CHRISTONE ‘KINGFISH’ INGRAM

He turned out to be one of the absolute heroes of 2022’s edition, stepping in (together with Mike Zito) when Beth Hart had to cancel. Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram may still be one of the younger artists on the blues scene, he has a long history in music. After his father showed him a Muddy Waters documentary at age 5, the legendary musician became his inspiration. Initially playing drums and bass, Ingram picked up the guitar young and quickly developed his own sound and style. While still a teenager, he garnered millions of views with his YouTube performance videos. Ingram released his debut album Kingfish in 2019, entering the Billboard Blues Chart at no. 1, with Rolling Stone declaring him “one of the most exciting young guitarists in years”. His second album 662 saw the light in 2021, again to rave reviews and with a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album as a result. But that wasn’t all: in 2022, guitar brand Fender released the Kingfish Telecaster Deluxe, dedicated to this extraordinary singer and guitarist.