Back to artists
Photo: Salamanamanjaro, 2019 (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Modern
Samantha Fish
Born: January 30, 1989, Kansas City, Missouri• United States
Blues RockContemporary Blues
Instruments
Electric guitar (incl. cigar-box), Voice
Labels
Ruf, Rounder, Round Hill
from
Kansas City
Born
January 30, 1989, Kansas City, Missouri
Musical Influence
Samantha Fish has become one of the most commercially visible faces of the new generation of women in blues, moving the genre toward a brasher, hook-driven blues-rock sound while championing the cigar-box guitar tradition through her leadership of the New Orleans Cigar Box Guitar Festival. Her 2023 collaboration "Death Wish Blues" with Jesse Dayton reached number 1 on the Billboard Blues chart and earned her first Grammy nomination, with "Paper Doll" (2025) following with a second (Kilde: Wikipedia).
Influences
Bonnie RaittStevie Ray VaughanTom PettyThe Rolling Stones
Family and personal life
Formative experiences
- •Age 15: Switches from drums to guitar. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •Discovers cigar-box guitars at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, just out of high school. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •2009: Self-produces her live debut, "Live Bait." (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •2011: Signs to Ruf Records; releases "Runaway" with mentor Mike Zito. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •2012: Wins the Blues Music Award for Best New Artist. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •2023: "Death Wish Blues" with Jesse Dayton reaches #1 on the Billboard Blues chart and earns her first Grammy nomination. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
Instruments & Equipment
Guitar
Cigar-box guitar
Adopted after discovering the format at the King Biscuit Blues Festival; later led the New Orleans Cigar Box Guitar Festival.
Electric guitar
Primary instrument for her blues-rock recordings and touring.
Other
Drums
Her first instrument before switching to guitar at fifteen.
Stories & Anecdotes
"Started out as a drummer before switching to guitar at fifteen. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"First saw cigar-box guitars performed live at the King Biscuit Blues Festival, and bought her own from builder Stogie Box Blues while playing the same festival in 2012. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"The Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers" was a formative influence on her songwriting and tone. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Went on to lead the New Orleans Cigar Box Guitar Festival starting in 2019. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
""Death Wish Blues" (2023) with Jesse Dayton reached #1 on the Billboard Blues chart. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
Collaborators
Mentor; co-recorded "Runaway" (2011).
Texas songwriter; collaborative partner on the Grammy-nominated "Death Wish Blues" (2023).
Her sister, also a singer-songwriter.
Watch & Listen
Featured
Samantha Fish - Chills & Fever (Official Music Video)
Title track of her horn-driven 2017 vintage-soul detour.
Ruf Records
Watch & Listen
Henter videoer fra YouTube…
Discography
| Year | Title | Producer | Studio | Label | Chart | Sales | Musicians | YouTube | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Live Bait | Samantha Fish | — | Self-released | — | — | — | Self-produced live debut. | |
| 2011 | Runaway | Mike Zito | — | Ruf Records | — | — | Mike Zito (Guitar, production) | With mentor Mike Zito. | |
| 2013 | Black Wind Howlin' | Mike Zito | — | Ruf Records | — | — | — | — | |
| 2015 | Wild Heart | Luther Dickinson | — | Ruf Records | — | — | Luther Dickinson (Guitar, bass, mandolin, lap steel), Brady Blade (Drums), Lightnin' Malcolm (Guitar), Shardé Thomas (Drums), Dominic Davis (Bass) | — Produced by Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars. | |
| 2017 | Chills & Fever | Bobby Harlow | — | Ruf Records | — | — | — | Horn-driven detour into vintage soul. | |
| 2017 | Belle of the West | Luther Dickinson | — | Ruf Records | — | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | Kill or Be Kind | Scott Billington | — | Rounder Records | — | — | — | First album for Rounder Records. | |
| 2021 | Faster | Martin Kierszenbaum | — | Rounder Records | — | — | Josh Freese (Drums), Diego Navaira (Bass), Tech N9ne (Guest vocals) | — Rapper Tech N9ne guested on "Loud." | |
| 2023 | Death Wish Blues | Jesse Dayton, Vance Powell | — | Rounder Records | — | — | Jesse Dayton (Guitar, vocals) | Collaboration with Jesse Dayton; #1 on Billboard Blues chart; Grammy-nominated, Best Contemporary Blues Album. | |
| 2025 | Paper Doll | — | — | Rounder Records | — | — | — | Grammy-nominated, Best Contemporary Blues Album (2026). |
Famous songs
01Bulletproof
02Chills & Fever
03Bitch on the Run
04Faster
External links
Booking / Contact
Are you the artist, or do you represent the band or booking agency? We want the booking information here to always be accurate and current. Please send us the correct details via our contact form, and we'll update the profile as soon as possible. Go to the contact form