Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is one of the brightest stars in the blues universe. He is a soulful singer, an incendiary guitarist, and one of the top songwriters in the genre. The 27-year-old Mississippi native has been given the honor of curating an event at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. He has assembled the lineup and will perform in Kingfish’s Blues Jam on June 18-20 at the Rose Theater. Singers Valerie June, Shemekia Copeland, Kenny Neal, Sean McDonald, Mathias Lattin, and Dylan Triplett will join local blues veterans Kelton Cooper and Mike Griot from Blues People, Sherman Irby from the JALC orchestra, and a host of others at the jam. Ingram will also perform at the Rock, Ribs, and Ridges Festival at the Sussex County Fairgrounds on June 27 and he’ll be one of the headliners at the Saratoga Jazz Festival on June 28.
Ingram broke some news during our full WBGO YouTube interview. He’s working on three new albums. One will be an acoustic, traditional blues record. One will be a gospel album to honor his late mother. Another will be an electric and eclectic Kingfish blues record that fans have come to expect. He is also motivated to help other young artists succeed. His new label, Red Zero Records, has signed Triplett and Lattin to recording contracts. Red Zero is a reference to two of the foundational blues clubs in Ingram’s hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi where he cut his teeth: Red’s Lounge and Ground Zero Blues Club. His longtime manager, Ric Whitney, is his partner in the company. Ingram’s first release on the label was his album Hard Road, a career highlight that showcases his skills across many styles of blues, rock, soul, funk, and R & B. The prodigy continues to expand his musical horizons and challenge his audience. It’s always exciting to follow his progress.
