While only in her early 30s, two-time Grammy nominee Shemekia Copeland is already a force to be reckoned with in the blues. She’s opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago Blues Festival, scored critics choice awards on both sides of the Atlantic (The New York Times and The Times of London), shared the stage with such luminaries as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Mick Jagger, and Eric Clapton, and has even performed at the White House for former President and Mrs. Obama.
Born in Harlem, New York, in 1979, Copeland is the daughter of the late Texas blues guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, who always encouraged her to sing at home, and even brought her on stage to sing at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club when she was just eight years old.
Read about Shemekia’s JusticeAid performance in 2014 in support of Justice for Vets.
I just love what I do. And I love DOING what I do.
Copeland’s passion for singing, matched with her huge, blast-furnace voice, gives her music a timeless power and a heart-pounding urgency. Her music comes from deep within her soul and from the streets where she grew up, surrounded by the everyday sounds of the city – street performers, gospel singers, blasting radios, bands in local parks and so much more.
The Boston Globe raves about her “sizzling hot intensity.” The Village Voice describes her artist’s prowess as “nothing short of uncanny.” To Shameika Copeland, her passion for the blues is as crystal-clear as her vocals.
