Keith Johnson

Born in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in Glen Allan, 32-year-old Keith Johnson is a rising force in contemporary blues, known for blending deep Delta roots with a modern edge. A great-nephew of blues legend Muddy Waters and grandson of gospel singer Texcellar Fields, Keith carries a rich musical legacy into the next generation.

Like many Delta musicians before him, Keith’s path to the blues was through gospel. He grew up singing gospel at church, and in his teens sang in the Delta Sensations gospel quartet. It wasn’t until he went to study at the Delta Music Institute, however, that he found his blues voice. He started participating in the school’s house band, and a gig performing a Muddy Waters song at a Mississippi showcase at the Grammy Awards in 2014 was fate. “I was already singing gospel, so when I started playing blues it came natural,” Keith says. “I had got that from my grandmother, and by Muddy being born in the Delta, that was my sound anyway.”

In recent years, Johnson has competed in the International Blues Challenge and has brought his high-energy performances to major festivals including the King Biscuit Blues Festival, the Chicago Blues Festival, and the Greenville Hot Tamale Festival. In 2020, blues icon Bobby Rush passed the “blues torch” to Keith during a live-streamed duet at the Delta Blues & Heritage Festival. Whether performing live or recording in the studio, Keith Johnson delivers a powerful mix of tradition, soul, and innovation which keeps the blues alive for a new generation.