Interview: Christone Kingfish Ingram

Interview: Christone Kingfish Ingram

By Martine Ehrenclou

Grammy winning guitarist, singer, songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram drops his mind-blowing third album on CD and LP Friday, October 13th. Live In London was released on digital services September 15 but if you want something hot in your hands, get the physical. It’s one of those live albums that will stand the test of time, not unlike Live Wire/Blues Power by Albert King, or dare I say Live In Cook County Jail by BB King. It hurls Christone’s blues into a current interpretation of the genre and for this 24-year-old electrifying artist, to his generation of fans as well.

There’s more to Christone “Kingfish” Ingram than being a virtuosic guitar player and soulful vocalist. Seeing him live, you’ll get it right away. Confident and masterful on stage, he gives in to the spirit of his music, completely in sync with every note. Live In London takes live performances of his songs on his debut release and 662 on Alligator Records, to new heights. Branching out to more blues-rock, funk, contemporary R&B and jazz, he’s added an edge to many of the songs on the new two-disc set. All of this makes for an expanded and mature Christone Kingfish Ingram who has come into his own on Live In London. It’s a thrilling journey indeed.

Christone and I talked by phone while he was in Los Angeles, a couple days after he performed at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. He shared about his Live In London album and hinted at a new album in the coming year.

Rock & Blues Muse
I saw you perform at at Crossroads Guitar Festival last weekend, and you played with Eric Gales and Samantha Fish. What it was like for you to perform there?

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Oh, it was great. It was kind of like a full circle moment for me. I can remember watching the old infomercials of Gary Clark, Jr. playing “Bright Lights.” So watching those videos down through the years and now to get on the stages, it is a very beautiful thing. And to do it with Samantha and Eric, two great blues and blues-rock artists, it was dope.

Rock & Blues Muse
Yep, I bet it was. You were great, as always. Incredible.

Christone
Thank you.

Rock & Blues Muse
I love your new live album Live In London.

Christone
Oh, thank you.

Rock & Blues Muse
You jazzed it up and funked up a number of your songs from your debut album and 662. Can you tell me how that came about?

Christone
Well, yeah. Before we had the idea to do the record, I took the band for a couple of rehearsals. And we revamped a few songs, put some new intros, new arrangements. I had the idea, since we got this new show, let’s put out a live record. The thing about it is we just had to pick which show that we could do it so we can do a quick turnaround. We chose The Garage in London. And yeah, man, it came out great. All of the different arrangements and stuff– everybody seems to be digging it. It’s kind of like a new sound for me, almost.

Rock & Blues Muse
Yes, it is. And I really like it. How involved were you in choosing the songs or the performances that you put on the record?

Christone
Oh, everything you can hear was chosen by me. Probably the arrangements, I helped with those. Some of my band members, like D-Vibes, a friend of mine named Brandon Brown as well, who stayed in rehearsals to help. That’s probably the only thing I wasn’t alone in, but everything else is— picking the songs that we was going to be doing, me and my manager, we set through all of that.

Watch “She Calls Me Kingfish” Here

Rock & Blues Muse
The new arrangements, did they come about being on the road with your band?

Christone
Yeah, they did. I felt like we really didn’t have any spark on the songs when we played them live. So I had a friend of mine, like I just said, Brandon Brown, we did a couple of rehearsals and brainstormed. “What can we add to this song? What can we take from this song?” And yeah, it came out great. It felt great for me. Because like I said, it’s like a whole new show now.

Rock & Blues Muse
Yes. And you incorporated jazz, R&B, just so much great groove. It just seemed like you were really, really into it. Are you still writing with Tom Hambridge?

Christone
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Me and Tom are trying to get back in the swing of things. I’ve actually been writing with other producers since I’ve been out in L.A. But I just saw Tom in Nashville and we’re trying to get some more written as well. Me and Tom actually have a bunch of songs in the vault that didn’t get released yet, so yeah.

Rock & Blues Muse
So is there another album in the works?

Christone
Oh, you already know. (Laughs)

Rock & Blues Muse
(Laughs) No, I don’t. It was a question. You’ve got this new live album but I meant another studio album.

Christone
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can’t make any promises for next year, nothing like that. But I’ve been here in L.A. for the last couple of months of recording with these producers. Alongside the unreleased tracks from the 662 sessions and some more tracks I did in this studio over time, I have a bunch of unreleased tracks that we can pick and choose from to make a new record. So yeah, hopefully soon.

Rock & Blues Muse
That’s awesome. Any other producers you want to mention? Or do you have to keep it under wraps?

Christone
Oh no, the producer I’ve been working is a guy named Patrick “Guitarboy” Hayes. He’s more known in the R&B/hip-hop world. He’s worked with artists like Trey Songz. He did have some work with Bobby Rush, so he had some blues stuff under his belt, too.

Rock & Blues Muse
Sounds good. What other projects are you working on? Any with Eric Gales or anybody else?

Christone
Me and Eric’s still trying to coordinate doing some things together. Co-writing a song along with some other people. I just hit up my boy Toronzo Cannon the other day, wanted to write some stuff with him.
I’ve been hanging with my guy Mathias Lattin, an IBC winner. I’m going to do some more stuff with him real soon. So yeah, we’re just going to be out here on the road working the new record. All while recording and writing new music for the next studio one.

Watch “Fresh Out” Here 

Rock & Blues Muse
(Laughs) Anything coming up with Bootsy Collins? I think you were working on a song the last time we spoke.

Christone
Yeah. The Creepin’ song I did with him. Nothing in the plans now with Mr. Collins. But hopefully sometime soon. Maybe we can get him on this next record. (Laughs)

Rock & Blues Muse
Oh, wouldn’t that be good.

Christone
Oh yeah, it’d be great. I just got an idea.(Laughs)

Rock & Blues Muse
If you could have anybody on your next record, who would you like?

Christone
Wow. Well, I would say it is a bunch of artists I’ve been enjoying. Some of my peers. I just saw Robert Randolph before we left the festival. Me and him talked about doing something. I would love him. I would love to have him add some steel stuff on the record. Anybody that wants to work with me, I’m up for it.

Rock & Blues Muse
Christone, you got a long line of people who want to work with you. (Laughs)

Christone
(Laughs) I hope so.

Order Live In London HERE

Christone Kingfish Ingram website