Press
Uncivil War, was named the #1 Blues Album Of The Year in MOJO Magazine’s influential annual list
There’s an unrelenting power to Shemekia Copeland’s performance on her tenth album; her rich, grainy vocals, sitting midpoint between Ruth Brown and Mavis Staples have never sounded so forceful, and her songwriting, in the context of a divided America, transmits a sense of solidarity and hope throughout. Produced by Will Kimbrough, the opener Clotilda’s On Fire tells the story of America’s last slave ship, over fearsome guitar-playing by Jason Isbell; the closer Love Song sees daughter pay affectionate tribute to her father Johnny Copeland on his Texas blues. Walk Until I Ride, an impassioned BLM protest in the style of The Staple Singers and the thoughtful title track – a soulful folk address with mandolin, dobro and Hammond B3 – provide more highlights on this career best.
PBS: “A new-generation Queen of the Blues”
For some, 40-year-old vocalist Shemekia Copeland might seem out of step with a generation more in tune with hip-hop than the blues. But since her first Grammy nomination at the age of 21, Copeland has been working to push the blues into the 21st century while still respecting its traditions. Tom Casciato recently spoke with Copeland about her past, her music and how she’s out to change the world.
Watch Shemekia’s full interview on PBS News Hour Weekend, by Emmy award-winning director, writer, producer and television executive Tom Casciato. It aired this Sunday, January 26.
You can also read the full transcript..
Shemekia to be featured on PBS Newshour Weekend
Shemekia Copeland is the greatest female blues vocalist working today.
– The Chicago Tribune
Award-winning blues, soul and Americana vocalist Shemekia Copeland will be featured on the nationally televised program PBS NewsHour Weekend on Sunday, January 26, 2020. Copeland, a three-time Grammy nominee, brings her wide-open vision of contemporary American roots music to every song she sings.
PBS NewsHour Weekend’s Tom Casciato says he considers Copeland “a great vocalist.” During the eight-minute segment, Copeland tells Casciato, among other things, about getting in trouble as a child at school for singing the Koko Taylor song I’m A Woman. Many of Copeland’s songs – from classics like Ghetto Child to more recent anthems like Ain’t Got Time For Hate– will be heard during the piece.
The show will air late Sunday afternoon but at various times in different markets. Local PBS stations can be found here. Please note that depending on current events, scheduling may change.
The segment will be available to stream in full at the PBS NewsHour Weekend website beginning on January 26.
Copeland recently received two 2020 Blues Music Award nominations. She won two Blues Music Awards in 2019, including Album Of The Year for her groundbreaking album, America’s Child. Copeland is currently working on her next as-yet-untitled album, due out later in 2020. She can be heard daily hosting her own blues radio show on SiriusXM’s Bluesville.
When she first burst on the scene at age 18 in 1998 with her groundbreaking Alligator Records debut CD, Turn The Heat Up, Copeland quickly became a blues and R&B force to be reckoned with. News outlets from The New York Times to CNN praised Copeland’s talent, larger-than-life personality, and true star power. With each subsequent release, Copeland’s music has continued to grow, reaching a larger and larger audience. In 2018, influential tastemaker UK music magazine MOJO named America’s Child the #1 blues album of the year.
Copeland has performed thousands of gigs at clubs, festivals and concert halls all over the world and has appeared on national television, NPR, and in newspapers, films and magazines. She’s sung with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, James Cotton and many others. She opened for The Rolling Stones and entertained U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Jeff Beck calls her “amazing.” Santana says, “She’s incandescent…a diamond.” In 2012, she performed with B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Buddy Guy, Trombone Shorty, Gary Clark, Jr. and others at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama.
NPR Music says, “She brings a perfect balance of authority and understatement to each song.” No Depression adds, “When Shemekia Copeland opens her mouth, everybody pays attention. She pierces your soul. This is how you do it, and nobody does it better than Shemekia Copeland.”
“A courageous and fiery statement of purpose”
Award-winning blues, R&B and Americana vocalist Shemekia Copeland, touring in support of her latest Alligator Records release, America’s Child, will headline the Swing Wespelaar festival in Wespelaar, Belgium on Saturday, August 17, 2019.
Produced by Will Kimbrough (who also plays guitar on the album) and recorded in Nashville, America’s Child – named the #1 blues album of 2018 by MOJO magazine – is a courageous and fiery statement of purpose, a major step forward for the singer whose musical consciousness continues to expand as her star continues to rise. With guests including John Prine, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris and Steve Cropper, America’s Child bursts with Copeland’s bravado and embraces with her tenderness. In 2019, Copeland received two Blues Music Awards for America’s Child: Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year. Copeland can be heard daily hosting her own blues radio show on SiriusXM.
Read the full story in Keys and Chords. 
“It’s evident who inspired much of Shemekia Copeland’s latest album”
It’s evident who inspired much of Shemekia Copeland’s latest album, “American Child,” after listening to the leadoff track, “Ain’t Got Time to Hate.”
“Where’s your little angel wings/my sweet baby child/and how you gonna live/in a world gone wild.”
Copeland’s 2-year-old son, Johnny, changed the blues singer’s outlook on life.
“So much changed after he arrived,” Copeland, 40, said by phone from her Chicago home. “My music has definitely been impacted by him. You can hear that on this album. It all happened organically.”
Copeland…explores a variety of issues on the album. The gritty “America’s Child” tackles racism on “Would You Take My Blood,” the state of a bewildering nation on “Ain’t Got Time for Hate” and a poetic take on individuality with “I’m Not Like Everybody Else.”
By Ed Condran, before Shemekia headlines the North Liberty Blues and BBQ in North Liberty, Iowa, this Saturday, July, 13. Read the full story in The Gazette. 
“A rich voice, powerful lyrics”
The headliner for the event, Shemekia Copeland has been singing the blues for over 20 years and has been awarded numerous accolades for her art. Copeland has a rich voice, powerful lyrics and is firmly nestled in (traditional blues with a bit of an edge.)
“[Copeland] is an amazing contemporary blues artist,” said Andre Perry, the executive director for The Englert of Copeland in a previous interview with the Press-Citizen. “To have someone achieve what she’s achieved headlining is just great, so we’re supper happy she was able to work it out and that she was able to be here for it.”
By Isaac Hamlet, before Shemekia’s performance at the North Liberty Blues and BBQ this coming Saturday, July 13. Read the full story in the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
“A really good time warming up the crowd”
“I’m just doing a couple songs off of my latest record and having a really good time warming up the crowd for Marc Cohn and The Blind Boys of Alabama and Robert Cray. We’re having a blast,” Copeland said. “They’re all fantastic. Great to work with, you know. It’s a nice vibe being out with these guys. They’re such gentlemen and they’re so warm and welcoming, so that’s what’s made it great.”
Copeland released her latest album, “America’s Child,” in August 2018 after inspiration from the birth of her son, Johnny Lee Copeland. The album comes from taking a closer look at the world and knowing that her son will have a strong foundation from which to take it on.
“I’m always evolving and growing and changing and one of the biggest things to happen in my life so far is having my little guy and the second you have a child you start thinking about the type of world you brought the child into and the things that they will have to endure,” Copeland said. “You know, you’re scared, but you’re also hopeful that things will be better for them than they were for you or certainly not worse.”…
By Sam Palian. Read the full interview and story in The Charlotte Post before Shemekia’s performance at Old Town Amphitheater in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on June 21. Shemekia will be opening for Robert Cray and Marc Cohn and The Blind Boys of Alabama. 