The ZZ Top vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons is certainly one of the most influential Blues Rock guitarists from the past five decades. He was a crucial part of the band’s sound, which made them sell an estimated amout of more than 50 million records worldwide.
Gibbons continues to be a huge inspiration for countless guitarists but although he is already in his 70s and saw many amazing artists over the decades, he continues to pay attention to new players. He even revealed which are two new Blues guitarists that he loves.
The 2 young Blues guitarists Billy Gibbons loves
Kingfish
The first artists mentioned by Billy Gibbons in the interview with Guitar World in 2024, was the American artists Kingfish. “Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram is on it. In that there’s a resonance with a strident Mississippi presence, bringing on that wisdom of the Delta,” Billy Gibbons said.
Back in 2023, Kingfish was one of the artists who were invited to give Gibbons the BMI Troubadour Award. It honors songwriters who had indelible impacts on the music work and are still a source of inspiration for younger generations. Kingfish covered that night ZZ Top’s song “Waitin’ For the Bus”.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram was born back in 1999 in Clarksdale, Mississippi and started his musical career in 2014. So he became a professional artist two years after ZZ Top released their most recent album “La Futura” (2012).
Since then, the musician released three praised albums. They are: “Kingfish” (2019), “662” (2021) and “Live in London” (2023). But he also recorded with other artists like Buddy Guy, Eric Gales and Keb Mo.
Quinn Sullivan
The second guitarist praised by Gibbons during his conversation with Guitar World was Quinn Sullivan. He said: “Quinn Sullivan has entered the scene, a Buddy Guy discovery going on to play at the Mahindra Blues Festival in India. Both (Quinn and Kingfish) join the wave of up-and-comers with a genuine kind of approach and intensity.”
Coincidentally, just like Kingfish, Quinn Sullivan was born in 1999. He is from the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts but started his musical career back in 2006, when he was only a kid. He became known for appearing in TV shows like The Ellen DeGeneres at the age of six. Sullivan also had the opportunity to perform with names like Buddy Guy and B.B. King around that time. His first album “Cyclone” was released when he was only 12.
Curiously, Billy Gibbons listed in an interview with The Quietus, the Sullivan album “Midnight Highway” as one of his favorites of all time. The record was released in 2017 when the American guitarist was only 18.
Explaining his choice, he said he was a little sceptical at first when people said this young guitar player was amazing. But just like everyone, he was amazed when he had the opportunity to hear Sullivan playing.
“Quinn Sullivan seems to have what it takes. The ‘blues’ seems to be rediscovered about every ten years but in this case I think it’s well done. It’s certainly encouraging. Interpreting the blues in an appealing manner is not so different than attempting to speak a recently-learned foreign language. You can memorise the instruction book but it’s the dialect that allows you to enter the society as a true speaker of the language”, Billy Gibbons said.
Until 2024, Quinn Sullivan released five studio albums, the most recent one being “Salvation” (2024).