At a recent Chicago Blues Festival, following the passing of Koko Taylor, Shemekia Copeland was proclaimed the new “Queen of the Blues.” With her passion and energy that she gives forth with every performance, there can be no question that she well deserves the title.

Born as a legacy of the blues, the daughter of the late guitarist Johnny Copeland, Shemekia found herself gracing stages at a young age with her father. She learned her skills by a baptism of fire on these stages and she learned quite well as she has been graced with many awards over the years, including Blues Music Award and Grammy nominations. There is a lot of power with her vocals that come from deep within her, one listen and she will make you a believer as well.

Shemekia Copeland is currently touring on the merits of her latest CD, 33 1/3 and will be returning to Portland for a night at Jimmy Mak’s (221 NW 10th) on Friday, May 3rd for an 8:00 pm show. Tickets are $18 for advance reserved seating and $15 general admission. Tickets can be purchased www.tickettomato.com.