Blues guitar prodigy Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has announced the first set of dates of his US tour, which will be continue in support of his recently released sophomore studio album, 662.
Ingram’s 2022 tour will kick off at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 3, and will see him play at venues such as Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre and LA’s The Ace Theatre.
Of the tour, Ingram commented he was “very excited” to continue the 662 Juke Joint Live tour, which is being produced in partnership with Outback Presents, in order to “reach current and new fans in larger, more iconic music venues across the country".
His enthusiasm was shared by Outback Presents President Mike Smardark, who added, “We are thrilled to be working with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and his team. Christone is a rising star and we see great potential and countless opportunities in his future. We are thankful for the opportunity."
As well as revealing his preliminary touring road map for next year, the 22-year-old electric guitar titan has also debuted a new video for the album’s second single, Long Distance Woman.
As was the case with the record’s driving lead single, 662 – as well as the rest of the album, for that matter – Long Distance Woman demonstrates why Ingram is held in such high regard and considered one of today’s leading blues torchbearers.
Suited to boot with an infectiously charging overdriven lead riff and some decorative slide lines that tap into Ingram’s rhythmic prowess, the second single’s focal point is undoubtedly the scorching solo that crops up just before the two-minute mark.
After cranking up the gain and engaging the wah pedal, Ingram lets his fretting fingers loose upon the ‘board, navigating his way through the pentatonic positions via some subtly chromatic runs, whole note bends and dizzying rock-esque licks.
Of the track and accompanying video, Ingram said, “Maintaining a healthy relationship is already hard and when you sprinkle in distance it can make matters of the heart particularly taxing.
“Covid certainly changed and tested how we all communicate,” he added. “So as a response to the times, using video chat, the Long Distance Woman visuals speak to how romantic relationships can be challenged by proximity.”
The proficient playing found on Long Distance Woman is indicative of Ingram’s approach to the blues, with the six-string phenom telling Guitar World he’s always seeking opportunities to “mix elements” in his fretboard vocabulary.
“I try to take what the guys in the past did and give it a different format,” he explained during GW’s roundtable on the state of guitar in 2021. “And I try to mix elements. Like, there’s some rock stuff in there, which has pretty much been done time and time again, but I do it in my own way.”
In a more recent chat with Guitar World, Ingram commented “there’s a lot wrong with the blues genre right now”, stating, “A lot of people don’t think about the history and the significance of the actual culture when it comes to blues.”
For a list of current tour dates – more are yet to be announced – head over to Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s website.
