Keeping the Music Going: Christone Ingram on the Meaning of Blues
Back by popular demand following a sold-out 2025 tour, Grammy-winning blues guitar sensation Christone “Kingfish” Ingram spoke with The Note about his early years as a musician, contributing to the soundtrack for the film Sinners and running his own label.
Words Emily Wilson // Image Jen Rosenstein
No one fingers the neck of a guitar like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. His way with nylon is something he has been resoundingly celebrated for. Rolling Stone once called him “a rare 21st century guitar hero” and “the future of the blues” - not necessarily easy titles to live up to.
“I think when people say the ‘future of the blues’, on a surface level, they might just see a young person with a guitar,” he says over an early morning Zoom call. “But for me, the future of the blues is anybody that is playing this music, anybody that is keeping this music going, whether they be young, old, or middle-aged.”
Ingram, who was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, enjoyed a childhood immersed in music. His aunts and uncles on his mother’s side of the family were constantly singing and strumming guitars. “So she was always taking me around to them, and I was always watching them all play guitar. That’s what really made me want to play in the first place.”
He quickly became somewhat of a prodigy. At the age of fifteen, he performed at the White House as part of the Delta Blues Museum band for former first lady Michelle Obama. By the time he was sixteen, he had caught the attention of B. B. King’s drummer, Tony Coleman, who said, “This kid is really playing... the way blues is supposed to be.” It is hard to believe that, right now, he is still only twenty-seven years old.
“What’s weird is, at the time, I thought I was really doing the thing,” he says, flashing a cheeky grin. It is only now that the madness of early success is starting to settle in. “ It was all a huge learning experience [for] me. At the time, there were a lot of things that I didn’t know musically. And as I continued to grow and develop my skill, I learned how to navigate life and my relationships with people.”
The blues was an inevitable destination for Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. “We’re all products of our environment,” he says. “That’s what I was around, I come from Clarksdale, which is the blues city.” Bessie Smith died in Clarksdale. WC Handy, Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk, Junior Parker, Ike Turner and Sam Cooke are just a few of the celebrated blues and R&B musicians who were either born or based themselves in Clarksdale at some point in the twentieth century.
Indeed, the rich history of Clarksdale is something that the much-lauded film Sinners introduced to a whole new generation. Sinners - which broke records as the first film in history to earn sixteen Academy Award nominations - is set in Clarksdale in 1932 and explores, through a supernatural lens, the way that historically Black musical spaces have been co-opted and exploited.
“Anything that keeps the blues going, I’m all for it,” he says of the film. “The blues don’t get much mainstream attention, and when it does, it’s a beautiful thing, because it shows that it’s still alive.”
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Ingram is featured on the film’s soundtrack and cameos at the end, playing alongside Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy.
“I appreciate Ryan Coogler for giving me the opportunity. It was my first movie project. And now I get to say that my first movie project was something that included my city and involved working with many talented artists.”
Does he think the success of Sinners might lead to a renewed appreciation for the blues?
“Most definitely, I think it already has. After the movie came out, I was seeing people TikToking, learning about certain old blues guys, especially learning about Buddy Guy. It definitely introduced him to a whole new audience.”
2025 was a big year for Ingram. Not only was he involved in one of the most celebrated films of the year, but he also put out his third studio album, Hard Road - the first release through the label he started alongside his longtime manager Ric Whitney: Red Zero Records.
“Having full control over my music is always a plus. But for my manager and I, the reason we started the label was because we’d seen a lot of talented people in the blues world who were getting bad deals or no deals at all. We felt like we were at the point where we could reach out and give people some opportunities,” he explains.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s definitely been overwhelming,” he admits. “For one, I’m more hands-on now than I was before. It’s all me and my manager. Not only that, the amount of people who want you to give them an opportunity, that’s been overwhelming. So I’m navigating all of that and learning more as I go.”
What do they look for when they’re seeking out new additions to the label?
“For us, it’s anybody that is willing to work. One thing about us: we work, we work hard.”
With such a strong work ethic, surely the risk of becoming burnt out is high.
“I think everything requires balance,” he says. “There are times where I tell my brain, okay, I’ve had enough of this, I need to chill and relax. It’s balance and discernment - when to know that enough is enough. That’s definitely something I had to learn. Early on in my career, I was all about the music - and I still am - but I’ve learned in the last couple of years how to take some moments for myself.”
Hard Road displays that maturation. “Each record that I’ve made, I try to show growth in some way. This record, I’ve definitely been exhibiting all of the growth that I’ve experienced in the past couple of years: how I’m navigating life, how I’m navigating friendships and relationships, how I’m navigating fame.” The word fame is accompanied by air quotes.
Fame is not something he appears to be entirely comfortable with. “I would definitely say that it is a lot of pressure. This may sound cliché, but I try my best to ignore the press and try to keep it about the music.”
Though he is still young, he emanates wisdom, and when it comes to his blues career, he knows what he is doing.
“Always remain authentic, and stay true to yourself. I feel like that’s the best way to be, as cliché as it sounds. Don’t compromise for anything.”
Catch Christone “Kingfish” Ingram at Hindley Street Music Hall on Wedensday 4 March. Tickets on sale at moshtix.com.au.
