Samantha Fish

Versatile roots rock guitarist Samantha Fish impressed industry professionals as a teenager before scoring her first number one album on the blues chart when she was still in her mid-twenties. Fish’s music is based in the blues, especially on early LPs like 2013′s Black Wind Howlin' and the Luther Dickinson-produced Wild at Heart (2015). As her star rose, Fish’s music became more eclectic, showing off her love of R&B, rock & roll, rockabilly, and funk, as well as her passionate vocal stylings. 2021′s Faster saw her backed by members of the Vandals and the Last Bandoleros, and 2023′s Death Wish Blues was a collaboration with rockabilly rebel Jesse Dayton.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Fish grew up in a musical family who enjoyed a variety of genres, including a steady diet of classic rock radio. Her father played guitar and would sometimes jam with friends at their home. Young Samantha started out as a drummer but switched to guitar at the age of 15. As a teen, she would sneak into local blues landmark the Knuckleheads Saloon to hear touring musicians, and she began sitting in with them from time to time after she became legal at 18.
In 2009, Fish recorded the live album Live Bait as the Samantha Fish Blues Band, and the rock-edged guitar work brought her to the attention of Ruf Records. The label went on to feature her alongside Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde on the 2011 release Girls with Guitars, which included covers of Rolling Stones and Steve Miller Band hits, as well as original material from the three guitarist/singer/songwriters.Later that same year, Fish released her solo debut, Runaway, also with Ruf Records. It was produced by mentor and early collaborator Mike Zito.
She saw her first chart success with her sophomore LP, Black Wind Howlin', also produced by Zito. It hit the Billboard Heatseekers chart and reached the Top Ten of the blues albums chart upon release in 2013. She followed it with Wild at Heart in 2015, which became a blues number one; it was produced by Luther Dickinson of the Black Crowes and the North Mississippi Allstars. Fish’s fourth studio album, 2017′s Chills & Fever, was recorded in Detroit with members of the Detroit Cobras, and featured covers of obscure pop and soul tunes.
Also in 2017, Fish issued Belle of the West. Recorded in Missouri with Luther Dickinson, it featured contributions by guitarist/harmonica player Lightnin' Malcolm, former-Squirrel Nut Zipper Jimbo Mathus, violinist Lillie Mae Rische, and others. Her second blues-chart topper, the album helped the guitarist pick up a 2018 Blues Music Association award for Contemporary Female Artist of the Year. Recorded in Memphis with producer Scott Billington, Fish’s sixth full-length, 2019′s Kill or Be Kind, marked her Rounder Records label debut. It returned her to the top of the Billboard Blues Albums chart and also reached number one on the Heatseekers chart.
Fish was one of a small army of respected artists who guested on Dion’s 2020 album Blues With Friends, dueting with the blues and doo-wop legend on “What If I Told You.” She teamed up with producer Martin Kierszenbaum, aka Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, for her next solo outing, 2021′s Faster, also released on Rounder. Her studio band for the sessions included drummer Josh Freese, who had worked with the Vandals, the Replacements, and A Perfect Circle, and the Last Bandoleros’ bassist Diego Navaira. Fish teamed with Jesse Dayton, a shape-shifting guitarist who blends rockabilly, outlaw country, and roots rock, for 2023′s Death Wish Blues. Punk blues firebrand Jon Spencer produced the sessions, with the backing band including Kendall Wind on bass, Mickey Finn on keys, and Aaron Johnston on drums.~ Marcy Donelson