Shemekia Copeland and Duke Robillard Band at BB Kings

When singing sensation Shemekia Copeland first appeared on the scene in 1997 with her groundbreaking debut CD, TURN THE HEAT UP, she quickly became, at 18 years old, a roots music superstar. Critics from around the country celebrated Shemekia’s music as fans of all ages agreed that an unstoppable new talent had arrived. Shemekia released two more CDs: 2000’s Grammy©-nominated WICKED and 2002’s TALKING TO STRANGERS (produced by Dr. John), and in that short period of time, collected five Blues Music Awards, a Grammy© nomination, five Living Blues Awards, and was honored with the coveted “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” Award by the DownBeat Critics’ Poll. Rock legend Robert Plant called her “the next Tina Turner.” Shemekia has already had a lifetime’s worth of career highlights, including performances on national television, appearances in films, and sharing stages with some of the biggest names in the music world.

Inspired by blues legends like T-Bone Walker, Charlie Patton and Big Joe Turner, Duke Robillard’s guitar work has seamlessly spanned the worlds of jazz, blues, and swing since he founded the renowned big band, Roomful of Blues, in 1967. Duke has recorded twenty acclaimed solo albums and toured the world both with his own band and also as Jimmie Vaughan’s replacement in The Fabulous Thunderbirds. In addition to his own recordings, Duke has played on and/or produced albums by Bob Dylan (1997’s Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind), Ruth Brown, Johnny Adams, Kim Wilson, Jay McShann, Pinetop Perkins, John Hammond, Jimmy Witherspoon, Snooky Pryor and many more. Called “one of the great players” by the legendary B.B. King, Duke is a 4 time winner for Best Guitarist at the Blues Music Awards and his live show is a masterful display of a wide variety of blues styles.