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Christone “Kingfish” Ingram with The Cerny Brothers

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Christone "Kingfish" Ingram is a guitar prodigy... hands down. He really needs no explanation, but we will leave you with these noteworthy remarks!

Is Christone “Kingfish” Ingram the future of the blues? The blues savior is one of the most exciting young guitarists in years, with a sound that encompasses B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Prince. --Rolling Stone

A rising blues prodigy….A torchbearer. --NPR Music

Kingfish is the next explosion of the blues. --Buddy Guy

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Connect with this artist:

www.christonekingfishingram.com

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Artist Bio

Ingram’s journey began in the city of Clarksdale, in Coahoma County, Mississippi, just 10 miles from the legendary crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. Born to a family of singers and musicians, he fell in love with music as a child, initially playing drums and then bass. At a young age, he got his first guitar and quickly soaked up music from Robert Johnson to Lightnin’ Hopkins, from B.B. King to Muddy Waters, from Jimi Hendrix to Prince. Through classes at the Delta Blues Museum, he learned the history of the blues and the basics of how to play them. Under the tutelage of Richard “Daddy Rich” Crisman and the late Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry, he not only developed his own playing sound and style, but also earned his “Kingfish” moniker, courtesy of Mr. Perry. From the classrooms of the Delta Blues Museum, Kingfish progressed quickly as a musician, playing Clarksdale’s famous Ground Zero Blues Club and Red’s Lounge stages before beginning to travel the U.S., and abroad, all while still in high school. The young guitarist performed at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama as part of a delegation of student musicians from the Delta Blues Museum. By age 16, he was turning heads and winning awards, including the 2015 Rising Star Award, presented by The Rhythm & Blues Foundation.

Ingram’s appeal beyond blues was immediate. Even before he cut his debut album and while still a teenager, he garnered millions of views of his YouTube live videos. He performed two songs in Season Two of the Netflix show Luke Cage, after the series’ lead producer saw one of his videos. The success of Luke Cage led Ingram to perform on an NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert with rap legend Rakim. In 2020, Ingram was invited back to headline his own Tiny Desk Concert.

Sparked by his non-stop touring, writing and recording schedule, Kingfish’s natural talent just keeps growing. With his jaw-dropping guitar playing and his reach-out-and-grab-you-by-the-collar vocals, he performs every song with unmatched passion and precision. With both Kingfish and 662, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram delivered contemporary blues music that spoke to his generation and beyond, bringing to bear the full healing and hopeful power of the blues. Now, Live In London captures Kingfish’s lightning in a bottle. It’s an onstage snapshot of the young singer, songwriter and guitarist creating musical magic in real time, leaving his listeners spellbound and always wanting more.

The Cerny Brothers

Connect with this artist:

www.thecernybrothers.com

Since releasing their debut, Dream, Scott and Bob Cerny have built their audience on the road, traveling far beyond their homes — including rural Illinois, where the brothers were raised; Los Angeles, where they sharpened their chops during the band's early years; and Nashville, where both siblings currently live — to play a string of dive bars, living rooms, clubs, and theaters. It's been a musical trial by fire. On countless nights, they've been the new kids in town, relying on their songs not only to make a good impression, but to cut through the clamor of a noisy bar in an unfamiliar city. That kind of touring will sharpen your songwriting. It'll make you louder, too. With Looking For the Good Land, the Cerny Brothers' music takes on an epic edge, expanding far beyond the folksy, acoustic-based sound of their earlier albums to embrace the storytelling, supersized hooks, and cinematic punch of American rock.

Traveling from town to town also opened the brothers' eyes to the diversity of U.S. society. They made friends in liberal cities, conservative towns, and everywhere in between. Along the way, Scott and Bob took note not only of the things that make each American unique, but the connections that pull us together, too. They realized that regardless of an individual's past, everyone seemed to have one thing in common: they were searching for their own peace of mind. Looking For the Good Land nods to that universal journey, examining what it means to be part of the American story.

"We're not looking to push any specific ideology," says Scott. "We're just making observations about what we've seen. Across the country, whether you're a musician or a plumber, you're looking for your piece of the American pie. Everyone is."

Decades before Looking For the Good Land's release, Scott and Bob spent their childhood summers upstairs, recording their first songs together in their Illinois bedroom. Downstairs, their two parents led by example, both of them working tirelessly to turn the American dream into a reality. Dad was an army engineer with a degree from West Point and a strong set of midwestern values, while Mom was an outspoken, Spanish-born immigrant who relocated to America at 18 years old. They formed a diverse and devoted pair, instilling a strong sense of brotherhood and workmanlike drive in their boys. The Cerny household wasn't filled with music, exactly — the brothers were left to discover their favorite artists on their own — but it was filled with love, which laid the foundation for the Cerny Brothers' strong family dynamic.

Coincidentally, Scott and Bob began making demos for Looking For the Good Land at Bob's house in Nashville, a move that echoed their very first homemade recording sessions as a band. The actual album was tracked at Cowboy Jack Clements' iconic studio, however, where the brothers captured a high-energy sound — including Bob's pounding piano, Scott's electric guitar, plenty of vocal harmonies, and the insistent heartbeat of a four-on-the-floor kickdrum — in the same room that once housed country icons like Johnny Cash. The siblings had never recorded in Nashville before, and they made good use of the city's musicians. The result is a big-sounding album that tackles even bigger topics.

"Our producer described Cowboy Jack's studio as the Millennium Falcon of Nashville studios," says Scott. "Not the fanciest studio in Nashville, but it'll get you to light speed."

Much of Looking For the Good Land deals with what it means to be an American in the modern age. Songs like "American Whore" examine the curiosities, controversies, and challenges of contemporary life in the USA, while the Springsteen-sized "Day of Thunder" finds its narrator bursting at the seams, ready to escape his Bible Belt upbringing and explore life beyond the city limits.

"'American Whore' was born out of frustration," says Bob. "So many of us rally against capitalism and consumerism, yet we don't always admit we're all a part of it. That system is a product of us, for better or worse — not the other way around. It frustrates me. This 'hate America' thing has been going on for a long time, yet most people I know simultaneously take part in it. We just need to be honest with ourselves. I think we’re all just looking for the good land."

This is a personal album with a universal bent. It's music for all people — music that highlights the struggle found within all of us.

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