Hard Road is a landmark album for Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. It’s not only his first studio recording since 2021’s Grammy-winning 662, but it’s the first release on his own label, Red Zero Records.
After two studio LPs and one live album for Alligator Records – which helped establish him as a rising star and likely future of the blues – Ingram has boldly charted his own path.
Ingram had just turned 20 when he debuted with his 2019 album, Kingfish. Even so, he’d already been gigging around his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, for years, having learned to play at the Delta Blues Museum’s music-education program. Ingram’s mentor, the late guitarist Bill “Howlin’ Mad” Perry – who gave Ingram the name “Kingfish” – would bring star pupils from the classes to perform with him at the Ground Zero Blues Club, partly owned by Morgan Freeman.
“That was like a reward, and it was a great experience,” Ingram says. “The first time he did it for me, I realized this was it for me. It wasn’t going to be a hobby.”
Hard Road remains rooted in Kingfish’s singing and searing blues guitar playing, but the songwriting veers into more modern approaches, with touches of rock, pop and R&B. The songs’ lyrics also explore emotionally raw and complex topics of love, loss, identity and personal growth. Ingram, now 26, has seen a lot more of the world – literally and metaphorically – than he did as a debut artist.
In recent years he has lost his mother, Princess, his earliest and biggest supporter; he’s toured the world; he’s worked with legends like Guy and Steve Miller; and he’s appeared in the hit 2025 film Sinners. And now he’s started a label and begun establishing himself in a new world. All of these experiences are reflected in the songs of Hard Road.
“This record comes from real-life reflection,” Ingram says. “I’ve been balancing fame, heartbreak, love and relationships while trying to stay grounded, touring, creating and maturing. These songs are about owning my story. They’re about learning to see myself clearly and seeing others with more compassion. That’s changed the way I write, the way I play, the way I live.”
How and why did you start your own label?
Red Zero Records was an idea my manager, Ric Whitney, formulated a couple of years ago. It morphed into me wanting to give opportunities to other artists who probably didn’t have the same resources I had.
You’ve come a long way. Could you have imagined yourself five or six years ago talking about your resources?
In a relatively short time! Yeah, I’ve been grateful. When I was 15, I was hustling it out in the juke joint clubs, and then along came Mr. Buddy Guy, who was gracious enough to help me out with my first record and put me on the road with him.
Then I got on Alligator Records and I’m in a position now where I can help the other guys and gals coming along, and that is exciting. Mr. Guy is, of course, an OG, and I was so honored that he helped me get out of my region, where I was playing since I was a teenager.
Tom Hambridge worked with you as well; it felt like he helped you craft your story into great songs that have your voice. Been Here Before from your debut always stuck out in that regard.
Yeah. That was the last song we did on the Kingfish sessions. We were upstairs in the studio, and I had an acoustic and we were going back and forth, and out that song came, and we went downstairs and recorded it. And, yeah, it is my story.
As a child, before I even knew anything about blues, I would always repeat some of the soul songs my mom would listen to and give people a show. Five years old, singing stuff like the Stylistics, and people would always say, “He’s not normal; he’s an old soul.”
I did an interview with Derek Trucks when he was about your age now. I remember him saying, “I’m just really excited to get past the 'kid' thing.” Do you relate to that?
Definitely. It can be a blessing and a curse. When people see a kid playing, they automatically think “gimmick,” but there’s been some serious guys coming up as kids. No-one wants to get stuck being the cute kid that plays guitar. So that’s when you got to focus on the lyrics and singing, which I did on this one. I’m ready to just have my music listened to and not have people think, “He’s great for a kid.”
On the new record, you show more blues and R&B influences. Do you feel free to do anything you want, or do you worry about how your audience might respond?
It’s definitely something I think about a lot, and it’s a double-edged sword. I’m always told I’ve got the potential to go here or there. It’s something I struggle with, and I look at it like this: I have the potential to go a lot of places musically, and that’s what I want to do.
I have a lot of influence, but what I do is always gonna be rooted in the blues, because that’s the aim and that’s who I am. I want to reach my generation, and to do that, I need to mix it a little bit to pull them in. Once they get in, I can really show them the real raw thing, and that’s pretty much what I’m doing.
Did recording this for your own label change the way you approach the material? Would it have been more straight blues for Alligator?
That’s a good question. Probably not. I was ready to branch out a little in any case.
What songs on the album highlight where you are now?
Can I say all of them? I do feel that way, but I think the ones that really showcase what the album is about, the journey in the different genres are Voodoo Charm, which is the blues-rock space; Bad Like Me is more in the pop rock vein; Nothin’ But Your Love is serving the adult contemporary, R&B space. Those three songs showcase what the album is trying to say, showcasing my voice and my range on the guitar.
![Kingfish f/Big K.R.I.T. - Another Life Goes By (Mississippi Mix) [Official Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HndFAqVPiu4/maxresdefault.jpg)
You have a great voice. Have you worked on that a lot, or was it more like you started playing guitar, opened your mouth and started singing – and that’s what came out?
That’s exactly how it started out! I literally just focused on my guitar playing and started singing. I’m just now trying to work on my voice. I’m learning more about myself, that I have range. There were places where I thought I couldn’t go vocally, and working on this record showed me that I could.
How much do you still work on your guitar playing? How much do you practice?
I play guitar every day. My weak point is that I don’t have a regimen; I just pick up the guitar and play. Sometimes I do try to work on different scales or whatnot, but there’s no plan, and I think I can and should be more orderly in that regard. But I’ll never not play my guitar every day.
When you’re not on the road, are you happy relaxing and chilling at home, or are you pacing the floor waiting to get back out on the road?
All of the above! The first couple of days are straight chilling. But I’m here in the studio, still working and making music every day. After a few days, I am – like you say – starting to pace the floor. [Laughs] When it’s time to go back out, I’m ready to get it popping.
Who are your greatest guitar influences?
Acoustic guys like Son House and Robert Johnson and then Albert, B.B. and Freddie King, Prince, Ernie Isley, Gary Moore. There are also a lot of players of the day that I’m into, and I hate to even mention them because I know I’m leaving out so many, but I really like Isaiah Sharkey, Matteo Mancuso, Yvette Young and so many others. I love where the world of guitar is going, even though I’m considered to play an old style.
You mentioned that on Red Zero you wanted to be able to give other people an opportunity. Is anyone else signed?
As far as giving other guys resources, it’s imperative for me to know what I’m doing so I can share some knowledge, too!
Yes, two artists to start. Dylan Triplett, a young man out of St. Louis. What’s so dope about Dylan is that, even though we have a lot of young guitar slingers – male and female – coming up, we don’t have a lot of young Bobby Blue Bland-style soul singers, and that’s Dylan’s main thing, though he also plays guitar.
We also have Matthias Lattin from Houston, who won the International Blues Challenge in 2023. He’s a young guitar slinger in the rock-blues-fusion space, a great writer and arranger. We have a lot of other artists we’re developing as well, but those are the guys we’re starting with.
How involved in the label are you? You have a trusted manager, so do you get involved in the label and in your own business?
I have no other choice but to know it, because Ric isn’t going to let me just leave it to him. He tells me everything. We’re both hands-on with my career and the label. As far as giving other guys resources, it’s imperative for me to know what I’m doing so I can share some knowledge, too!
- Hard Road is out now via Red Zero.
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
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