A significant changing of the guard occurred at last year’s Chicago Blues Festival when Koko Taylor’s daughter, Cookie, crowned Shemekia Copeland the new “Queen of the Blues.” It’s an honor richly deserved, as Copeland...

Just try being glum around Mavis Staples. She radiates the kind of joy that can't help but put smiles on those around her, or so it seemed when she spread her brand of message music Friday night.<br /><br />"Message music" ...

Blues singer Shemekia Copeland just turned 30, but based on her giant, lived-in voice, you could be forgiven for mistaking her as twice that age. The daughter of cult guitarist Johnny Copeland, she found a growing audience of blues aficionados after being signed to the traditional blues label Alligator, where she’s released a string of personable records, including 2005’s Dr. John-produced Talking to Strangers and her most recent...