Kingfish Widens His View Beyond the Blues

At age 26, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is a major figure in the blues world. Yet he’s a relative newcomer to the music industry, having signed his first recording contract in 2019. But in the short span of six years, Ingram has racked up five Blues Music Awards, four Living Blues Awards, three Grammy nominations (and one win) and other honors. With a new label, a new album, an ambitious new direction and a tour that takes him across the U.S. and throughout Europe, he’s just getting started.

Ingram’s musical journey began in 2005, when the then-six-year-old Clarksdale, Mississippi native started guitar lessons from teachers at the Delta Blues Museum. By age 15, he was a member of the museum’s band, performing at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama. Signing with prestigious blues label Alligator Records, Ingram released his debut album, Kingfish, in 2019. The album soared to the number one spot on two of Billboard’s charts, earned positive critical notices, and earned Ingram a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional Blues Album category.

His 2021 release, 662 won a Grammy in a different category, Best Contemporary Blues Album. In part, that win recognized Ingram’s subtle shift away from a blues purist perspective and toward development of his own signature style. In short, while Ingram remains heavily influenced by B.B. King, he doesn’t always sound like him, nor does he feel the need to do so. In keeping with that adjusted perspective, 2023’s Live in London earned him an additional nomination in that Contemporary category.

After Live in London’s release, Ingram left Alligator, launching a new label co-run with his manager Ric Whitney. He explains that Red Zero Records is about more than autonomy. “At this point in my career, I’ve had a lot of success,” he acknowledges. “But in the blues, there are a lot of artists – young and old – who haven’t gotten a good shot.” He says that part of Red Zero’s mission will be to sign some of those musicians to the label and “give deserving artists that shot.”

Meanwhile, Ingram’s Hard Road will be the new label’s inaugural release. And with his third studio album, Ingram looks to be aiming to have it both ways. Set for release September 26, the album is being previewed through the release of two singles, each with distinctive character. “Voodoo Charm” is very much steeped in the blues tradition, with a subtle flourish or two nodding in the direction of Jimi Hendrix’s similarly-titled “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).”

“I’m always thinking about my fans,” Ingram says with a smile. “And I didn’t want to shock them with the first [new] song.” Emphasizing that he’ll always remain blues- and rock-based, he says that with “Voodoo Charm” he wanted to give listeners “a little familiarity.”

But once listeners are hooked with the searing and soulful blues track, Ingram has something else in store for them. “Bad Like Me” has a modern funk feel with a deep, heavy groove. It’s the sort of track that would appeal to fans of Lenny Kravitz. Hearing only that song, listeners new to his work might not even identify Ingram as a blues artist. Yet the songwriting values and guitar fireworks that have characterized his work to date are still very much in evidence.

Hard Road also showcases the work of a more confident, assured, versatile and skilled vocalist. Ingram says that working with producer, musician and co-songwriter Tom Hambridge on the first two studio albums, he “was able to learn about using my vocal range.” And for the new album – co-produced with Whitney – he made a point of writing songs that would allow him to showcase that range.

Ingram credits people he trusts giving him advice on techniques to control his breathing, but says that his vocal skills displayed on Hard Road are mainly the product of singing night after night onstage. For example, he says that while he has long had the ability to sing falsetto, “I [used to be] scared to do that in public. But now I’m comfortable enough.”

His increased vocal confidence is about more than hard work and practice. Some of it, Ingram believes, comes about through being honest with oneself. “Some things I used to sing about, I just wasn’t feeling it,” he admits. “Because I had no place to channel [inspiration] from. But when you can really feel what you’re singing about, that plays a big part.”

Ingram learned important lessons from the blues, and even as his style broadens, he holds those values dear. And in keeping with the blues tradition, he aims to write lyrics from experience. “Even though the Most High has blessed me tremendously, there are still hardships,” he says. “Friendships, relationships, people trying to use you or not having your best interest [in mind].” All of that feeds into his songwriting. “The blues is pretty much spewing out your feelings,” he says.

Yet sometimes those feelings are playful and upbeat, and they influence both the lyrical tone and the sound of Kingfish’s guitar. “On the new song ‘S.S.S.’ [‘She’s So Sexy’] I go straight for the wah-wah [pedal],” he explains with a grin. “Because that’s what I was hearing in my head. I’m [expressing] my appreciation for this good looking woman, so the guitar solo has that same attitude: passionate, really into it.”

Life on the road can be wearying for a musician of any age. But Christone “Kingfish” Ingram laughs it off, emphasizing that he’s looking forward to the tour, and to returning to Asheville. “It beats being at home for two or three years because of a pandemic,” he says. “So you can’t get no complaints from me.”