11 Facts About Ruth Copeland

Ruth Copeland grew up in the Blackhill area as a neighbour of musician Freddie 'Fingers' Lee.

Ruth Copeland attended Consett Grammar School and Consett Technical College, and began singing with a local jazz band, the Collegians, in 1963.

Ruth Copeland worked as a comptometer operator, and met and married football player Karl Sweetan, though the marriage was short-lived.

Bowen was involved in setting up Invictus Records with Holland, Dozier and Holland, and Ruth Copeland signed a contract with the newly-formed company in 1969.

Ruth Copeland was asked to write lyrics for a Holland-Dozier-Holland tune, and came up with words about missing her dog in England; the record producers disliked the results, and instead had Ron Dunbar write the words to the song that became the hit "Band of Gold".

Ruth Copeland became involved with work on the group's debut album, Osmium, and was credited with co-producing the record with Clinton; Bowen worked on its production but for contractual reasons could not be credited.

Ruth Copeland wrote two of the album's tracks: "Little Ole Country Boy" and "The Silent Boatman".

Alongside her work on Parliament's debut, Ruth Copeland began working on solo material, and her first album, Self Portrait, was released by Invictus in October 1970.

Ruth Copeland was unable to sustain the success of her initial albums and tours.

Ruth Copeland recorded her third and final album, Take Me to Baltimore, in Philadelphia in 1976.

Ruth Copeland remarried in the late 1970s, and started a new career as a production executive at a publishing firm, The Blue Book Network of Commercial Construction.