Charon Shemekia Copeland (born April 10, 1979) is an American electric blues vocalist. To date, she has released ten albums and been presented with seven Blues Music Awards.
Copeland was born in Harlem, New York City, United States. She is the daughter of Texas blues
guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland. She began singing at an early age and her first public performance was at the Cotton Club when she was about 10. She began to pursue a singing career in earnest at age 16. When her father's health began to decline, he took Shemekia on tour as his opening act, which helped establish her name on the blues circuit. Copeland graduated in 1997 from Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey. She landed a recording contract with Alligator Records, which issued her debut album, "Turn the Heat Up!" in 1998, following it up with a tour of the blues festival circuit in America and Europe. Her second album, "Wicked", was released in 2000 and featured a duet with one of her heroes, Ruth Brown. It earned her three Blues Music Awards. "Wicked" earned Copeland a slew of W.C. Handy Blues Award nominations and she walked off with three: Song of the Year, Blues Album of the Year, and Contemporary Female Artist of the Year.
Projecting a maturity beyond her years, blues singer Shemekia Copeland began making a splash in her own right before she was even out of her teens. Copeland fashioned herself as a powerful, soul-inflected shouter in the tradition of Koko Taylor and Etta James, yet also proved capable of a subtler
range of emotions. Her 1998 Alligator debut, "Turn the Heat Up!", featured a career-elevating version of "Ghetto Child," a classic by her father, renowned Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, that has been part of her performance repertoire ever since. She released three more acclaimed rough-and-rowdy recordings that decade before revealing a more nuanced, slow-burning persona on Never Going Back in 2009.
Over her next two albums, 2012's "33 1/3" and 2015's "Outskirts of Love", she became not only a
formidable singer but an influential stylist. By the time of 2018's "America's Child", she had transformed herself into an artist who could inhabit virtually any genre of music without sacrificing the power and passion that initially established her reputation.
The 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, and released her first album, "Never Going Back", with that label in February 2009. She won the "Rising Star -
Blues Artist" in Down Beat magazine's critics poll announced in the December 2009 issue. Copeland participated in the Efes Pilsen Blues Festival in 2009. On June 12, 2011 at the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, Copeland 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.
In 2013, Copeland was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the Contemporary Blues Female Artist' category. She won the title in 2016.
Copeland returned to Alligator for the release of 2015's "Outskirts of Love", which featured guest appearances from Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Blues Album category. In 2017, Copeland gave birth to a son
and, deeply inspired by the experience, she shifted direction. She chose to record in Nashville and enlisted producer/guitarist Will Kimbrough, who in turn enlisted guests who included John Prine, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris, Steve Cropper, and more. With guidance from Kimbrough, Copeland dug deep and completed a resonant program of soul, Americana, blues, and country with 2018's "America's Child".
In 2017 she participated in Mahindra Blues Festival, Mumbai. In August 2018, her next album, America's Child, entered the same listing at number 3. The recording won both the 'Album of the Year' and 'Contemporary Album of the Year' titles at the 40th Blues Music Awards in 2019. Kimbrough
returned as producer for 2020's Grammy-nominated "Uncivil War", 12 songs that mixed political and social commentary with more personal themes; guest artists included Jason Isbell, Steve Cropper, and Duane Eddy. In May 2020, Copeland was presented with another Blues Music Award in the 'Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year' category.
She is a goddess of soul music and the new queen of the blues!!!
