Shemekia Copeland Sings in Beacon on Saturday

November 15, 2018

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Shemekia Copeland

Crowned the new “Queen of the Blues” by Koko Taylor’s daughter in 2011, vocalist Shemekia Copeland also literally descended from blues royalty: She’s the daughter of the late Texas guitar great Johnny Copeland. On Saturday, the soulful shouter brings her blues to the Towne Crier Cafe in support of her most recent album, 2017’s America’s Child.

Copeland was born in Harlem in 1979 and, encouraged by her father, made her live debut at age eight. At 16 she went on the road with her dad as an opening act, and at 19 she recorded her debut album, 1998’s Turn the Heat Up!, for noted Chicago label Alligator Records. Her second album, 2000’s Wicked, featured a duet with her hero Ruth Brown, and its follow-ups, 2002’s Talking to Strangers and 2005’s The Soul Truth, were produced by, respectively, Dr. John and Steve Cropper. America’s Child features guest appearances by Cropper, John Prine, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris, Al Perkins (Flying Burrito Brothers), J.D. Wilkes (Legendary Shack Shakers), and others.

Here’s the all-too-timely “Ain’t Got Time for Hate,” from America’s Child:

Shemekia Copeland will perform at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon, New York, on November 17 at 8:30pm. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. For more information, call (845) 855-1300 or visit http://townecrier.com/.

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