Middle Eastern Music Blog

Miles Copeland’s New Biography & Middle Eastern Music Connections

Bridging two different spheres of culture and music is the incomparable Miles Copeland III – an innovative and resourceful managerial force who, among other things, helped shepherd the new wave punk trio “The Police” to global acclaim. Copeland’s memoir titled “Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: My Life in the Music Business” chronicles his illustrious career and will be released in the US on July 13 and the UK on June 18.

Miles Copeland’s book is a compelling look into the tremendous career of one of the pop and rock music industries’ true luminaries – and the time he spent in the Middle East and promoting world music artists is part of what makes his tale so special.

Copeland’s story is truly unique – an example of pop music industry intrigue rooted in Middle Eastern sensibilities. With a variety of successes – ranging from Sting’s pop and middle eastern crossover collaboration with notable Algerian rai singer Cheb Mami for the smash hit “Desert Rose”, to paving the way for standout pop-rock acts like R.E.M., The Bangles and The Go-Gos, Copeland blazed quite the trail during a career which has spanned over five decades.

The memoir explores Copeland’s foundational years in this part of the world as an American youth of parents involved in the intelligence community, in addition to providing insight into the time Copeland spent in the music industry building up and managing many of the artistically influential acts of the past several decades. Growing up in various parts of the Middle East as one of three siblings, Copeland was shaped by his experiences living in Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.  As such, listening to the sounds of his surroundings left its mark on the ambitious youngster which played a role in his career moving forward.

You can find Copeland’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Two-Steps-Forward-Step-Back/dp/1911036777/

TAQS.IM is also working with Copeland to feature his specially curated playlist of timeless hits on TAQS.IM’s world radio station app and on Spotify. More details will be forthcoming in a future blog post!

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