At just 23 years of age, budding blues guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has recorded with Buddy Guy and Keb Mo, performed alongside Jason Isbell and Samantha Fish, and released two well-received albums on Alligator Records. The latest of those albums, last year’s 662, earned the axe-wielding wunderkind a Grammy nomination. Kingfish has already accomplished so much at a very young age, but it seems like even better things are on the horizon for the guitar virtuoso and captivating crooner.
On a recent day off during his “662 Juke Joint Live” tour, Kingfish spoke with My First Band host Tyler Maas about being back on the road again, how it feels to be up for another Grammy, and what’s ahead for him in terms of shows and new material. Over the course of the conversation, Kingfish talked about growing up in Northern Mississippi and being drawn to blues as a kid, sitting in with bands as a teenager, striking out on his own as an adult, some of his favorite experiences music has brought him so far, and goals he has for the years to come.
My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”) and Kingfish (“Long Distance Woman”).