A cutting-edge blues singer, songwriter and slide guitarist Catfish Keith was born on February 9th, 1962 in East Chicago, Indiana. As a child he first heard the blues while living in "The Harbor," a working class steel mill town. Listening to Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy on the radio gave him a love of the blues.
When he first picked up the guitar as a teenager, he was inspired to aim for the deep delta blues after hearing songs by Son House. Following high school in Davenport, Iowa, Catfish Keith hit the road embarking on his lifelong quest as a solo performer of American roots music. His many travels took him to the Caribbean, where in the Virgin Islands he crewed briefly on a sailboat. He absorbed the rhythms of Jazz, Calypso, Reggae and the music of Joseph Spence. This music gave Catfish Keith inspiration to reach new musical heights. Though he grew up on the Mississippi River, Catfish Keith earned his nickname from a West Indian lobster diving partner who, after seeing him swim, dubbed him "Catfish-Swimmin'-Around," and "Catfish-Steel-Guitar-Man."
In 1984, at age 22, Catfish Keith recorded his first album on the Kicking Mule label, “Catfish Blues”. The all solo debut established him as a new force in acoustic blues. It reached number one on independent worldwide radio charts. This enabled Catfish Keith to play and tour heartily.
He was constantly learning directly from legends such as Johnny Shines, David Honeyboy Edwards, and Jessie May Hemptill.
In 1991, “Pepper in my Shoe”, was released to rave reviews, sparking international interest and extensive touring in the UK and Europe. Catfish Keith was embraced as a true blues star. The Guardian called Catfish Keith, "a solo revelation" who was "Breaking new ground for blues." Catfish Keith, headlining major festivals and concerts, was featured on the covers of Blues Life of Austria/Germany, Blueprint in the UK and Block in the Netherlands.
It was soon followed by “Jitterbug Swing” which was nominated for a WC HANDY Award for "BEST ACOUSTIC BLUES ALBUM OF 1992."
The 'British Blues Connection' nominated Catfish Keith for "BEST OVERSEAS ARTIST," naming him "The new slide king of the National steel guitar." Cherry Ball” was released in 1993, further exploring Catfish’s string twanging style to the delight of an ever growing following of devoted fans.
Here are three of his very best
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Love.
