Samantha Fish – The Early Years
Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri. as a kid she starts out playing drums and later switches to guitar as a teenager. She’s also exposed to music at an early age between her mother being a church choir instructor and her father playing guitar with his friends and she was into the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, just to name a few! Starting out she would go to the local club “Knuckleheads” Saloon to hear touring blues artists. After turning 18, she often joins in with the singers and bands who were performing.
Flash forward to 2009, she’s already starting her career as a singer-guitarist, recording albums, and touring nationally. This just shows how determined she is on how she handles her career. Besides being an award-winning artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, she also very business savvy and is very involved in developing her brand and deciding on what projects she wants to be involved in. “I was lucky to see her perform live in Florida, and I have to say she’s quite the bad ass on stage! I highly recommend you check her out!
Creating Her Own Destiny
In 2009, Fish records and produces “Live Bait” a live album that is pretty much her calling card. Well, it works, and she captures the attention of a local talent scout who puts it in the hands of Ruf Records. Which does an album with two other blues artists for their album “Girls with Guitars. Which takes them on a tour through Europe and the U.S As the 2011 Blues Caravan. After the tour, she continues performing and touring as the Samantha Fish Band which is her playing as a trio with her on the guitar, Ray pollard on drums and Chris Alexander on bass.
2011 proves to be a pivotal year for Fish when she finally records another album with her mentor Mike Zito called Runaway. Which wins her the 2012 Blues Music Award for Best New Artist. In 2013, she gets invited to appear on Devon Allman’s 2013 album Turquoise in a duet covering the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks’ song “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around. As well as being called up on stage to play guitar with Buddy Guy. We’re pretty sure she held her own on this particular occasion!
In 2013, Fish releases her second major studio album, Black Wind Howlin’, featuring Mike Zito on guitar, and a duet Paul Thorn, on one track. As well as appearing on The Healers Live at Knuckleheads Saloon, producing a CD/DVD collaboration with Jimmy Hall, Reese Wynans, Kate Moss, and Danielle and Kris Schnebelen. In 2015, she releases her third Album “Wild Heart”, Chills & Fever in 2017, “Belle of The West” in 2017, and “Kill or Be Kind” in 2019 on her new label Rounder Records. So, as you can see, she keeps herself busy!
Her Latest Album – Faster
She releases her seventh solo album, “Faster”, on Rounder Records. The album is produced by Martin Kierszenbaum, and features drummer Josh Freese and bass player Diego Navaira of the Last Bandoleros as well as rapper Tech N9ne who is featured on the song “Loud”. The result?
It’s electrifying! The album is an in-your-face mix of pure blues with a rock and roll edge. It’s definitely a nice direction for her and it really highlights her singing and guitar playing. Also, check out “Twisted Ambition” Below from her latest album as well.
Cigar Box Guitarist & Her Other Musical Styles
Not only is she a blues guitarist, and singer but she’s also a mean cigar box guitar player! Depending on what kind of performance she’s doing (usually at festivals). She likes to surprise her audiences often by playing her cigar box guitar to massive audiences. While continuing to play and to grow as a musician. She also has started incorporating a wide variety of genres into her music and her performances. Below she is playing her CBG guitar at the 2019 New Orleans Cigar Box Guitar Festival.
Furthermore, be sure, to check out the other JB blog posts: https://jbonamassa.com/jb-blog/