SOUL TRUTH 2005
Shemekia Copeland – The Soul Truth
Label: Alligator Records – ALCD 4905
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Aug 16, 2005
Genre: Funk / Soul, Blues
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Modern Electric Blues
Label: Alligator Records – ALCD 4905
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Aug 16, 2005
Genre: Funk / Soul, Blues
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Modern Electric Blues
TRACKS
01. Breakin' Out 3:32
Arranged By [Horns], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jim Horn
Bass – David Santos
Drums – Steve Potts
Guitar – Bob Britt, Steve Cropper
Percussion – Tom Roady
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Jim Horn
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Thompson
Trombone – Charles Rose
Trumpet – Steve Patric
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Hahn, Cropper
02. Who Stole My Radio? 3:57
Arranged By [Horns], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jim Horn
Arranged By [Original Horn Arrangement] – Joe Hudson
Backing Vocals – Mark Williams, N'Nandi Bryant
Bass – David Santos
Drums – Steve Potts
Guitar – Bob Britt, Steve Cropper
Keyboards – Chuck Leavell
Percussion – Tom Roady
Soloist, Guitar – Bob Britt
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Thompson
Trombone – Charles Rose
Trumpet – Steve Patric
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Hudson, Hahn
03. Poor, Poor Excuse 3:01
Arranged By [Horns], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jim Horn
Backing Vocals – Lisa Cochran, Mark Williams, N'Nandi Bryant
Bass – David Santos
Drums – Steve Potts
Guitar – Steve Cropper
Organ – Felix Cavaliere
Piano – Eddie Gore
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Jim Horn
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Thompson
Trombone – Charles Rose
Trumpet – Steve Patric
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Hahn, Cropper
04. All About You 4:14
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jim Horn
Arranged By [Horns] – Joe Hudson
Bass – David Santos
Drums – Steve Potts
Guitar – Bob Britt, Steve Cropper
Keyboards – Chuck Leavell
Organ – Felix Cavaliere
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Jim Horn
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Thompson
Trombone – Charles Rose
Trumpet – Steve Patric
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Hudson, Hahn, Copeland
05. Better Not Touch 3:24
Arranged By [Horns], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jim Horn
Backing Vocals – Mark Williams , N'Nandi Bryant
Bass – Shake Anderson
Drums – Chester Thompson
Guitar – Bob Britt, Reggie Wooten, Steve Cropper
Organ – Carl Marsh
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Jim Horn
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Thompson
Trombone – Charles Rose
Trumpet – Steve Patric
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Nicholson, Hahn
06. Strong Enough 5:57
Arranged By [Horns], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jim Horn
Backing Vocals – Lisa Cochran, Mark Williams , N'Nandi Bryant
Bass – Shake Anderson
Drums – Chester Thompson
Guitar – Bob Britt, Steve Cropper
Organ – Felix Cavaliere
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Jim Horn
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Thompson
Trombone – Charles Rose
Trumpet – Steve Patric
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written By – Smith
Written-By – James
07. You Can't Have That 3:49
Backing Vocals – Mark Williams, N'Nandi Bryant, Shemekia Copeland, Tom Hambridge
Bass – Shake Anderson
Drums – Chester Thompson
Guitar – Bob Britt
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Steve Cropper
Keyboards – Chuck Leavell
Tenor Saxophone – Jim Horn
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Anderson, Tom Hambridge
08. Uptown Line 5:53
Bass – John Billings
Drums – Steve Potts
Guitar, Slide Guitar – Bob Britt
Percussion – Tom Roady
Sitar [Electric] – Steve Cropper
Soloist, Guitar – Bob Britt
Synthesizer – Carl Marsh
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written By – King
Written-By – Hahn
09. Givin' Up You 3:25
Arranged By [Horns], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jim Horn
Bass – David Santos
Drums – Steve Potts
Guitar – Steve Cropper
Organ – Eddie Gore
Shaker – Tom Roady
Soloist, Guitar – Steve Cropper
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Thompson
Trombone – Charles Rose
Trumpet – Steve Patric
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Hahn, Cropper
10. Used 3:54
Bass – Shake Anderson
Drums – Chester Thompson
Guitar – Bob Britt
Keyboards – Chuck Leavell
Synthesizer – Carl Marsh
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Vocals [Duet] – Dobie Gray
Written-By – Bramlett, House, Slater
11. Honey Do That Voo-doo 3:11
Bass – Shake Anderson
Bass Saxophone – Jim Horn
Drums – Chester Thompson
Guitar – Bob Britt, Reggie Wooten, Steve Cropper
Organ – Eddie Gore
Percussion – Tom Roady
Soloist, Guitar – Steve Cropper
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Cropper
12. Something Heavy 3:16
Guitar – Steve Cropper
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Hinton
AMERICA'S CHILD 2018
In October 2015, her album Outskirts of Love peaked at number 6 in the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. In 2017 she participated in Mahindra Blues Festival, Mumbai
In August 2018, her next album, America's Child, entered the same listing at number 3. The recording won both the 'Album of the Year' and 'Contemporary Album of the Year' titles at the 40th Blues Music Awards in 2019.
