Spotlight On: SHEMEKIA COPELAND

ABOUT THIS WEEK’S SHERO IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

It's hard to name a genre and musical form of American music more foundational than the blues. It’s a form and sound that originated in the deep south in the late 1800s, and found mainstream popularity by the 1920s. It was mostly known as a vocal form, and it’s important to note here that the first blues recordings were made by women, beginning with Mamie Smith. So while she was born into the musical legacy of her father, Texas blues guitarist and singer Johnny Copeland, Shemekia Copeland is part of an even older and vitally important lineage of SHEROES of the blues. Born in Harlem in 1979, Shemekia began singing at an early age, and was performing by the time she was a teenager, opening for her father in the blues circuit. At eighteen, she landed a record deal with Alligator Records and her debut Turn The Heat Up! was released the following year. Now nearly twenty-five years and eleven albums into her career, this multi-award winning and four time GRAMMY nominee, and radio host, is back with the third in a trilogy of powerfully outspoken albums, following America's Child and Uncivil War, with Done Come Too Far. It's an honor to welcome Shemekia Copeland as this week’s SHERO In The Spotlight.

Our playlist includes new music from the LA based rockers Momma, plus a tribute to the late great Loretta Lynn who we just lost on 10/4 at the age of 90.

SHERO BIRTHDAYS: We celebrate the SHERO birthdays of PJ Harvey on 10/9, and Tanya Tucker on 10/10. Plus, two hip hop SHEROES, Cardi B. and MC Lyte, share a birthday on 10/11.

This week’s Radio SHERO:  Jet from 88.5 SoCal in Los Angeles joins us, sharing a song in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s “Un Dia Punk” from Argentine musician Juana Molina.