Catfish Keith

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Catfish Keith

| image = Catfish Keith (5682117251).jpg

| caption = Pickin' tent MerleFest 2011

| alt =

| image_size =

| birth_name = Keith Daniel Kozacik{{cite book| first = Colin | last= Larkin| year= 1998| title= The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues| edition= 1st| publisher= Virgin Books | location= London, England| isbn= 0753502267| page= 71| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6U7AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Catfish+Keith%22}}

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|2|9}}

| birth_place = East Chicago, Indiana, United States

| instrument = Steel guitar

| genre = Blues

| occupation = Singer, guitarist, songwriter

| years_active = 1980s–present

| label = Fish Tail Records, various

| associated_acts =

| website = {{URL|catfishkeith.com}}

}}

Catfish Keith (born February 9, 1962) is an American acoustic blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as an exponent of the resonator guitar. He has released several solo albums, including 2001's A Fist Full of Riffs.{{cite web|last=Nickson |first=Chris |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-fist-full-of-riffs-mw0000013922 |title=A Fist Full of Riffs – Catfish Keith : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |date=2001-09-25 |access-date=2012-12-08}}

The Guardian described him as "a solo revelation" who was "breaking new ground for blues. Twice a Blues Music Award nominee for 'Best Acoustic Blues Album', he has had ten number one independent radio chart hit albums.{{cite web|url=http://www.chapelarts.org/index.php?main_page=product_ticket_info&cPath=6&products_id=210 |title=Catfish Keith – £10.00 |publisher=Chapel Arts |date=2012-11-13 |access-date=2012-12-08}}

Early life and career

Catfish Keith was born Keith Daniel Kozacik in East Chicago, Indiana, and was first inspired by blues music he heard on the radio. These included songs by Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, although by the time he owned a guitar in his teenage years, he listened mostly to Son House. He attended high school in Davenport, Iowa, before setting out across the United States and beyond learning to sing and play his brand of the blues. He traveled to the Caribbean, where his musical education benefited from hearing Joseph Spence.

His stage name originated from a diving partner in the Virgin Islands who, having seen his efforts at swimming, nicknamed him "Catfish-Swimmin'-Around," and "Catfish-Steel-Guitar-Man."{{cite web|url=http://www.bluesinlondon.com/interviews/int_catfish.html |title=Interview with Catfish Keith |publisher=Blues in London |date= |access-date=2012-12-08}} Catfish Keith had his debut album, Catfish Blues (1984), released by Kicking Mule Records. He continued to tour constantly and picked up playing tips from watching Jessie Mae Hemphill, Henry Townsend, Johnny Shines and David "Honeyboy" Edwards.

Keith married in 1988 and founded his own record label, Fish Tail Records. 1991's Pepper in My Shoe sparked global interest in his work, and he toured both Europe and the United States. He appeared on the cover pages of the publications Blues Life, Blueprint, Block and The Guardian, and his follow-up effort, Jitterbug Swing was nominated for a Blues Music Award. Further acclaim was afforded by the British magazine, Blues Connection, who named him "the new slide king of the National steel guitar."

Cherry Ball (1993) saw Dirty Linen's James Jensen state "Catfish will give you goose bumps and leave you howling for more!" A further Blues Music Award nomination was generated by the release of Fresh Catfish in 1995.

After Twist It Babe!, his next release was Pony Run (1999). Sweet Pea (2005) was praised by Living Blues who opined "the guitar playing is surely the main attraction here, and "Blotted Out My Mind" alone earns Catfish comparison to Frank Hovington, Elizabeth Cotten, and other virtuoso six-stringers."{{cite web|url=http://www.catfishkeith.com/sweetpeareviews.htm |title=Sweet Pea Reviews |website=Catfishkeith.com |date= |access-date=2012-12-08}}

