Star blues singer Shemekia Copeland to perform in Mumbai on February 14

Vocalist Shemekia Copeland, daughter of guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland, will make her third appearance at the annual Mahindra Blues Festival (MBF). The festival will be held on February 14 and 15 at Mehboob Studios, Mumbai. She first came for the inaugural edition in 2011, along with the legendary Buddy Guy, the young Jonny Lang and British guitarist Matt Schofield. She was back again in 2017, when the line-up included the veteran Billy Gibbons of the band ZZ Top, who played with the trio California Blues Machine, and young prodigy Quinn Sullivan.

Also returning to the event are Schofield and American guitarist Eric Gales. The line-up includes the Milwaukee, US, group Altered Five Blues Band, Louisiana musician D.K. Harrell, who makes his MBF debut, and Indian act Blackstratblues, the brainchild of guitarist Warren Mendonsa. Bengaluru-based Grace ’n’ the Cliches, winners of this year’s Mahindra Blues Hunt, will also perform.

Shemekia is “excited to be back. The earlier experiences were incredible. India is like no place in the world. This festival is like a vacation, combined with a party.”

Recalling her previous experience, she adds: “I went into town every day, had lunch at the Khyber restaurant, tea at the Taj Mahal hotel, and shopped. I also visited Mumbadevi Temple. This time, I would like to start breakfast every day with a nice, tasty dosa. Later on, some pomfret.”

According to Shemekia, festivals such as MBF help amplify the blues and introduce audiences to the music, specially in regions outside the US and Europe. Born and raised in Harlem, New York, in 1979, the blues have been a part of Shemekia’s life. “My father always played the blues and wrote songs in our house. It was fun when his musician friends come over. My favourite singers were Koko Taylor, Otis Redding and O.V. Wright. Thanks to my father, I was also introduced to rhythm ’n’ blues and soul; and we heard a lot of Sam Cooke while in the car.”

Among the younger blues artistes, Shemekia mentions 26-year-old blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Ally Venable as her favourite. Though she’s grown up on blues and soul, Shemekia also listens to other genres. She then talks of her encounters with the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, who passed away on January 10 and shares: “Bobby was really sweet, low-key and humble. He was cool. I first met him in an elevator because we were staying in the same hotel. At first, I was shy about meeting him but he made me feel comfortable. Fortunately I was on stage with him later and we were able to laugh about it.”

Shemekia first stepped on the stage with her father at New York’s Cotton Club when she was eight. She released her debut Turn The Heat Up in 1998 when she was 18, and instantly became a blues and R&B force to be reckoned with. She has won nine Blues Music Awards and five Blues Blast Music Awards. Her last album Blame It On Eve was released in 2024, and received three Grammy nominations for Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song and Best Contemporary Blues Album. She says, “What thrilled me and my team was that we were nominated not only for blues but also in the roots categories.”

Blame It On Eve was recorded in Nashville and produced by instrumentalist-songwriter Will Kimbrough, who also produced her previous three albums. It features 12 new songs that tackle subjects such as a woman’s right to choose, climate change and separation. But it also has its fun songs like ‘Wine O’ Clock’, her father’s tune ‘Down On Bended Knee’ and the Stevie Wonder-popularised ‘Heaven Help Us’.

Shemekia feels blues songs have changed in content since she forayed into the field in the late 1990s and elaborates, “Blues had to evolve to stay contemporary. Today, the lyrics are less about the old days and love affairs gone wrong and more about today’s issues — women’s problems, gun violence and crooked politicians.”