Shemekia Copeland – America's Child
Label: Alligator Records – ALCD 4984
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Aug 3, 2018
Genre: Blues
Style: Modern Electric Blues
Label: Alligator Records – ALCD 4984
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Aug 3, 2018
Genre: Blues
Style: Modern Electric Blues
TRACKS
01. Ain't Got Time For Hate 4:23
Backing Vocals – Emmylou Harris, Gretchen Peters, John Prine, Katie Pruitt, Kristi Stassinopoulou, Mary Gauthier, Tommy Womack
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Written-By – Will Kimbrough
Pedal Steel Guitar – Al Perkins
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – John Hahn
02. Americans 3:53
Backing Vocals – Emmylou Harris, Katie Pruitt
Backing Vocals, Written-By – Mary Gauthier
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Guitar, Organ – Will Kimbrough
Pedal Steel Guitar – Paul Franklin
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – John Hahn
03. Would You Take My Blood? 3:49
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Lead Guitar, Written-By – Will Kimbrough
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – John Hahn
04. Great Rain 4:49
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Guest [Special Guest], Vocals – John Prine
Guitar – Al Perkins
Organ, Lead Guitar – Will Kimbrough
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – John Prine, Michael Campbell
05. Smoked Ham And Peaches 4:37
Banjo [African Banjo] – Rhiannon Giddens
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Steel Guitar [National Guitar] – Will Kimbrough
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – John Hahn, Mary Gauthier
06. The Wrong Idea 4:07
Backing Vocals – Lisa Oliver Gray
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Fiddle – Kenny Sears
Lead Guitar, Organ – Will Kimbrough
Vocals, Backing Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – John Hahn, Kevin Nolan, Matt Nolan, Truman Morrison, Willie Morrison
07. Promised Myself 5:28
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Guitar, Organ – Will Kimbrough
Lead Guitar – Steve Cropper
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Johnny Clyde Copeland
08. In The Blood Of The Blues 4:54
Bass – Lex Price, Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Lead Guitar – Will Kimbrough
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Derrick Procell, Terry Abrahamson
09. Such A Pretty Flame 4:37
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Lead Guitar – Will Kimbrough
Pedal Steel Guitar – Al Perkins
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – John Hahn, Oliver Wood
10. One I Love 2:56
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Harmonica – J.D. Wilkes
Lead Guitar – Will Kimbrough
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Gwil Owen, Kevin Gordon
11. I'm Not Like Everybody Else 4:19
Bass – Lex Price
Drums – Pete Abbott
Lead Guitar – Will Kimbrough
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Ray Davies
12. Go To Sleepy Little Baby 1:56
Lead Guitar – Will Kimbrough
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
Written-By – Traditional
UNCIVIL WAR 2020
Shemekia Copeland – Uncivil War
Label:Alligator Records – ALCD 5001
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Oct 23, 2020
Genre: Blues
Style: Modern Electric Blues
Label:Alligator Records – ALCD 5001
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Oct 23, 2020
Genre: Blues
Style: Modern Electric Blues
TRACKS
01. Clotilda's On Fire 4:26
Written-By – John Hahn, Will Kimbrough
02. Walk Until I Ride 4:13
Written-By – John Hahn, Will Kimbrough
03. Uncivil War 4:46
Written-By – John Hahn, Will Kimbrough
04. Money Makes You Ugly 3:36
Written-By – John Hahn (2), Will Kimbrough
05. Dirty Saint 3:33
Written-By – John Hahn, Will Kimbrough
06. Under My Thumb 3:10
Composed By – Mick Jagger & Keith Richards*
07. Apple Pie And A .45 3:45
Written-By – John Hahn, Will Kimbrough
08. Give God The Blues 3:47
Written-By – Chuck Cannon, Phil Madeira, Shawn Mullins
09. She Don't Wear Pink 3:00
Written-By – John Hahn, Webb Wilder
10. No Heart At All 4:17
Written-By – John Hahn , Tom Hambridge, Will Kimbrough
11. In The Dark 4:27
Written-By – Don Robey, Herman Parker
12. Love Song 3:04
Written-By – Johnny Clyde Copeland
CREDITS
Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Janelle Means (tracks: 2, 4, 9), Lisa Oliver Gray (tracks: 2, 4, 9), Will Kimbrough (tracks: 2)
Backing Vocals, Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – The Orphan Brigade (tracks: 3)
