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Deep in the heart of the Delta lies Clarksdale, Miss., widely known as the birthplace of the blues. It was here, at the intersection of Highways 61 and 49, where legend has it that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at “the crossroads” for his extraordinary musical powers.
Musical icons Muddy Waters, W.C. Handy, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Ike Turner and Sam Cooke all hailed from or lived for a while in this blues mecca. So, too, did Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the Grammy Award-winning guitar virtuoso and singer whom mentor Buddy Guy called “the next explosion of blues.”
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Kingfish spent his first 24 years in and around Clarksdale. He learned how to play guitar at the city’s Delta Blues Museum at 8 and began gigging in local clubs at 10. At 14, the wunderkind performed for then-First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House as part of a student delegation of musicians from the museum. Kingfish even named his second album “662,” after the region’s area code.
Then this self-described “country boy” met an L.A. woman and moved to the Southland. Although the relationship didn’t last, Kingfish’s love for his adopted city did.
A year and a half ago he moved to Hollywood, built a recording studio in his home office and launched, with longtime manager Ric Whitney, Red Zero Records, a Los Angeles-based record label committed to signing talented blues artists who might otherwise be overlooked. Kingfish even recorded much of his latest album, “Hard Road,” a tasty gumbo of blues, rock, funk and soul, in his home and other area studios.
“I dig it here man. You have everything at your fingertips whenever you want, lots of resources,” he said. “And the weather, it doesn’t get cold and although it can get hot, it’s nothing like back in Mississippi. L.A. blows my mind.”
In a Zoom interview from his Hollywood home, Kingfish talked about how he spends a blissed-out Sunday.
7:30 a.m.: Music man
First thing I do, I immediately go to my studio and listen to tracks that I did the night before or new music that may have dropped. I’m always looking for inspiration and to make something new.
8:30 a.m.: A smoothie and sweat
I’ll have a green smoothie with kale, spinach, bananas and blueberries and some collagen powder. Or I’ll have some eggs and spinach and some fruit or something like that. Then I may get on my treadmill for 30 to 45 minutes. It’s right in my garage where the drums are.
10 a.m.: Studio redux
It sounds cliched, man, but music pretty much runs my life, because that’s all I’ve known from when I was a child until now. So anytime that I can, I’m creating. That’s why I put the studio in the house. So I could really lock in and work whenever inspiration strikes.
Noon: Healthful eats
I live down the street from a Mr. Charlie’s, which is like a plant-based version of McDonald’s. Or maybe I’ll go to Tender Greens. Those are the two main places I have lunch. I have a dietitian who advises me on how to eat better, so I really do work on finding a mix of healthy but tasty foods. Since the summer, I’m down 60 pounds at the moment. I have more energy on stage than before. Eating right and working out has been helpful, and Los Angeles is good for supporting that.
1:30 p.m.: Guitar nirvana
I don’t drive. So after lunch, I’ll Uber, Lyft or Waymo to Guitar Center. Like other musicians, I sometimes like going there to window shop, seeing what I may need for myself and the studio. Anytime a musician can walk into a room full of gear, it’s great. I’ll try out some guitars, check out different effect pedals. Between what’s in storage in Mississippi and what I got here in L.A., I probably own 70 to 80 guitars. I love my guitars.
3:30 p.m.: I want to take you higher
I don’t know if I should dive too deeply into this, but there are some amazing dispensaries in my area. There are great spots near La Brea, Melrose and Fairfax districts that are easy to get in and out of. I feel like L.A. has some of the best stuff. I’m more of an indica guy, and I really dig Artist Tree, the Woods and Herbarium. They help put me where I need to be, let me put it to you like that.
5 p.m.: Grooving at the Grove
I don’t stay too far from the Grove, which I really like, especially around the holidays. I love to look at the lights and the trains and everything, and just kind of people-watch and look at the families.
There’s a place there I sometimes like to go for dinner called Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill. It’s a fun sushi spot. The fish is always fresh. I also like to visit some of the stores there. I’m a bit of a sneakerhead, and sometimes I’ll pop into the Nike store there. I may also hit the Apple Store.
Or I might do something totally different and go to the Fox Hills Mall [now officially known as Westfield Culver City]. There’s a cool store there called Metropolis [Big & Tall]. That’s literally where I get all of my clothes for the stage. They fit big guys well, but stylishly.
7:30 p.m.: The Sun Rose
It’s like a little lounge, very low-key and chill. I’ve popped in there a few times. We had my afterparty there after my L.A. show [at the Ford in October]. Some nights it may be a DJ. Some nights it may be a band. Some nights it may be both. The music’s so diverse, ranging from R&B to jazz. That’s a dope spot to just hang out with your friends and have a drink. I’m currently working on a monthly blues-centric event there for 2026.
10 p.m.: Rock on
I like to end my night back home in my studio. I may be inspired by what I heard at the Sun Rose that night. I’m always working on my own stuff or maybe producing the new artists we signed on our label if they’re in town: Dylan Triplett, a phenomenal, soul blues-style singer out of St. Louis, or Mathias Lattin, a jazzy soul-blues singer and guitarist from Houston. Or I might invite over some musicians and producers I know to make some music. If the vibe is right, we may cut one or two or maybe even three songs. That’s enough to knock me out, man. I’m asleep by 1 or 2.
Ballon, a former Times, Forbes and Inc. Magazine reporter, teaches an advanced writing class at USC. He lives in Fullerton.
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