Blues Guitarist Johnny Copeland Dead At Age 60

Grammy-award-winning blues guitarist Johnny Copeland died July 3 due to complications from his eighth open-heart surgery. During his lengthy career, Copeland, nicknamed the "Texas Twister," had the honor to play with such music greats as Otis Redding and Big Mama Thornton, but it was his collaboration on the 1985 album Showdown! with Albert Collins and Robert Cray that earned him the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording. Copeland also received four W.C. Handy Awards in his lifetime.

At the end of 1996, Copeland received a much-needed heart transplant, and following his recovery he returned to the stage to do what he did best - play the blues. Copeland was 60 years old.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

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