Copeland, Alan R., 1926-

American composer Alan Copeland was born on October 6, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. His musical odyssey began at age ten when he started piano lessons. Three years later, Copeland began taking a serious interest in music and became a member of the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir. The choir appeared on countless radio shows and in over one hundred motion pictures.

As a member of the choir, Copeland performed in films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent, and Frank Capra's Meet John Doe . Also, during his time with the Choir, Copeland developed a friendship with singer/pianist David Street, who took the young teen under his wing and worked with him to develop his piano technique.

Copeland's musical pursuits were interrupted by military service in the United States Navy during World War Two. Upon his discharge, he set out to form his own vocal quartet, the Twin Tones. In addition to doing all the arrangements for his quartet, Copeland also tried his hand at arranging with the Garber Band. He continued to expand his horizons by taking some private lessons in arrangement with Henry Mancini.

In 1948 Copeland joined the Modernaires. Shortly thereafter, the group was re-contracted to be regulars on Bob Crosby’s Club 15 radio show, a fifteen-minute musical variety program which aired over CBS from 1946 through 1952. The show evolved into a daytime television show called The Bob Crosby Show, that aired live five days a week, from 1953 through 1956.

Copeland's most recognized work came in 1968 when he wrote a Lalo Schifrin tune, written as a theme for a popular television spy drama, with that of a John Lennon and Paul McCartney collaboration into a Grammy Award-winning hit. The tune was "Mission Impossible/Norwegian Wood." Copeland went on to work as the choral supervisor for many motion picture and television projects.

As of 2013, at age 87, Alan Copeland continues to teach, arrange, produce, and conduct, and is still an active member of the Modernaires.