Amanda Fish is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her 2018 album, ''Free'', debuted at number 6 in the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Blues Albums Chart. At the 40th

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

s, it was named the Best Emerging Artist Album. Her younger sister,

Samantha Fish Samantha Fish (born January 30, 1989) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. While often cited as a blues artist, Fish's work features and draws from multiple genres, including Rock music, rock, Country music, ...

, is a fellow blues and

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...

singer-songwriter, formerly recording for

Ruf Records Ruf Records is a German independent record label, which was founded in 1994 by Luther Allison’s manager, Thomas Ruf, to promote Allison's career. The motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in L ...

Career

In her adolescence, Amanda Fish retreated to her own room to practice her singing while her younger sister,

, did likewise to play her guitar. Their original inspiration came from their parents; their mother, a classically trained mezzo-soprano, violinist and pianist was the director of a local Kansas City church choir, and their father played his guitar with friends. Initially hearing recordings of

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

and

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (also known as SRV; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (band), Double Trouble. Although his ma ...

, they later heard music from

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

and

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. The sisters were both drawn towards blues music in their teenage years, however Amanda did not commence writing or performing until 2012. She first performed solo in a singer-songwriter vein, before forming her own band in 2014. The following year she released her debut album, ''Down in the Dirt'', on VizzTone Records, for which she was honored with the Sean Costello Rising Star Award from '' Blues Blast'' magazine. On ''Down in the Dirt'', her band consisted of Amanda Fish (vocals, guitar), Sean McDonnell (vocals, guitar), Cole Dillingham (vocals, guitar, bass) and Kristopher Schenbelen (drums). The latter previously played as part of

Trampled Under Foot "Trampled Under Foot" is a song by English rock group Led Zeppelin. A funk-influenced piece with John Paul Jones on clavinet, it was included on their 1975 album '' Physical Graffiti''. The song was released as a single in several countries and ...

. Fish wrote all the material, although four of the songs were co-written with McDonnell. Fish and her band reached the semi-finals of the 2017

International Blues Challenge The International Blues Challenge (IBC) is a music competition run by the Blues Foundation. Notable blues artists that have competed in the IBC over the years also includes Fiona Boyes, Eden Brent, Michael Burks, Tommy Castro, Sean Costello, ...

. The same year, Fish was featured on the Homegrown Buzz Showcase on

KRBZ KFNZ-FM (96.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri. It simulcasts a sports radio format with sister station KFNZ (610 AM), except during conflicting sports programming. The stations are owned by Audacy, Inc., with studi ...

radio station. Fish toured with her band, before returning to the recording studio to produce her sophomore album, ''Free'', which was released in her own name in September 2018. The album included contributions from her fellow Vizztone label mates, Tyler Morris and

Bob Margolin Bob Margolin (born May 9, 1949) is an American electric blues guitarist. His nickname is Steady Rollin'. Biography Margolin started playing guitar in 1964, and his first appearance on record was with Boston psychedelic band The Freeborne, and ...

. ''Free'' debuted at number 6 in the ''

'' Blues Albums Chart. "The Ballad of Lonesome Cowboy Bill" was the first single released from ''Free''. At the 40th

s, it was named the Best Emerging Artist Album. In 2018, Fish appeared at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival. Her band has also appeared in 2018 at the Mimbres Region Arts Council Silver City Blues Festival, in 2019 at the Michael Arnone Crawfish Festival and in 2021 at the WC Handy Blues Festival. Other, perhaps smaller but no less notable venues and festivals include: The Durango Blues Train Music Festival in 2018, Al Bum's Concert Patio in 2018, Whiskey Rebellion Festival in 2018, Riverfront Blues Fest in 2018, Hill Fest Blues in 2020, Camping With The Blues in 2018 and 2020, and Canadian Blues venues; Sault Blues Society in 2019, Blues on Whyte, Buds on Broadway and the Blues Can. Starting in 2020 and extending into 2021, Amanda and her husband recorded a CD of all new material in her makeshift home studio.

Discography

Albums

References

External links

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Article and video filmed at Buddy Guy's Legends
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Amanda Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women singers American blues guitarists American blues singers American blues singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters Guitarists from Missouri Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri Singer-songwriters from Missouri