Home > MUSIC > Shemekia Copeland

• Tweet
• Outlook
• ICAL
• PRINT
• Email
• Feedback

• RSS

• Official Website
• Buy Tickets

Shemekia Copeland

Presented by Longwood Gardens at Longwood Gardens

August 22, 2009

Comment on Facebook

At her young age, Shemekia Copeland is already a force to be reckoned with in the blues. She has opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago Blues Festival and shared the stage with such luminaries as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Taj Mahal and John Mayer. Heir to the rich tradition of soul-drenched divas like Ruth Brown, Etta James and Koko Taylor, Copeland’s shot at the eventual title of Queen of the Blues is pretty clear. By some standards, she may already be there. Copeland’s passion for singing, matched with her huge, blast-furnace voice, gives her music a timeless power and a heart-pounding urgency. Her father, the late Texas blues guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, recognized his daughter’s talent early on. Her second album, Wicked, scored three Handy Awards (Song of the Year, Blues Album of the Year, Contemporary Female Artist of the Year) and a GRAMMY nomination. With her new release, Never Going Back, Shemekia Copeland has opened a new chapter in her story. The recording represents a crossroads on her ongoing artistic journey--a place where numerous new avenues are open to her. While she will always remain loyal to her blues roots, Never Going Back takes a more forward view of the blues, and in so doing points her music and her career in a new direction.