Shemekia Copeland

{{Infobox musical artist

|name = Shemekia Copeland

|image = Shemekia Copeland, Summit on Race.jpg

|caption = Copeland at the 2019 Summit on Race

|image_size = 300px

|background = solo_singer

|birth_name = Charon Shemekia Copeland

|alias =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|4|10|mf=y}}

|birth_place = New York City, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|genre = Electric blues, gospel, R&B

|occupation = Singer

|instrument = Vocals

|years_active = 1996–present

|label = Alligator Records, Telarc (2008-2012)

|website = [https://shemekiacopeland.com/ Shemekia Copeland.com]

}}

Charon Shemekia Copeland (born April 10, 1979){{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues - A Regional Experience| publisher=Praeger Publishers|location= Santa Barbara| pages=263 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}[http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr10/0,4670,History,00.html "Today in History - April 10"], Fox News, April 10, 2008. Accessed November 22, 2008. is an American electric blues vocalist.{{cite book

| first= Paul

| last= Du Noyer

| year= 2003

| title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music

| edition= 1st

| publisher=Flame Tree Publishing

| location= Fulham, London

| isbn= 1-904041-96-5

| page= 181}} She has released 12 albums, won nine Blues Music Awards, and won five Blues Blast Music Awards. In 2024, Copeland received nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, and Best Contemporary Blues Album.{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2024-11-08 |title=Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grammy-nominations-2025-beyonce-taylor-swift-chappell-roan-complete-list-1236204610/ |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

Early life

Copeland was born in Harlem, New York City, United States. She is the daughter of Texas blues guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland.{{cite web |title=Metroactive Music - Santa Cruz Blues Festival |url=http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/05.19.04/bluesfest-0421.html |access-date=6 January 2015 |website=Metroactive.com}} She began singing at an early age and her first public performance was at the Cotton Club when she was about 10.{{cite web |date=2015-09-29 |title=Shemekia Copeland sings about what's going on (Ep266) - Americana Music Show Podcast |url=http://americanamusicshow.com/episode266 |access-date=2015-10-10 |website=Americanamusicshow.com}} Copeland graduated in 1997 from Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey.{{cite web |title=WHERE STARS ARE BORN -- NORTH JERSEY NURTURES ITS ASPIRING ARTISTS |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-30986533.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516171812/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-30986533.html |archive-date=May 16, 2011 |access-date=July 3, 2007}}

Career

In 1998, Copeland landed a recording contract with Alligator Records, which issued her debut album, Turn the Heat Up!. Her second album, Wicked, was released in 2000 and featured a duet with Ruth Brown. It earned her three Blues Music Awards.

The follow-up record, Talking to Strangers, was produced by Dr. John, and in 2005 she released The Soul Truth, produced by Steve Cropper.

In 2008, Copeland signed with Telarc International,{{cite web|url=http://www.telarc.com|title=Telarc|website=Telarc.com|access-date=6 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318010504/http://www.telarc.com/|archive-date=18 March 2014}} and released her first album, Never Going Back, with that label in February 2009. The album was nominated for "Best Contemporary Blues Recording" at the Blues Blast Music Awards.{{Cite web |date=2014-01-01 |title=2009 Blues Blast Music Awards |url=https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/2009-blues-blast-music-awards/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Blues Blast Magazine |language=en-US}} She went on to win the "Rising Star - Blues Artist" in the DownBeat Critics Poll announced in the December 2009 issue.

In 2010, Copeland was nominated for "Best Female Blues Artist" at the Blues Blast Music Awards.{{Cite web |date=2014-01-01 |title=2010 Blues Blast Music Awards |url=https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/2010-blues-blast-music-awards/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Blues Blast Magazine |language=en-US}}

On June 12, 2011 at the Chicago Blues Festival, she was presented Koko Taylor's crown and officially given the honor as the "New Queen of the Blues" by Koko Taylor's daughter, Cookie Taylor.{{Cite news |last=N |last2=P |last3=R |date=2013-03-26 |title=Shemekia Copeland On Mountain Stage |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/03/26/175353551/shemekia-copeland-on-mountain-stage |access-date=2025-06-11 |work=NPR |language=en}}