Bass – Lex Price
Booking – Mint Talent Group, Patrick McAuliff
Design [Packaging Design By] – Kevin Niemiec
Dobro – Jerry Douglas (tracks: 3)
Drums – Pete Abbott
Executive-Producer [Executive Producer] – John Hahn
Guitar – Duane Eddy (tracks: 9), Phil Madeira (tracks: 8), Steve Cropper (tracks: 11), Webb Wilder (tracks: 9), Will Kimbrough
Lap Steel Guitar – Jerry Douglas (tracks: 2, 10)
Lead Guitar – Christone "Kingfish" Ingram (tracks: 4), Jason Isbell (tracks: 1)
Management – John Hahn Management
Mandolin – Sam Bush (tracks: 3)
Mastered By – Jim DeMain
Organ – Phil Madeira (tracks: 5)
Organ [Hammond Organ B-3] – Steve Conn (tracks: 3)
Percussion – John Hahn (tracks: 6), Pete Abbott (tracks: 6), Will Kimbrough (tracks: 6)
Photography By [Photos By] – Mike White
Producer [Produced By] – Will Kimbrough
Recorded By – Sean Sullivan
Vocals – Shemekia Copeland
MONEY MAKES YOU UGLY LYRICS
The ice is meltin' and my lawn's on fire
The world 's got a fever gettin higher and higher
Raping mother nature fracking up the earth
Selling off the land for all that it's worth
Just a little blue rock flying through space
Whoever told you that you own this place
Money makes you ugly
Baby that's the truth
Money makes you ugly
You're the livin' proof
One thing in life I know for sure
Money makes you ugly
That's why I'm glad to be poor
We're drinkin' dirty water while you're sippin' champagne
When do you think you'll start to feel ashamed
Your conscience was laid off with all the people you fired
Took back their benefits before they retired
The lap of luxury it must feel nice
But one day you're gonna have to pay the price
Money makes you ugly
Baby that's the truth
Money makes you ugly
You're the livin' proof
One thing in life I know for sure
Money makes you ugly
That's why I'm glad to be poor
You can have the best smile
Money can buy
Botox your lips
Change the color of your eyes
But when judgement day comes
You'll never gonna win
When deep down inside you know you're ugly as sin
Another hurricane is comin'
A whole bunch of quakes
The air just poisoned
Grandma's birthday cake
You turned a pretty garden
Into livin' hell
Like throwing wooden nickels
In a wishing well
It was good while it lasted
Fun there's no doubt
Will the last person leavin'
Please turn the lights out
Money makes you ugly
Baby that's the truth
Money makes you ugly
You're the livin' proof
One thing in life I know for sure
Money makes you ugly
That's why I'm glad to be poor
(Money makes you ugly)
That's why I'm glad to be poor
(Money makes you ugly)
I'm so happy I'm poor
(Money makes you ugly)
MP3 @ 320 Size: 116 MB
Flac Size: 312 MB
The world 's got a fever gettin higher and higher
Raping mother nature fracking up the earth
Selling off the land for all that it's worth
Just a little blue rock flying through space
Whoever told you that you own this place
Money makes you ugly
Baby that's the truth
Money makes you ugly
You're the livin' proof
One thing in life I know for sure
Money makes you ugly
That's why I'm glad to be poor
We're drinkin' dirty water while you're sippin' champagne
When do you think you'll start to feel ashamed
Your conscience was laid off with all the people you fired
Took back their benefits before they retired
The lap of luxury it must feel nice
But one day you're gonna have to pay the price
Money makes you ugly
Baby that's the truth
Money makes you ugly
You're the livin' proof
One thing in life I know for sure
Money makes you ugly
That's why I'm glad to be poor
You can have the best smile
Money can buy
Botox your lips
Change the color of your eyes
But when judgement day comes
You'll never gonna win
When deep down inside you know you're ugly as sin
Another hurricane is comin'
A whole bunch of quakes
The air just poisoned
Grandma's birthday cake
You turned a pretty garden
Into livin' hell
Like throwing wooden nickels
In a wishing well
It was good while it lasted
Fun there's no doubt
Will the last person leavin'
Please turn the lights out
Money makes you ugly
Baby that's the truth
Money makes you ugly
You're the livin' proof
One thing in life I know for sure
Money makes you ugly
That's why I'm glad to be poor
(Money makes you ugly)
That's why I'm glad to be poor
(Money makes you ugly)
I'm so happy I'm poor
(Money makes you ugly)
MP3 @ 320 Size: 116 MB
Flac Size: 312 MB
Wow! She is beautiful and a what a family lineage.
ReplyDeleteShe had me at the song about the devil's excrement slave chains or money.