Johnny Copeland was born March 27, 1937, in Haynesville, LA, about 15 miles south of Magnolia, AR (formerly Texarkana, a hotbed of blues activity in the 1920s and '30s). The son of sharecroppers, his father died when he was very young, but Copeland was given his father's guitar. His first gig was with his friend Joe "Guitar" Hughes. Soon after, Hughes "took sick" for a week and the young Copeland discovered he could be a front man and deliver vocals as well as anyone else around Houston at that time.
His music, by his own reasoning, fell somewhere between the funky R&B of New Orleans and the swing and jump blues of Kansas City. After his family (sans his father) moved to Houston, Copeland was exposed, as a teen, to musicians from both cities. While he was becoming interested in music, he also pursued boxing, mostly as an avocation, and it is from his days as a boxer that he got his nickname "Clyde."
Copeland and Hughes fell under the spell of T-Bone Walker, whom Copeland first saw perform when he was 13 years old. As a teenager he played at locales such as Shady's Playhouse — Houston's leading blues club, host to most of the city's best bluesmen during the 1950s — and the Eldorado Ballroom. Copeland and Hughes subsequently formed The Dukes of Rhythm, which became the house band at the Shady's Playhouse. After that, he spent time playing on tour with Albert Collins (himself a fellow T-Bone Walker devotee) during the 1950s, and also played on stage with Sonny Boy Williamson II, Big Mama Thornton, and Freddie King. He began recording in 1958 with "Rock 'n' Roll Lily" for Mercury, and moved between various labels during the 1960s, including All Boy and Golden Eagle in Houston, where he had regional successes with "Please Let Me Know" and "Down on Bending Knees," and later for Wand and Atlantic in New York. In 1965, he displayed a surprising prescience in terms of the pop market by cutting a version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" for Wand.
After touring around the "Texas triangle" of Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, he relocated to New York City in 1974, at the height of the disco boom. It seems moving to New York City was the best career move Copeland ever made, for he had easy access to clubs in Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Boston, all of which still had a place for blues musicians like him. Meanwhile, back in Houston, the club scene was hurting, owing partly to the oil-related recession of the mid-'70s. Copeland took a day job at a Brew 'n' Burger restaurant in New York and played his blues at night, finding receptive audiences at clubs in Harlem and Greenwich Village.
Copeland recorded seven albums for Rounder Records, beginning in 1981 and including Copeland Special, Make My Home Where I Hang My Hat, Texas Twister, Bringing It All Back Home, When the Rain Starts a Fallin', Ain't Nothing But a Party (live, nominated for a Grammy) and Boom Boom; he also won a Grammy award in 1986 for his efforts on an Alligator album, Showdown! with Robert Cray and the late Albert Collins. Although Copeland had a booming, shouting voice and was a powerful guitarist and live performer, what most people don't realize is just how clever a songwriter he was. His latter-day releases for the PolyGram/Verve/Gitanes label, including Flyin' High (1992) and Catch Up with the Blues, provide ample evidence of this on "Life's Rainbow (Nature Song)" (from the latter album) and "Circumstances" (from the former album).
Because Copeland was only six months old when his parents split up and he only saw his father a few times before he passed away, Copeland never realized he had inherited a congenital heart defect from his father. He disovered this in the midst of another typically hectic tour in late 1994, when he had to go into the hospital in Colorado. After he was diagnosed with heart disease, he spent the next few years in and out of hospitals, undertaking a number of costly heart surgeries. Early in 1997, he was waiting for a heart transplant at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. As he was waiting, he was put on the L-VAD, a recent innovation for patients suffering from congenital heart defects. In 1995, Copeland appeared on CNN and ABC-TV's Good Morning America, wearing his L-VAD, offering the invention valuable publicity.
Despite his health problems, Copeland continued to perform and his always spirited concerts did not diminished all that much. After living 20 months on the L-VAD — the longest anyone had lived on the device — he received a heart transplant on January 1, 1997 and for a few months, the heart worked fine and he continued to tour. However, the heart developed a defective valve, necessitating heart surgery in the summer. Copeland died of complications during heart surgery on July 3, 1997.
That's Alright Mama
Johnny Copeland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's all right for you.
Yeah that's all right mama,
Just anyway you do.
That's all right,
That's all right,
That's all right my mama,
Well mama she done told me,
Papa done told me too.
Son that gal you're fooling with,
She ain't no girl for you.
That's all right,
That's all right,
That's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
I'm leaving town baby,
I'm leaving town for sure,
Then you won't be bothered
With me hanging round your door.
That's all right,
That's all right,
Yeah that's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
Well that's all right mama,
Yeah that's all right for you.
That's all right mama,
Just anyway you do.
That's all right,
That's all right,
That's all right my mama,
Anyway you do. Dee, dee, dee, dee, dee, dee,
Da, da dee, dee, dee,
I need your loving.
That's all right.
Well that's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
Yeah that's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
In the song "That's Alright Mama" by Johnny Copeland, the lyrics depict a scene where the singer is addressing his mother about a romantic relationship that she may disapprove of. The repeated refrain of "That's all right mama, anyway you do" suggests a sense of resignation and acceptance towards the situation. Despite the mother's warnings and advice, the singer seems to reassure her that everything will be fine regardless of the outcome.
The verse where the mother advises the singer about the unsuitability of the girl he is involved with indicates a sense of concern and care from her side. The repetition of "That's all right" throughout the song conveys a message of reassurance, almost as if the singer is trying to convince himself and his mother that things will work out in the end. The lyrics reflect a sense of defiance and independence in the face of parental disapproval, highlighting the complexity of familial relationships and personal choices.
The singer's decision to leave town and remove himself from the situation suggests a form of self-preservation and respect for the mother's wishes, even if it means sacrificing his own desires. The resolve and determination in his words convey a sense of maturity and responsibility, as he acknowledges the importance of respecting his mother's concerns. The repetition of the phrase "That's all right my mama, anyway you do" reinforces the idea of acceptance and understanding, even in the midst of emotional turmoil.
Overall, "That's Alright Mama" can be interpreted as a nuanced exploration of love, family dynamics, and personal growth. The lyrics convey a mix of emotions - from defiance and independence to love and respect - painting a complex portrait of a narrator navigating relationships and familial expectations. The repeated refrain serves as a comforting reassurance in the face of uncertainty, ultimately suggesting a sense of resilience and acceptance in the face of life's challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Well that's all right mama,
It's okay with me, mother,
That's all right for you.
If that's what you prefer.
Yeah that's all right mama,
Indeed, it's acceptable for you,
Just anyway you do.
Regardless of how you choose to handle things.
Well mama she done told me,
My mother has already warned me,
Papa done told me too.
And my father has also advised me.
Son that gal you're fooling with,
The woman you're involved with, my son,
She ain't no girl for you.
Is not the right match for you.
I'm leaving town baby,
I am departing from this town, my dear,
I'm leaving town for sure,
Leaving without a doubt,
Then you won't be bothered
So you won't be troubled
With me hanging round your door.
By me loitering near your residence.
Dee, dee, dee, dee, dee, dee,
Musical interlude
Da, da dee, dee, dee,
Another musical interlude
I need your loving.
I desire your affection.
Well that's all right my mama,
It's acceptable for you, mother,
Yeah that's all right for you.
That's fine with you.
That's all right my mama,
It's all good, mother,
Anyway you do.
No matter how you handle it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Crudup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andrew V. Odom
Classic early Jonny Copeland with a great cover version