In 2013, Copeland was nominated for "Contemporary Blues Female Artist" at the Blues Music Award.{{cite web |url=https://blues.org/#ref=bluesmusicawards_nominees |title=Blues Music Awards Nominees - 2013 - 34th Blues Music Awards |website=Blues.org |access-date=2013-03-21}} The same year, she received her second nomination for "Best Female Blues Artist" at the Blues Blast Music Awards.{{Cite web |date=2014-01-01 |title=2013 Blues Blast Music Awards |url=https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/2013-blues-blast-music-awards/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Blues Blast Magazine |language=en-US}}

In October 2015, her album Outskirts of Love peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. In 2016, she won both the Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Blues Female Artist" and the Blues Blast Music Award for "Best Female Blues Artist".{{cite web|url=http://blues411.com/2016-blues-music-awards-winner-list/ |title=2016 Blues Music Awards Winner List |website=Blues411.com |access-date=2016-05-23}}{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Blues Blast |date=2016-09-24 |title=2016 Blues Blast Music Award Winners |url=https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/2016-blues-blast-music-award-winners/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Blues Blast Magazine |language=en-US}} In 2017, she participated in the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai.{{Cite web|url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/festival-review-mahindra-blues-festival-mumbai/|title=Mahindra Blues Festival, Mumbai|date=13 February 2017|website=Rollingstone India|access-date=27 February 2020}}

In August 2018, her next album, America's Child, entered at number 3 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/shemekia-copeland|title=Shemekia Copeland|website=Billboard.com|access-date=17 August 2018}} The album won both the "Album of the Year" and "Contemporary Album of the Year" titles at the Blues Music Awards in 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.antimusic.com/news/19/May/102019_Blues_Music_Awards_Winners_Announced.shtml|title=2019 Blues Music Awards Winners Announced|website=Antimusic.com|access-date=11 May 2019}} The same year, Copeland received four Blues Blast Music Award nominations for "Album of the Year", "Contemporary Blues Album", "Contemporary Female Blues Artist", and "Instrumentalist - Vocals".{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Blues Blast |date=2019-01-10 |title=40th Blues Music Award Nominees Announced |url=https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/40th-blues-music-award-nominees-announced/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Blues Blast Magazine |language=en-US}}

In May 2020, Copeland won her second Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year".{{Cite web|url=https://blues.org/blues-music-awards/|title=BLUES MUSIC AWARDS|first=Robin|last=McKay|website=Blues.org|access-date=May 4, 2020}} She won the awards for "Contemporary Blues Album" and "Female Blues Artist" at the Blues Blast Music Awards in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Blues Blast |date=2021-08-25 |title=Blues Blast Music Award Winners Announced |url=https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/blues-blast-music-award-winners-announced-2/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Blues Blast Magazine |language=en-US}}

In July 2022, she won the award for Blues Artist of the Year at the annual DownBeat Critics Poll.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-26 |title=70th Annual DownBeat Critics Poll Delivers! |url=https://downbeat.com/news/detail/70th-annual-downbeat-critics-poll-delivers |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=downbeat.com}} She released her tenth studio album, Done Come Too Far, on August 19, 2022 {{Cite web |date=2022-08-19 |title=Done Come Too Far Review by Thom Jurek |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/done-come-too-far-mw0003733919 |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=AllMusic}} In 2023, Copeland won the 'Instrumentalist - Vocals' category at the Blues Music Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2023-blues-music-awards-winners-list-tommy-castro-1235327334/|title=Tommy Castro Repeats as Entertainer of the Year at 2023 Blues Music Awards: Full Winners List|first=Paul|last=Grein|website=Billboard.com|date=May 12, 2023|access-date=May 12, 2023}} She also picked up two Blues Blast Music Awards in the "Best Female Blues Artist" and "Best Vocals" categories.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-24 |title=2023 BBMA Winners |url=https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/2023-blues-blast-music-award-winners/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Blues Blast Magazine |language=en-US}}

In December 2024, Copeland was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance and a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song. Her album Blame it on Eve was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.{{Cite web |title=2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=grammy.com}}

On March 19, 2025, Copeland's Blame it on Eve was nominated for a Libera Award for Blues Record.{{Cite web |last=Grein |first=Paul |date=2025-03-19 |title=Shaboozey, Waxahatchee & More Lead 2025 Libera Awards Nominations: Full List |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2025-libera-awards-nominations-full-list-1235926204/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}