AST Presents

Shemekia Copeland

Award-winning blues singer Shemekia Copeland possesses one of the most deeply soulful voices of our time. She has performed with B.B. King, Mick Jagger and others at the White House, and has been showcased on Austin City Limits and NPR’s Jazz Night In America. Copeland connects with her audience on an intensely personal level, taking them with her on what The Wall Street Journal calls “a consequential ride of bold and timely blues.”

Her new album, Done Come Too Far, continues the story she began on 2018’s America’s Child (named #1 blues release of the year by MOJO magazine) and 2020’s Grammy-nominated Uncivil War, reflecting her vision of America’s past, present and future.

Daughter of the renowned Texas bluesman Johnny Clyde Copeland, Copeland first took the stage at New York’s Cotton Club when she was eight. Upon her debut release, Turn the Heat Up, she instantly became a blues and R&B force to be reckoned with. With each subsequent release, Copeland’s music continued to evolve.

She delivers her hard-hitting musical truths and likes to have a good time too. “This album was made by all sides of me — happy, sad, silly, irate — they’re all a part of who I am and who we all are. I’m not political. I’m just talking about what’s happening in this country.”

As for the continuing evolution of her music, Copeland says, “Once my son was born, I became even more committed to making the world a better place. On (my last 3 albums) I’ve been trying to put the ‘United’ back into United States. Friends, family and home, these things we all value.”

She’s sung with Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards and many others and is beloved by her fellow musicians across genres and demographics. Carlos Santana said, “She’s incandescent…a diamond.” Bonnie Raitt told BBC radio, “Shemekia always knocks me out.” The late John Prine said, “She doesn’t sound like anybody else.”  She continues to host her own popular daily blues radio show on SiriusXM’s Bluesville.

“Shemekia Copeland provides a soundtrack for contemporary America…powerful, ferocious, clear-eyed and hopeful…She’s in such control of her voice that she can scream at injustices before she soothes with loving hope. It sends shivers up your spine.” — Living Blues

Thursday, March 30, 2023 • 7:30 PM

Tickets: $40 (+$6 fees)

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