Samantha Fish with her trusty Gibson SG
COVER STORYSLASHS Blues BALL
“PEOPLE WERE SAYING, ‘THIS ISN’T BLUES.’ AND NOW IT’S OUR GOLD STANDARD”
SAMANTHA FISH FIRST came to mainstream attention as part of a trio of artists on the 2011 Girls with Guitars record, but over the past decade or so she has proven to be a more singular — and much less easy to pigeonhole — talent. Over the course of seven studio albums, first for German indie label Ruf and more recently for blues and roots powerhouse Rounder, Fish has carved out a style that marries high-octane blues with raucous rock ’n’ roll, pop, country, punk, hip-hop and other sounds. Binding it all together are her commanding vocals and tasty, melodic guitar work, attributes that have over the years garnered a sizable audience that counts Slash amongst its members.
“Samantha reminds me a little bit of Bonnie Raitt in some ways,” Slash says of his S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival mate. “She’s got this cool swagger and incredible blues tone and style. She’s a real natural, and somebody that sort of surprised me when I first heard her play. I was like, ‘Wow, this is great!’”
Regarding her penchant for