Video: “Kingfish” Brings Hope With The Blues

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COLUMBUS, MISS. (WCBI) — For this year’s Spring Pilgrimage, organizers were able to bring one of the rising stars in Blues music, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

The 17 year old Ingram has played all around the country, and has even played in the White House, meeting First Lady Michelle Obama.

Ingram, a student at the Delta Blues Museum and a junior at Clarksdale High School, was one of four students from the Blues program that received the 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.

While the teenager has already accomplished many feats some won’t achieve in a lifetime, he said, “I have other kids and adults come up and they’ll tell me, man, you’re really living the life. I’m just living the life of a normal 17 year old…”

Ingram said the name Kingfish comes from his mentors at the Delta Blues program, as they give a nickname to all the students that come through the school.

Ingram said he reminded his mentors of the character Kingfish from one of the first black sitcoms, Amos ‘n’ Andy. Ingram said, at first, he wasn’t a fan of the nickname, but as many friends and mentors referred to him as “Kingfish”, he said it’s grown on him.

Beginning his love for music at the age of three, Ingram is known to many as the “Young BB King”, but its the part of him that many cannot see in his performances that makes the musician so special.

Ingram was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which is a mild form of Autism affecting the ability to socialize and communicate.

“If you have it, and you feel like it’s bothering you, it’s not anything bad…”, Ingram said he would tell someone else affected by the condition, “..it’s just you’re different, you’re original, not a carbon copy.

“I would say embrace it. Be proud of it.”

Ingram’s mother, Princess Ingram, said what her son is doing today amazes her every day.

Ingram said she couldn’t “put into words” how proud she is of her son, who is constantly juggling school, his music career, and his personal life at such a young age.

“This is his passion, and it has been for a long time…”, said Ingram, “…He knows what he wants to do. Some people don’t know what they want to do and they’re my age…Christone knows what he wants to do.”

Ingram said her hopes for her son is to stay humble and inspire children.

“…They can see where Kingfish came from, but now look at him…”, said Ingram, “…You can do whatever you want to do, be whatever you want to be, with some determination, you can do it.”

As for Kingfish, he said he is honored to be be known as the “Young BB King”, he wants to be “original”.

“There can only be one BB King. I just want to be known as Kingfish…I’m my own man”, said Ingram.

Ingram did say he was “bummed” he was never able to play with one of his favorites, BB King, but has more aspirations for collaborations.

Kingfish said, in his lifetime, he hopes to perform with Prince, D’Angelo, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Kendrick Lamar, while also performing at The Grammy’s, BET Awards, and the Soul Train Awards.

Kingfish is also looking forward to releasing an album, with the help of former BB King drummer, Tony T.C. Coleman.

The talented teenager is also sharing his talents internationally, with trips to The Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland coming up this summer.

If you missed out on the Kingfish performance in Monday night’s Crawfish and Shrimp Boil Pilgrimage event, you can catch him this upcoming Saturday at the Catfish In The Alley event.