In 2008, Keith was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.thecluny.com/listing/catfish-keith-cluny-2-0 |title=Tenth Anniversary Weekender: Catfish Keith (Cluny 2) |publisher=The Cluny |date= |access-date=2012-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204034034/http://www.thecluny.com/listing/catfish-keith-cluny-2-0 |archive-date=December 4, 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|last=Hotle |first=David |url=http://www.catfishkeith.com/iowablueshalloffamearticle.htm |title=Catfish Inducted into Iowa Blues Hall of Fame |website=Catfishkeith.com |date= |access-date=2012-12-08}}

He is an endorser of National Reso-Phonic Guitars. Catfish Keith has issued an instructional DVD entitled Dynamic Country Blues Guitar.{{cite web |url=http://www.homespuntapes.com/Instructors/catfish-keith |title=Catfish Keith |website=Homespuntapes.com |access-date=2012-12-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611051654/http://www.homespuntapes.com/Instructors/catfish-keith |archive-date=June 11, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.catfishkeith.com/guitarplayervideoreview.htm |title=Learning Curve : The Country Blues Guitar of Catfish Keith |website=Catfishkeith.com |date= |access-date=2012-12-08}}

In 2019, his album, Reefer Hound: Viper Songs Revisited, won Acoustic Album of the Year honors at the Blues Blast Music Awards.{{Cite web|title=2019 Blues Blast Music Award Winners – Blues Blast Magazine|date=September 13, 2019 |url=http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/2019-blues-blast-music-award-winners/|access-date=2021-01-16|language=en-US}}

Discography

Year \|\| Title \|\| Record label
class="wikitable sortable"
1984	Catfish Blues	style="text-align:center;"\|Kicking Mule Records
1991	Pepper in My Shoe	style="text-align:center;"\|Orchard Records
1992	Jitterbug Swing	style="text-align:center;"\|Orchard Records
1993	Cherry Ball	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
1995	Fresh Catfish	style="text-align:center;"\|Orchard Records
1997	Twist It Babe!	style="text-align:center;"\|Orchard Records
1999	Pony Run	style="text-align:center;"\|Orchard Records
2001	A Fist Full of Riffs	style="text-align:center;"\|Solid Air Records
2003	Rolling Sea	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2005	Sweet Pea	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2007	If I Could Holler	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2008	Live at the Half Moon	style="text-align:center;"\|CD Baby
2011	A True Friend is Hard To Hard – A Gospel Retrospective	style="text-align:center;"\|CD Baby
2011	Put on a Buzz	style="text-align:center;"\|CD Baby
2013	Honey Hole	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2017	Mississippi River Blues	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2018	Reefer Hound: Viper Songs Revisited	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2019	Catfish Crawl	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2020	Blues at Midnight	style="text-align:center;"\|Fish Tail Records
2024	Shake Me Up	style="text-align:center;"\|CD Baby

{{cite web|last=Belanger |first=Larry |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/catfish-keith-mn0000804209 |title=Catfish Keith – Music Biography, Credits and Discography |publisher=AllMusic |date=1962-02-09 |access-date=2012-12-08}}{{cite web|url=http://www.catfishkeith.com/ |title=String-Twanging Home of Catfish Keith |website=Catfishkeith.com |date=2012-12-02 |access-date=2012-12-08}}

References

External links

{{URL|catfishkeith.com}}, his official website
{{allMusic|id=mn0000804209|label=Catfish Keith}}
[http://www.mnblues.com/review/catfish-rs3-00.html Live performance review]
[http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/the-acoustic-blues-slide-guitarist-catfish-keith-talks-about Interview]
[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/catfish-keith Catfish Keith Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2016)]

Category:1962 births

Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters

Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters

Category:American blues guitarists

Category:American male guitarists

Category:American blues singer-songwriters

Category:American male singer-songwriters

Category:Electric blues musicians

Category:Living people

Category:People from East Chicago, Indiana

Category:Steel guitarists

Category:20th-century American guitarists