Shemekia Copeland brings soulful songs to Wolf Trap

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Shemekia Copeland brings soulful songs to Wolf Trap
March 28, 2010
By: Emily Cary
The Examiner

Blues singer Shemekia Copeland used to worry that she would say something others would misconstrue, so she held her tongue. Now at age 30, she feels free to express her opinion about many topics affecting mankind. The proof is in her latest album, "Never Going Back," the focus of her solo show in the Barns at Wolf Trap.

"I'm still finding my way, but my main goal is to speak the truth," she said. "For years I didn't say what was on my mind because of what people might think, but now I have something to say. With age comes great confidence."

The daughter of blues guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland, she grew up in Harlem watching him treat others kindly and constantly expand his musical knowledge, even traveling to Africa to learn from musicians there. She also watched him respond to his own economic problems by writing "Circumstances," one of the numbers on the album.

"He was very intelligent and had incredible insight when he wrote that song," she said. "Even though he was writing about a situation many folks had several decades ago, it resonates today. It's amazing how things never change. Another of his songs that I often sing is 'Ghetto Child.' He wrote it 50 years ago and it still fits."

If you go

Shemekia Copeland

Where: 8 p.m. Sunday (rescheduled from Feb. 11 because of snow)

When: The Barns at Wolf Trap

Info: $22; 703-938-2404; wolftrap.org

Copeland finds songs with meaning wherever she goes. Her current hit, "Never Going Back to Memphis," was nominated in the Song of the Year category, a fitting honor to accompany her nomination for a 2010 Blues Music Award in the Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year category.

Songs on "Never Going Back" reflect her concern about the world around us. She was drawn to "Broken World" after traveling overseas to entertain the troops and to "Big Brand New Religion" by observing the gullibility of people who follow individuals rather than a higher power.

"Things happen in your life that make a difference," she said. "Going to Iraq and Kuwait changed me. The young soldiers I met were fantastic gentlemen. Seeing young people willing to fight for their country made me remember growing up in Harlem and watching too many young people get into trouble and die. If only they could have gone into the service, their lives would have changed. That's why I believe the draft would be a better solution and a help to our young people."

Copeland was part of a small entertainment group that was permitted to visit isolated areas where larger groups could not go. They were flown everywhere in C-130s because travel on land was extremely dangerous. Upon returning home, she became determined to convince others of the importance of doing everything possible to make life better for our service members. It could be as simple as buying a cup of coffee for a soldier in an airport or merely tossing him a smile. She feels certain that the world would move in a better direction if everyone shared one smile a day with a stranger.

" 'Never Going Back' for me means moving forward," she said. "My music is growing and reaching others. A lot of people in blues would rather not see it grow like country and gospel have, but the folks who listen to blues as it was originally sung will be gone in 30 to 40 years and a new generation will be looking for something different.

"That's why I can't wait to see my fans at Wolf Trap and share my music with them. It's like going to visit family because I remember faces and find it overwhelming to look out into the audience and recognize the people who come back time and again to support live music and keep us going."