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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Blues Guitarist Johnny Copeland Dies

Compiled From Wire Services

Johnny Copeland, a Grammy-winning blues guitarist nicknamed the “Texas Twister,” died Thursday a week after his eighth open heart surgery. He was 60.

Copeland garnered acclaim for his 1981 album, “Copeland Special,” and won a Grammy for best traditional blues recording for “Showdown!,” a 1985 collaboration with Albert Collins and Robert Cray.

He got a Grammy nomination in 1989 for his album “Ain’t Nothin’ But a Party,” and received four W.C. Handy Awards, the blues equivalent of the Grammys.