follows: Twins Peggy and Fergus were born to Andy (Jill's middle son) and Julie
in November 2008 That makes a total of nine in the most recent generation of Coppers! The Copper Family 60th Anniversary On 20th August 1950, Jim and Bob Copper sang outside the Eight Bells at Jevington, for their first BBC broadcast. On 21st August 2010, the Copper Family sang there again, to mark the sixtieth anniversary. See the photos and memorabilia!
This was held on Thursday 27th March at Cecil Sharp House. Read the family's report of the occasion! You can download the official poster (PDF file, 841KB) here. The Young Coppers' CD "Passing Out" is available from the Ordering Page on this web site, and all good record stores.
New Copper Family CD: Coppers at Christmas The latest Copper Family CD, Coppers at Christmas, is now available for purchase, on-line only. This CD is the first time that The Copper Family's collection of carols has been gathered together. These recordings were made by the whole family and include the singing of the late Bob Copper. Notes to the carols are by Vic Gammon. Buy it now on the Ordering page of this web site! First Copper Family House Concert a Great Success! In a bold experiment, The Copper Family launched their new Christmas album on 21st December 2007 by hosting an American-style house concert. With some 70 people in attendance enjoying great music from the likes of Will Duke, Dan Quinn, Matt Quinn, Bob Lewis, Peter Collins, Vic and Christine Smith, Mike Nicholson, Laura Hockenhull, the Coppers themselves and others (forgive me if you sang), it was a highly successful evening. A total of £100 was raised for Save the Children... thank you! The Next Generation continues to grow... Latest additions: Jill's son Sean and his partner Caroline were presented with their second child, a daughter named Grace Catherine, born 20th August 2006. John's daughter Lucy and her partner Nigel welcomed daughter number two, Daisy Bea, into the world on 16th October 2006. Both are thriving. With four girls and one boy so far as Bob's great-grandchildren, there has been considerable speculation as to the nature of the Copper Sound in future! Very interesting we think. Coppersongs Documentary repeated on BBC4 The documentary, first shown on 15th October 2004, was repeated as part of the "Folk Britannia" season on BBC4, in the small hours of Sunday 5th February 2006 (12.15am-1.15am). On the BBC web site, the producer, David Battock, talks about the Copper Family.
The new record formed part of a project entitled "The Imagined Village" and is produced by Simon Emmerson, best known in the World Music field for his work as a DJ and with the Afro Celt Sound System, Baaba Maal etc. Luminaries appearing on the album will be, amongst others, Billy Bragg, Paul Weller, PJ Harvey and Eliza Carthy. The project also included a major tour in late 2007, in which the Young Coppers participated. Bob Copper Archive: The Copper Family have presented Bob Copper's archive to the University of Sussex archive department. At the time of writing (2006) this is still being properly asessed by the archivists, but looks as if it will make some 48 boxes of material. The archive includes Bob's original notes and manuscripts for all his published (and unpublished) work, correspondence going back to the 1950s, notes and BBC documentation relating to his collecting period during the mid-fifties, and some of his father Jim's original notes and writings. This will be a treasure trove of information, much of it previously unseen. The University makes its archive available to members of the general public, but we believe that an appointment needs to be made with the relevant University department prior to any research being undertaken.
fRoots Magazine featured Bob's grandchildren on the cover of its October edition (issue 256), and has an extensive feature inside. It can be bought on-line from the fRoots web site. BBC Documentary: BBC 4 TV broadcast an hour-long documentary on the Copper Family on October 15th 2004 with repeats on each of the three following days. For the section reporting on Bob's memorial service on 17th April 2004, click here. Latest major additions to this site: 21st February 2012 - Obituary for Ron Copper, by Vic Smith 21st July 2011 - Biography of Bob Copper, by John Copper 15th January 2009 - Correction to track listing for the Song for Every Season LP (1971) , which had omitted "Rose of Allendale". 14th January 2009 - Details of Topic LP "Songs and Southern Breezes" added to the Books and Recordings section. |
This page last updated on
21 February, 2012
The Young Coppers CD Launch Concert! 
Bob Copper Memorial Concert: