Self Portrait is the 1970 debut album by English singer Ruth Copeland

Ruth Copeland

Ruth Copeland is an English singer known for her involvement with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.- Early career :Copeland was born in Consett, County Durham, in the north-east of England. She initially pursued her music career as a blues and folk singer, however she gained her first break...

. The album was released by Invictus Records

Invictus Records

Invictus Records was an American record label based in Detroit, Michigan created by Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland...

 in 1970 and produced by Ruth Copeland, though it is widely believed that the actual producer of the album was her then husband Jeffrey Bowen

Jeffrey Bowen

Jeffrey Bowen was a songwriter and record producer, notable for his work at both Motown Records and Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus and Hot Wax labels. He is best known for his work with the Detroit male vocal groups Chairmen of the Board and The Temptations...

 working under an alias. The album presumably was recorded during the same sessions that produced Parliament

Parliament (band)

Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...

's debut album, Osmium

Osmium (album)

Osmium is the debut album of American funk band Parliament, led by George Clinton. The album has a psychedelic soul sound with a spirit of experimentation that is more similar to early Funkadelic than the later R&B-inspired Parliament albums. It was originally released in July 1970 on Invictus...

.

In 1996 both Ruth Copeland albums were licensed by HDH Inc. and reissued by P-Vine Records individually. In 1997 both Ruth Copeland albums were reissued on one CD under the juxtaposed title Self Portrait/I Am What I Am (Deepbeats DEEPM 022). It was then issued under the title Gimme Shelter - The Invictus Sessions (Castle Music CMRCD 576). Both compilations omitted the track "Un Bel Di (One Fine Day)". To date, both Ruth Copeland albums have not been released in the U.S. on CD. The two (complete) albums, plus bonus single mixes of some of the songs, were released in a two-disc set by UK label Edsel records in October 2009.

Tracks

All tracks composed by Ruth Copeland; except where indicated

1. "Prologue: Child of the North"
2. "Thanks For The Birthday Card"
3. "Your Love Been So Good To Me" (Tal Ross, Copeland, George Clinton
   George Clinton (funk musician)
   George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
   
   )
4. "The Music Box" (Copeland, Ron Dunbar, E. Wayne)
5. "The Silent Boatman"
6. "To William in the Night" (Copeland, G. Alexander, E. Wayne, Ron Dunbar)
7. "No Commitment" (released as the B-side to "Hare Krishna" - Invictus Is 9088)
8. "I Got A Thing For You Daddy" (Copeland, Eddie Hazel
   Eddie Hazel
   Edward Earl "Eddie" Hazel was a guitarist in early funk music in the United States who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic...
   
   , George Clinton)
9. "A Gift of Me" (Copeland, E. Wayne, Ron Dunbar)
10. "Un Bel Di (One Fine Day)" from "Madame Butterfly" (Giacomo Puccini
    Giacomo Puccini
    Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
    
    )

Personnel

• Tiki Fulwood
  Tiki Fulwood
  Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood was a drummer for the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic...
  
  
• Eddie Hazel
  Eddie Hazel
  Edward Earl "Eddie" Hazel was a guitarist in early funk music in the United States who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic...
  
  
• Billy Bass Nelson
  Billy Bass Nelson
  William "Billy Bass" Nelson is a U.S. musician, who was the original bassist for Funkadelic. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic....
  
  
• Bernie Worrell
  Bernie Worrell
  George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
  
  
• Tal Ross
• Tommy Bell
• Dennis Coffey
  Dennis Coffey
  Dennis Coffey is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings.-Biography:Coffey learned to play guitar at the age of thirteen, in the Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Copper City...
  
  
• Andrew Smith
• Ray Monnette
• Bob Babbitt
• Tom Neme
• Tony Camillo
• George Clinton
  George Clinton (musician)
  George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
  
  
• Detroit Symphony and Choraliers gospel singers