Described by blues-rock titan and mentor Buddy Guy as “the next explosion of the blues,” 25-year-old Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has wowed fans and critics alike with his incendiary guitar playing, velvety smooth vocals and expressive songwriting — a veritable triple threat.
“Kingfish,” his debut album from 2019, topped the Billboard Blues Chart and was nominated for a Grammy. “662,” his follow-up album, took home the Grammy for best modern blues record.
The album “Live In London,” which was released the previous year and was nominated for a Grammy, perfectly captures the raw power of Kingfish and his band as they transition from blues barnstormers to acoustic Delta blues.
Kingfish has performed for enthusiastic crowds all over the world, including those in Australia, Japan, and the United States. He has contributed to pulling contemporary blues from the periphery along the road. Although his music is unique, it is influenced by Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Guy, Albert King, and B.B. King. According to Kingfish, “I’ve been called something of a natural player, and that’s exactly what it is.” “I simply let it happen.”
Kingfish is from a family of singers and musicians and was born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta—many people consider this to be the birthplace of the blues. He started taking classes at the adjacent Delta Blues Museum when he was 8 years old. It was there that Kingfish not only learnt the blues but also its history. Kingfish, a character from “The Amos ‘n Andy Show,” was the nickname given to him by one of his teachers.
As part of a student delegation of musicians from the Delta Blues Museum, the wunderkind gave a performance for then-First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House when she was fourteen years old. He traveled both domestically and overseas while still in high school.
