Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Walks the ‘Hard Road’
photo: Jen Rosenstein
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Christone “Kingfish” Ingram doesn’t get too hung up on the titles that people assign to him, no matter how well-intentioned or laudatory they may be.
In his case this could be easily become a distraction, given the number of times that others have dubbed him the “Future of the Blues.” The dynamic guitarist first heard this descriptor as a teenager, a few years prior to the release of his Grammy-nominated debut album Kingfish, which Alligator Records issued in 2019, shortly after he turned 20.
Still, the soft-spoken Ingram takes it all in stride. As he notes, “At some point early on, and certainly as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to the conclusion that certain brands and certain titles are pretty much just for marketing. I feel like all of us are the future of the blues. All of us play some part in moving this genre forward and keeping this genre at the forefront. I try to leave the labels to the fans and the music experts and keep my focus on the music.”
He remains similarly low-key when describing his appearance in Sinners, the summer block buster where he performs during the final scene. However, he is far more animated when speaking of the musician he joins on guitar during that sequence— Buddy Guy.
“I’ve always been inspired and influenced by Mr. Buddy Guy because he’s the man,” Ingram asserts. “I got a chance to work with him on the soundtrack and also the scene that we did, which was great. We shot it in New Orleans. It was pretty much showcasing the character Sammie as an older gentleman, as an OG in the blues world with his own club. I think they definitely picked the right person for that.”
Ingram then takes a moment to add a few additional thoughts about his friendship with Guy, which began when he was still a teenager. “When I was coming up, I learned about people like Son House, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and Robert Nighthawk. Then, later on, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King and Albert Collins, but Buddy Guy has pretty much been a mentor for me. I ended up sitting in with him a couple times and, through that, we developed a relationship where he wanted to help me out with my first record. He assisted with the funding and he also put me in contact with this producer, Tom Hambridge. After all that, I ended up going on tour with him as well.”
While Ingram continued to hone his chops on the road, Kingfish received critical accolades, along with a nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. His 2021 follow-up, 662—also produced by Hambridge—won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Two years later, Live in London was another Contemporary Blues Album nominee.
In certain respects, Ingram’s success almost feels fated. He grew up in Clarksdale, Miss., which bills itself as the “Blues Capital of the World.” The city is located at the famed crossroads of Highways 61 and 49 in the heart of the Delta region. Muddy Waters was a resident, as was Son House, both of whom are celebrated in Clarksdale’s Delta Blues Museum, Mississippi’s oldest cultural institution devoted to music.
Yet while that might make for a diverting story—which perhaps could serve as the jumping off point for a future Ryan Coogler film—Ingram’s work ethic and inquisitive spirit are his true creative catalysts. To this end, his latest record, Hard Road, evinces a sonic expansion for the artist. This is manifested in the gamut of music he presents, as Ingram melds a blues core with elements of funk, R&B and some sharper rock tones. In addition, there is a newfound emphasis on his vocals to convey images and emotion.
“I feel like all of this is a level-up that I probably couldn’t achieve as my younger self,” Ingram indicates. “In the last couple years, I’ve had experience growing as a man. With that, came experience learning more on my instrument and learning more of my craft vocally. I feel like this record is a product of that.”
As for his songwriting, when asked to name the favorite moments on Hard Road, Ingram states, “Definitely all of the soul songs—the songs like ‘Standing on Business,’ ‘Nothin’ but Your Love’ and ‘Clearly.’ Those are the ones that I think show me in a whole different light than people are used to. Those are the ones that definitely show the elevation.”
He also identifies “Standing on Business” as a moment where he surprised himself with his vocal efforts. Ingram explains, “I was in the studio that night with some people who said, ‘That’s the most comfortable you’ve ever been.’ When I’m in the studio and I’m comfortable, I’m able to really stretch out. I feel like I finally got to a point where I kind of know my singing style. I’ve been singing all my life—way before I even started playing— but I didn’t get really serious as a singer until recently. I’ve been learning how to use my range and learning dynamics vocally, just like I learned dynamics on guitar.”
Following three albums with Alligator, Hard Road also represents a new development, as it is the first offering from Ingram’s own label. Red Zero Records is named after two clubs he frequented in his early years—Red’s Lounge and the Ground Zero Blues Club—and while Red Zero will issue his music, Ingram designed it with a deeper mission in mind. While watching a biographical film about Clarksdale native Sam Cooke, Ingram learned that the singer had created his own imprint, SAR, to introduce emerging artists, such as Bobby Womack, Billy Preston and Johnnie Taylor.
“What really made me want to do it was hearing Sam say before he passed that he wanted to give a shot to some of the singers and performers that didn’t get a fair chance,” Ingram remarks. “I wanted to do for others what Buddy Guy did for me. That’s pretty much the gist of it. Me releasing my own music is great, and me having control of my own music and whatnot is cool, but the bigger picture was just giving these other performers a real chance at getting some spotlight.”
The first two artists on the roster are Dylan Triplett and Mathias Lattin. Ingram mentions that he was drawn to Triplett for his “Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland type of soul-blues, which is kind of missing today.” Then he hails vocalist/guitarist Lattin as someone who can create “a soulful jazz vibe but can really get down and dirty and harder edge with it too.”
Turning back to the label’s inaugural release, Ingram shares the impetus for naming it Hard Road, which reflects his ongoing effort to resist complacency and hubris. “It’s no secret that I’ve had some success,” he acknowledges, “but I’m still climbing and I’m still building. Like I said, I’ve had more life experiences growing up as a man. I’ve grown musically, and I have new tools that I can use to express myself a little better. It’s just a steady ladder that I’m climbing with each record. I’m trying to go higher, which means it’s on me to learn more, study more and experience life more, so I’m able to do that.”
