The queen sings the blues

"The world in many ways seems to be getting meaner," says Shemekia Copeland, feminist singer, also known as the 'Queen of the Blues'. "The poor get poorer. People turn their backs on orphans and refugees. And, of course, corporations continue to destroy mother earth," adds the three-time Grammy nominee as she gets ready to perform at the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai on Sunday. The ongoing festival is already rockin' with Supersonic Blues Machine starring Billy F. Gibbons and Eric Gales, Quinn Sullivan, Janiva Magness and Indian artistes Warren Mendonsa with his Blackstratblues.

Copeland, the daughter of renowned Texas blues guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland, has eight albums to her credit, and has crooned with the likes of Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, BB King, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger and is influenced by the greats.

Copeland's vocals are strong and booming, yet subtle, soulful and even sultry. The artiste, who makes no bones of her overt concern with politics and views her performance before the Obamas at the White House as an unforgettable experience, grew up on a steady diet of blues, gospel and country in a Harlem ghetto.

Daddy's girl

It's what prompted her father to pen Ghetto Child, a song she still performs. Proud of her roots, she was groomed into the blues by her father who toured despite his degenerative heart diagnosis just so the 16-year-old could open shows for him and get noticed.

It was the right backing for Copeland, who took a long time to gain confidence and realise her voice was extraordinary. The father-daughter, she says, also enjoyed jamming to, "believe it or not, Hank Williams' songs like I'm So Lonesome".

Copeland sings one of his songs on every album and her songwriter, John Mahn, even wrote Beat Up Guitar about him. Copeland and husband Orlando J Wright — bass player with Buddy Guy — have named their baby Johnny Lee, after her father. Mahn, a friend of her father's, who she's known for 30 years and speaks to everyday. "He knows what concerns me and writes about it."

While she felt a little pressure inheriting the blues from her father because "he was such an awesome talent", his advice to her has stuck on: "Never read your reviews. If they're bad, they bring you down. If they're good, they give you a big head."

Also looking out for her were blues biggies, friends of her father, like Buddy Guy, BB King and Koko Taylor. "They all told me I had to be patient. That it takes a lot of time."

In 1998, when she was 18, Copeland debuted with a CD, Turn The Heat Up and there's been no looking back since. "She's incandescent…a diamond," said Santana. "She roars with a sizzling hot intensity," The Boston Globe remarked. That intensity has gotten subtle over time after her contact with producer Oliver Wood. "Oliver taught me that I didn't always have to sing with a lot of vocal power. He taught me less is more. That it was more effective when used sparingly."

Feminist, fearless

Copeland empathises with wronged women in her 2016 album Outskirts of Love, her third Grammy nominee. I Feel a Sin Coming On talks about a cheater, Drivin' Out Of Nashville is about molestation and Crossbone Beach about date-rape. Taylor's feminist songs, like I'm a woman, perhaps influenced the above, fiercely woman-centric pieces; Copeland is particularly proud of Ain't Gonna be your Tattoo, which she says is film noir, laced with pessimism and menace: Just what I said wrong is anybody's guess, The bruise on my face was as blue as my dress... Ain't gonna be your tattoo, End up faded and blue....

"It does a great job of describing a woman who is physically abused in a concerned, non lecturing way. And Buddy Guy's guitar is incredible," says the blues feminist, listing her mother along with former US First Lady Michelle Obama and singer Koko Taylor, who was originally called Queen of the Blues as role models "because they're smart, beautiful and strong women". In fact, Taylor looked out for Copeland over concerns that she might get waylaid by drugs and booze. And it was Taylor's daughter, Cookie, who passed on her mother's crown and title – Queen of the Blues to Copeland at the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, two years after Taylor's death.

Being constantly on the road exposes her to diverse music genres, says Copeland. So what does she have on the cards for India — her second visit to the country? "The food!!!! (sic) Shopping in Colaba and meeting lots of fans."