He performed at the White House when he was fourteen, toured with the likes of Buddy Guy in his late teens and won a Grammy at the tender age of 22. So, it might be easy for Christone “Kingfish” Ingram to rest on his laurels and simply play the blues. But, as he demonstrated at a recent show at Chicago’s Park West Theater, this brilliant 26-year-old artist continues to grow, evolve and break boundaries.
The Park West show was part of his extensive Hard Road tour that began in April and will conclude in late November with several stops in Europe. Ingram has also crisscrossed the US and has played at prestigious festivals and iconic venues including the Fillmore in San Francisco and the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
After a superlative show at the Chicago Blues Festival in June, Ingram returned to the Windy City to play at the Park West on Friday, September 19th. Here, he introduced a few tracks from his Hard Road album, which is the first release on Ingram’s own Red Zero label. The Red Zero moniker is a nod to both Red’s Juke Joint and Ground Zero in Ingram’s hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi.
As might be expected of someone who was born and raised in the home of the blues, many of Ingram’s songs are peppered with references to Clarksdale and its musical legacy. Whether he’s giving a nod to the legends before him or a musical shout out to Clarksdale’s 662 area code, it’s clear that Ingram will always remain true to his blues roots.
Yet, as evidenced by some of the tracks on Hard Road as well as the vibe at his Park West show, this blues guitar phenom is also branching out by experimenting with different genres and new ways to approach some of his older material. While Ingram has long been lauded for his guitar virtuosity, he has also come into his own as a vocalist, songwriter and bandleader.
Following a well-received set by Houston-based singer/songwriter Buffalo Nichols, Ingram took the stage and immediately brought the heat in the form of a funky rendition of “Midnight Heat” from his 2022 Live in London release. This opener featured Ingram’s usual incendiary guitar, which was complemented by some intricate keyboard dynamics by way of D’Shawn “DVibes” Alexander.
While Alexander hails from Denver, the rest of Ingram’s incredibly tight backing band comprises fellow Mississippians. Drummer Chris Black is from Shelby and bassist Paul Rogers is a Tupelo native. With so much relentless touring on the “hard road,” turning out a great performance came easy for these seasoned performers.
And, while many bemoan the graying of the blues, Ingram’s show was notable for many of the younger people in attendance, which bodes well for the genre’s future. These young fans were able to see Ingram’s musical mastery up close when he came out in the audience to showcase some slick guitar licks.
Ingram might have let his guitar do the talking when he walked around the audience, but his vocal stylings were front and center on “Fresh Out,” where he added a slow jam spin on this song that he first recorded with Buddy Guy.
His new material from Hard Road was well-received by the audience as he introduced both “Voodoo Charm” and “Bad Like Me” before circling back to old standards like “Outside of this Town” and “662.”
Ingram also brought Buffalo Nichols back on stage to accompany him on an acoustic version of “Something in the Dirt,” which was yet another of the night’s highlights as these two old souls took on this autobiographical tune from the Grammy winning 662. The band returned to accompany Ingram on “Rock and Roll,” a poignant tribute to his late mother.
The evening closed out with an extended version of “Long Distance Woman” where Ingram provided plenty of hot licks while giving his band ample time to shine. After this song about his “freaky frequent flyer” hit its final notes, Ingram took the time to pass out guitar picks to many lucky fans in the front row. Then, it was back on the road to transport fans to more incredible musical dimensions.
