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Samantha Fish: Blues Alchemist

Samantha Fish
Doug Hardesty
Samantha Fish

Samantha Fish has won almost every major blues award. In 2024, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for her collaboration with Jesse Dayton. She has opened for The Rolling Stones and headlined major festivals. Her recently released album Paper Doll takes the next step in terms of her singing, songwriting, and guitar playing.

Samantha Fish's latest album Paper Doll
courtesy of the artist
Samantha Fish's latest album Paper Doll

During a private June TV show taping for PBS at Iridium in New York, Fish played many of the songs from the new record to great response. Her guitar playing was absolutely incendiary. It’s no surprise that she was selected to play on the recent Experience Hendrix tour and to team up with another young blues ace Christone “Kingfish” Ingram for a series of dates. The “blind ambition” that she sings about in Paper Doll standout “Sweet Southern Sounds” continues to take her to places few blues players have gone.

Samatha Fish at Iridium in NYC
Dave Popkin
Samatha Fish at Iridium in NYC

Samantha is an equal opportunity shredder, switching guitars almost every song from Fender to various Gibsons to a vintage cigar box guitar that she has championed over the years. Off-stage, Fish was lovely, cool, and forthcoming. On-stage, she was friendly, but ferocious. Her backing band is solid, but there’s no question who’s the star of the show. She has a voice that would turn the head of any soul or gospel afficionado.

Samantha Fish
courtesy of the artist
Samantha Fish

Fish comes from a musical family and ideal musical geography, having grown up in Kansas City and living in New Orleans, two major birthplaces of jazz and the blues. One of her strengths is her depth of blues knowledge, experience, and diversity. One song can have her rocking out hard in a hybrid blues metal style and the next she may be playing fuzzed out North Mississippi Hill Country Blues and then a slinky Amy Winehouse-esque horn-drenched ballad. A perpetual stand-out in her live set (that was played at Iridium as well) is a steamy, searing version of the 1956 “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins’ classic “I Put a Spell on You”. Samantha Fish is a force to be reckoned with. She continues to build a worldwide audience due to her special musical talents, femme fatale style, personality, and indefatigable work ethic.

Samantha Fish
courtesy of the artist
Samantha Fish

As part of her current national tour, Fish will headline the free Morristown Jazz and Blues Festival on August 16, with a strong lineup that includes local stars Blues People and King Solomon Hicks.

Samantha Fish “Lose You”:

Samantha Fish “Sweet Southern Sounds”:

Samantha Fish “Chills & Fever”:

Samantha Fish “I Put a Spell on You”:

Dave Popkin is a WBGO News/Music contributor, veteran sportscaster, educator and musician