Shemekia Copeland: Rockin' the Blues

While I have featured several blues artists before, most have centered on the songs, guitar work or general sound of the band. Once in a while I like to focus on a vocalist; that's what we're going to do today. A true blues vocalist.

Shemekia Copeland is a second generation blues artist out of New York City. At the age of 8, Shemekia was brought onto the stage of the famed Cotton Club by her father, legendary blues guitarist Johnny Copeland. At 19, her first album Turn Up The Heat was released, and she has never looked back.

She's opened for the Stones, headlined Blues Festivals, shared the stage with everyone from Clapton to Buddy Guy and been certified fabulous from critics all over the world.

She has a great body of work to choose from, but today we will taste a few tracks from her third album, The Soul Truth. Released in 2005, it was produced by Steve Cropper of Stax Records fame. It's so pumped up and full of passion, with the true soul of Memphis blues... totally worth more than a one song sample.


"Who Stole My Radio" ...asking where did the good music go, well it's right here
"Better Not Touch" ...great horns arrangement, such a strong vocal
"All About You" ...feeling the Memphis blues

And just a couple of live tastes, not from The Soul Truth, but worth hearing.

"Beat Up Old Guitar" ...a 2001 sweet biscuit with Arthur Neilson on a not quite beat-up-old guitar
"Dirty Water" ...down and dirty, no doubt, feels so good

Real tasty.

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