Kingfish Ingram serving up some Fish Grease
Delta blues artist played for Michele Obama at age 15
From the Mississippi Delta, which has produced so many of the Delta blues masters, comes Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, a 20-year-old already praised by Buddy Guy as “the next explosion of the blues.”
With the release of his debut CD “Kingfish” in May, the young blues sensation is heading out on his first headlining tour this month. One of his first stops will be in Songbirds Guitar Museum on Friday night, Aug. 9.
“Fish Grease: A Juke Joint Tour” will run through the end of November, and includes 13 shows Aug. 16-Sept. 8 opening for Grammy Award-winning rockers Vampire Weekend.
“I’ve been fortunate to play live dates since I was young, but the opportunity to headline my first tour in some fantastic venues across the country is a dream come true,” Ingram said in a news release.
“Kingfish” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues and Heatseekers charts and continues to receive regular airplay on radio stations.
Born to a musical family — his cousin is Charlie Pride — Ingram fell in love with music as a child, first playing drums and then bass. At age 11, he got his first guitar and quickly mastered it, soaking up music from B.B. King to Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix to Prince — but all the while developing his own sound and style.
He played his first gig at age 11 at Clarksdale, Mississippi’s Ground Zero Club. He performed at the White House for Michelle Obama in 2014 as part of a delegation of student musicians from the Delta Blues Museum. By age 16, he was turning heads and winning awards, including the 2015 Rising Star Award presented by The Rhythm & Blues Foundation.
Steeped in the rich, vivid history of the blues, Ingram is driven by a desire to create contemporary blues music that speaks to his generation and beyond. Although inspired by the music of Robert Johnson, he dreams of one day collaborating with Kendrick Lamar and soul-funk bassist Thundercat.
“My core is blues,” he says, “but it’s important for me to create a sound and style that is uniquely my own. I have a lot to say, so please stay tuned.”