PORTSMOUTH, NH – The world of modern blues has a lot of talented folks within it, and for the casual fan, they’re mostly in tune with the guitar savants when it comes to that particular scene. While it’s part of the foundation, there’s a lot more than six strings when it comes to the blues, and one of those aspects is the ability to sing your heart out and connect with whoever is listening on a genuine level. For the past 30 years, Shemekia Copeland has been doing exactly that while garnering numerous awards and acclaim for her talents. On April 19, people in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas will get to experience this when she takes the stage at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club. There will be two chances for anyone who decides to attend with the early show happening at 7 p.m. and a later one taking place at 9:30 p.m.
We had a talk ahead of her performances about starting in music at a young age, recently being part of a unique collaboration, and how she loves the New England region.
Rob Duguay: You’re the daughter of Texas blues guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland and you were born in Harlem, so how would you describe your upbringing through a musical family? Were you listening to records with your father at a very young age?
Shemekia Copeland: Oh gosh, it was a lot of fun. Not only did we listen to music often, my dad was always playing guitar around the house. He was always writing and creating music, so that was nice, and then there were musicians coming through all the time, so that was also very cool. Growing up that way was pretty awesome. As you said, during that time I lived in Harlem, and there were mostly black people living there during that time. The only white people who came to Harlem were coming to my house (laughs) because there were musicians from all over that came and it was really wonderful.
RD: You’ve been singing in front of audiences since you were a kid, and it’s not an easy thing to do. The average person might feel a sense of stage fright or nervousness while getting up to perform in front of hundreds or thousands of people, so for yourself, has it always been something that’s come natural to you to get up on stage with a band and sing in that environment?
SC: Well, it’s been sort of an evolution. You have insecurities, and I started out as a kid, so when I started performing, I was absolutely nervous and there was nothing natural about it. For me, it’s my favorite part now, being on the stage, and that’s just because I know who I am. As a kid, you don’t know, and now, I’m a grown woman so it makes it a lot easier getting up there knowing who you are, knowing what your purpose is, and knowing exactly what it is that you want to say versus crawling into that. I started out really nervous, and as time went by, it got better, and it got better over time.
RD: I get that. Last year, you got to be part of a very unique record curated by Joe Bonamassa called “B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100,” which celebrated the music and the legacy of the blues legend. You got to be part of a rendition of the song “When Love Comes To Town” with Slash, Myles Kennedy, and Joe, so what was it like being part of this project?
SC: I was really excited when Joe called me about it because we both spent a lot of time out on tour with B.B. while getting to really know him well, so I was really excited to do it for that reason.
RD: I’ve always enjoyed the original version of “When Love Comes To Town” that B.B. King did with U2, and I think you all did a great rendition of it. ‘
SC: Thank you.
RD: No problem. You have this show coming up at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, so what are your thoughts going into it? When it comes to performing in New England, are there any differences for you due to being from New York?
SC: It’s my favorite. I’ve been going to perform in the New England area since I was a kid from Rhode Island up to Maine and New Hampshire. I’ve spent a lot of time there and a lot of the fans have been seeing me since very early on when I was 15 years old and performing with my dad, so it’s much like coming home. I really love that.
RD: Going into the summer, what are your plans in terms of recordings or future projects? Do you plan on performing the festival circuit and seeing where it goes from there?
SC: I’ve been thinking about recording another project, but I’ve been taking my time. I’ll probably start working on another record in the fall, and for shows, I have a lot of cool things coming up this summer that I’m looking forward to. After this East Coast tour, I’m going to be doing a little West Coast run, and then I’ll be heading to France, so there’s a lot to look forward to.