Blues musician Christone “Kingfish” Ingram will begin touring for his new album, “LIVE IN LONDON,” on Thursday. Credit: Courtesy of Bob Steshetz
On Sept. 15, Grammy-winning blues artist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram shocked and delighted fans by abruptly releasing his third album — “LIVE IN LONDON” — on all streaming platforms.
Now, the Mississippi native is preparing to kick off his “662 Juke Joint Live Tour” in Cincinnati on Thursday. Ingram will also play a sold-out show at Columbus’ own The KING of CLUBS on Friday, according to the music venue’s website.
The musician said “LIVE IN LONDON” was entirely recorded on June 6 in front of a jampacked crowd at The Garage in London.
In addition to 17 live tracks from his first two records — titled “Kingfish” and “662,” respectively — “LIVE IN LONDON” includes a new original track called “Midnight Heat and Mississippi Night” as well as a cover of Michael “Iron Man” Burkes’ well-known song “Empty Promises.”
Ingram said his fans’ feedback was a key factor in arranging the live album’s release.
“For a long time, I’ve had people telling me that the live experience for ‘Kingfish’ is just a step above my studio albums and I agree, it’s definitely a different experience,” Ingram said. “So I just wanted to finally put that out. It’s also for the people who haven’t seen ‘Kingfish’ live before.”
Ingram said he is drawn to make blues music because of how “raw and real” it is, particularly as a vessel for storytelling.
“Blues music is nothing but life and your experiences and what you go through,” Ingram said. “During those times, especially the songs on [my] second record, I had been dealing with a lot of relationship issues, losing my mom and staying at home during COVID-19.”
Ingram said his experience recording a live album was completely different from his experience recording previous studio albums.
“In the studio, if you mess up, you just start at the same time you messed up and include what you want, but this time we had to do a few rehearsals and really double down and make sure the dynamics and all the technical stuff sounded good,” Ingram said. “It’s a lot more work as far as that than it would be in the studio.”
On Nov. 10, Ingram received a Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category for “LIVE IN LONDON,” having won the same award for “662” in 2022. Notably, “Kingfish” also received a 2019 nomination in the Best Traditional Blues Album category.
Ric Whitney, Ingram’s business manager, said he has been collaborating with Ingram for roughly eight years. Before that point, he said Ingram’s mother had taken on the role of publicizing her son’s music and helping him book shows.
From the moment they met, Whitney said he knew Ingram would be a star.
“I’ve been working with [Ingram] for several years since he was living with his mom when he was 16,” Whitney said. “He had a great energy, both he and his mom did, and I just loved how they had been working together for quite a while since he was much younger.”
Whitney said a combination of talent and hard work has allowed Ingram’s music career to flourish, and he is excited to see what other opportunities will arise for Ingram going forward.
“He’s immensely talented, and he’s also very humble and hardworking,” Whitney said. “This is a job and it’s an unconventional job, it’s not a 9 to 5, but you have to be motivated to get up and work.”
Ingram’s “662 Juke Joint Live Tour” will stop in Columbus Friday and conclude on March 1, 2024, in Tempe, Arizona.
More information about Ingram and his current tour can be found on his website.
