The daughter of blues guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland, she began to pursue a singing career in earnest at age 16, when her father's health began to decline; he took Shemekia on tour as his opening act, which helped establish her name on the blues circuit.
She landed a record deal with Alligator, which issued her debut album "Turn the Heat Up!" in 1998. The record was met with enthusiastic reviews, and she toured the blues festival circuit in America and Europe. Her second album, "Wicked", was released in 2000 and featured a duet with one of her heroes, early R&B diva Ruth Brown. It earned her three W.C. Handy Blues Awards.
The follow-up record, "Talking to Strangers", was produced by Dr. John, and in 2005 she released "The Soul Truth", produced by Steve Cropper.
See also:
Official Website
Artist Biography by Steve Huey
Turn the Heat Up!
The daughter of renowned Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, Shemekia Copeland began making a splash in her own right before she was even out of her teens. Projecting a maturity beyond her years, Copeland fashioned herself as a powerful, soul-inflected shouter in the tradition of Koko Taylor and Etta James, yet also proved capable of a subtler range of emotions. Copeland was born in Harlem in 1979 and her father encouraged her to sing right from the beginning, even bringing her up on-stage at the Cotton Club when she was just eight years old. She began to pursue a singing career in earnest at age 16, when her father's health began to decline due to heart disease; he took Shemekia on tour with him as his opening act, which helped establish her name on the blues circuit. She landed a record deal with Alligator, which issued her debut album, Turn the Heat Up!, in 1998, when she was just 19 years old (sadly, her father didn't live to see the occasion).
Wicked
While the influences on Copeland's style were crystal clear, the record was met with enthusiastic reviews praising its energy and passion. Marked as a hot young newcomer to watch, Copeland toured the blues festival circuit in America and Europe, and landed a fair amount of publicity. Her second album, Wicked, was released in 2000 and featured a duet with one of her heroes, early R&B diva Ruth Brown. Wicked earned Copeland a slew of W.C. Handy Blues Award nominations and she walked off with three: Song of the Year, Blues Album of the Year, and Contemporary Female Artist of the Year. The follow-up record, Talking to Strangers, was produced by legendary pianist Dr. John and featured songs that she proudly claimed were her best yet. The Soul Truth, produced by Steve Cropper, was released by Alligator Records in 2005. Never Going Back followed in 2009 from Telarc Blues, and was produced by the Wood Brothers' Oliver Wood. 33 1/3 appeared in 2012, and was again produced by Wood and issued by Telarc
Black Crow
Shemekia Copeland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's black as the highway that's leading me
Now he's diving down to pick up on something shiny
I feel like that black crow flying in a blue sky
I took a ferry to the highway then I drove to a pontoon plane
I took a plane to a taxi and a taxi to a train, I've been traveling so long
How am I ever gonna know my home when I see it again?
In search of love and music my whole life has been
Illumination, corruption and diving, diving, diving, diving
Diving down to pick up on every shiny thing
Just like that black crow flying in a blue sky
I looked at the morning after being up all night
I looked at my haggard face in the bathroom light
I looked out the window and I, I saw that ragged soul take flight
I saw a back crow flying in a blue sky
Oh I'm like a black crow flying in a blue sky
The song "Black Crow" by Shemekia Copeland talks about the feeling of being lost and searching for something in life. The black crow serves as a metaphor for the singer who is looking for a sense of direction, much like the crow that flies tree to tree looking for something shiny to pick up.
The first stanza talks about the crow flying "dark and ragged" and the singer feeling a connection to the bird as they both move through the blue sky. The second stanza describes the singer's journey in search of her home and the longing she feels to find a place to belong. She compares herself to the crow, always searching for something that she is never quite able to find.
The third stanza explores the singer's search for love and music in her life, and the challenges she has faced along the way. The metaphor of the diving crow is used again to illustrate her desire to pick up on every shiny thing that catches her eye, even if it leads her down a path of corruption or disillusionment.
The final stanza describes the moment when the singer realizes that she is like the black crow flying in the blue sky, always searching for something just out of reach. The lyrics convey a sense of restlessness and longing, as the singer yearns for a sense of purpose and belonging in her life.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a crow flying, dark and ragged, tree to tree
A dark and scruffy crow is flying from one tree to another.
He's black as the highway that's leading me
The crow is as black as the road I'm traveling on.
Now he's diving down to pick up on something shiny
The crow is swooping down to get something shiny that caught his eye.
I feel like that black crow flying in a blue sky
I can relate to the crow who's flying carelessly in the blue sky.
I took a ferry to the highway then I drove to a pontoon plane
I took different modes of transportation including a ferry, highway, plane, taxi, and train.
I took a plane to a taxi and a taxi to a train, I've been traveling so long
I have been traveling for so long, switching between different modes of transportation.
How am I ever gonna know my home when I see it again?
I feel lost and uncertain of recognizing my home when I come back.
I'm like a black crow flying in a blue, blue sky
I feel like I'm flying aimlessly in the blue sky like the black crow.
In search of love and music my whole life has been
I have spent my entire life searching for love and music.
Illumination, corruption and diving, diving, diving, diving
My life has been filled with moments of clarity, corruption, diving in headfirst, and exploring everything to the fullest extent.
Diving down to pick up on every shiny thing
I am eager to grab onto every opportunity that comes my way.
Just like that black crow flying in a blue sky
I can relate to the black crow's behavior of collecting anything and everything.
I looked at the morning after being up all night
I examined my appearance after staying up all night.
I looked at my haggard face in the bathroom light
I saw my tired and overworked face in the harsh bathroom light.
I looked out the window and I, I saw that ragged soul take flight
When I looked out the window, I saw the scruffy crow taking off in the sky.
I saw a back crow flying in a blue sky
I saw a black crow flying in the blue sky as I watched from a distance.
Oh I'm like a black crow flying in a blue sky
I can identify with the black crow's behavior of wandering aimlessly in the vast blue sky.
Lyrics © Crazy Crow Music / Siquomb Music Publishing
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
OL8Twho
It's called jazz people. She is awesome and so is Joni Mitchell.
sherry gypsy S
sorry to say but she murders this song