THIS FRIDAY (6/20) ǀ Shemekia Copeland

It truly takes a special type of person to be able to sing the blues; one who has endured the personal strife in life and can translate their soul into a melodic outcry for change. Shemekia Copeland uncovered that vocal soul as her father, late blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, suffered health problems in her teenage years. However, still young in her thirties, Copeland has been a familiar face to those who follow the blues genre—already a two-time GRAMMY® nominee.

Growing up within the everyday sounds of city life in Harlem, Copeland has been fortunate enough to take her roots to the stage with artists like Buddy Guy, BB King, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. Her deep passion for singing and powerful voice have matched the largest stages across the globe, headlining the Chicago Blues Festival, opening for the Rolling Stones and performing for Illinois native President Barack Obama and the First Lady, where she was officially deemed “Queen of the Blues” by the State.

The evening will open with blues royalty, Teeny Tucker, daughter of Tommy Tucker (1964 classic “High-Heel Sneakers”). Tucker has become renowned for creating ‘crowd frenzy’ with her high-energy world class package on stage and has been invited to do so on bills with artists such as BB King, KoKo Taylor, Etta James, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Keb Mo, and many others. Having played major blues festivals all over the world, we are thrilled to host Shemekia Copeland and special guest Teeny Tucker at the Bicentennial Park Performing Arts Pavilion for a night of music, food, drinks and fun!

EVENING SCHEDULE:
6:30 p.m. – Food and beverage sales begin
7:30 p.m. – Live music begins

ARTIST WEBSITES:
http://www.shemekiacopeland.com/
http://www.teenytucker.com/