By Chris Levick
Grammy award-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the defining blues voice of his generation, will perform at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30, at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati, 342 Ludlow Ave. Admission is $35 to $65 at www.ludlowgaragecincinnati.com or 513.861.7625).
On Friday, Sept. 15, Ingram surprised fans by dropping his third release, “LIVE IN LONDON,” at all digital services.
Since his debut album, the Grammy-nominated “Kingfish,” released in May 2019 (and recorded when he was only 19 years old), Ingram has gone from playing local clubs in his Clarksdale, Mississippi, hometown, to headlining festivals and concert halls around the world.
Following the release of his second album, “662,” he’s toured across Europe and Australia, and even opened for the Rolling Stones at their Hyde Park concert in London. He’s been lauded by NPR, Rolling Stone, “CBS Saturday Morning,” The Washington Post, UK tastemaker magazine MOJO, guitar magazines worldwide and won radio airplay around the globe.
Recently, Rolling Stone listed its Top 250 Guitarists, and Ingram came in at #200. Here’s what it said: “Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, right near Robert Johnson’s crossroads, and describes himself as an ‘old soul’ — which may be an understatement. At 24, he seems to have absorbed the entirety of the blues-guitar canon and beyond, thanks to influences that also include Prince. But his playing evinces not just a startling fluency, seamlessly integrating an entire century’s worth of licks, but also a freshness that can make it feel like you’re hearing a searing blues solo for the first time. He’s a rare 21st-century guitar hero and the undisputed future of the blues.”