Ravinia 2019, Issue 1, Week 2

I’ve always been conscious of what I put out into the universe, [ but today ] it’s become even more important to be bold in the statements I make. “ America’s Child includes “Promised Myself,” which appeared on his 1992 album, Flyin’ High . “I didn’t want to do that song,” she says with a chuckle. “That was ‘forced’ [on me]. I always loved it and said I would do it, but I never had the courage.” Copeland has recorded seven crit- ically acclaimed albums for Alligator Records, the same local label with which her father cut his 1995 Grammy-win- ning collaboration with Albert Collins and Robert Cray, Showdown! , and she has won multiple Blues Music Awards, including Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist. At the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, Koko Taylor’s daughter surprised her with a crown, proclaiming her as “The New Queen of the Blues.” But most telling, in addition to having performed with her father, Copeland has played with several other iconic musicians over the decades. Thinking back on sitting in with B.B. King, she says, “I adored the man for his talent; he was also such a gentleman, incredibly kind and helpful to me in my career. I want to represent this music the way he used to.” There was also Mick Jagger, whom she describes as a “viva- cious and also very classy guy. He has managed to keep a rock and roll band to- gether for over 60 years—that’s amazing. I have a lot of respect for him.” And she has remained connected to Robert Cray: “I am going out on the road with him in June. He’s one of my favorite artists; he’s like the Nat King Cole of the blues.” Copeland also performed in the Barack Obama White House and got some treasured face time with the pres- ident and First Lady Michelle Obama. She is emphatic when asked if she would perform for the current president: “God, no. I’d rather run through a fire with gasoline drawers on.” In 2017, Chicago Tribune critic How- ard Reich, a longtime champion of Cope- land, called her “unrivaled as the greatest female blues singer under age 40.” Last April, she turned the big 4-0, but she professes to be unfazed by the milestone. “It doesn’t bother me at all,” she says defiantly. “You only get better with age. I started when I was a kid. Needless to say, at any age you have insecurities, but for me, I’ve gotten more and more com- fortable with who I am as the decades have gone by, and so for me the stage has become a wonderful place to be.” Donald Liebenson is a Chicago-based entertainment writer. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune , Chicago Sun-Times , Los Angeles Times , and on RogerEbert.com. The first Ravinia concert he attended without his parents was Procol Harum in 1970. MAY 31, 2019 – JUNE 16, 2019 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE 21