Since the release of "Kingfish," his 2019 debut for Chicago's Alligator Records, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram has taken the blues world by storm in a relatively short amount of time. Since the release of Kingfish, Ingram has quickly become the defining blues voice of his generation. He has been pegged as a "superstar" bluesman on the rise and clearly with the release of "662," Ingram has avoided the dreaded "sophomore slump."
That break out album earned the 20-year-old newcomer volumes of accolades from both the media and his peers; along with five "Blues Music Awards" -- "Album Of The Year," "Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year," "Best Emerging Artist Album," "Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year," and the coveted "Best Guitarist of the Year" award. Add to that, Ingram also won four "Living Blues Awards," including "Album Of The Year" and "Artist Of The Year."
Now, just a about a year after dusting off places for his many trophies, comes the rising star's sophomore album for Alligator, "662," officially being released this weekend with a two day celebratory party at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana (5400 W. 29th Ave.) in Gary. Admission is free both nights, but advance RSVPs are necessary to attend as space is limited.
"We did Evansville before, but this is my first time playing in Northwest Indiana I'm pretty sure," said Ingram, who is clearly excited to be playing the same stage this weekend christened just a few weeks ago by his mentor and friend, Buddy Guy, during the casino's Grand Opening.
Guy has been an important part of the Kingfish saga and put the lad's feet on the path that has brought him to this point. Early on, Guy saw something special in young Ingram and put him together with his own Grammy Award-winning producer Tom Hambridge, who also once made musical magic with guitar great Roy Buchanan.
