Queens of the Blues: Shemekia Copeland and Dawn Tyler Watson

Shemekia Copeland and Dawn Tyler Watson have energized the music world like few others, shaking up the blues with unmatched powerhouse vocals and soulful songwriting. Copeland, the daughter of Blues legend Johnny Copeland, has performed with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, and has even shared a bill with The Rolling Stones. She’s been hailed as “the greatest blues singer of her generation” by The Washington Post, with a voice that “can summon pain with a sorrowful wail, then trumpet her triumph over a no-good man in the very next number.” Watson is “one of Canada’s true blues treasures” (Blues Music Magazine) who, after five Maple Blues Award wins, won her first JUNO Award for Blues Album of the Year in 2020. 

Together, their countless accolades include Blues Music Awards for Entertainer of the Year and Vocalist of the Year, respectively, with Watson also laying claim to the top spot at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2017. Their showstopping performance comes during Black History Month, to celebrate a genre pioneered by the Black community. Don’t miss your opportunity to see these living legends, live in the incomparable Jack Singer Concert Hall with Arts Commons Presents.

Pre-Show: Chenelle Roberts