View source for Catfish Keith

{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{use mdy dates|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Catfish Keith
| image           = Catfish Keith (5682117251).jpg
| caption         = Pickin' tent MerleFest 2011
| alt             =
| image_size      =
| birth_name      = Keith Daniel Kozacik<ref name="Virgin">{{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}}</ref>
| alias           =
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1962|2|9}}<ref name="Virgin"/>
| birth_place     = [[East Chicago, Indiana|East Chicago]], Indiana, United States
| instrument      = [[Steel guitar]]
| genre           = [[Blues]]<ref name="AMG"/>
| occupation      = Singer, guitarist, songwriter
| years_active    = 1980s&ndash;present
| label           = Fish Tail Records, various
| associated_acts =
| website         = {{URL|catfishkeith.com}}
}}
'''Catfish Keith''' (born February 9, 1962)<ref name="Virgin"/> is an American [[Country blues|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''.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
''[[The Guardian]]'' described him as "a solo revelation" who was "breaking new ground for blues.<ref name="AMG"/> Twice a [[Blues Music Award]] nominee for 'Best Acoustic Blues Album', he has had ten number one independent radio chart hit albums.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
==Early life and career==
Catfish Keith was born '''Keith Daniel Kozacik''' in [[East Chicago, Indiana|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 (musician)|Joseph Spence]].<ref name="AMG"/>
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."<ref>{{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}}</ref>  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 (musician)|Henry Townsend]], [[Johnny Shines]] and [[David "Honeyboy" Edwards]].<ref name="AMG"/>
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."<ref name="AMG"/>
''Cherry Ball'' (1993) saw ''[[Dirty Linen (magazine)|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.<ref name="AMG"/>
After ''Twist It Babe!'', his next release was ''Pony Run'' (1999).<ref name="AMG"/> ''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."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catfishkeith.com/sweetpeareviews.htm |title=Sweet Pea Reviews |website=Catfishkeith.com |date= |access-date=2012-12-08}}</ref>
In 2008, Keith was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.<ref name="Cluny">{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
He is an endorser of [[National Reso-Phonic Guitars]].<ref name="Cluny"/> Catfish Keith has issued an instructional DVD entitled ''Dynamic Country Blues Guitar''.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
In 2019, his album, ''Reefer Hound: Viper Songs Revisited'', won acoustic album of the year honors at the Blues Blast Music Awards.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
==Discography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year || Title || Record label
|-
| 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
|}<ref name="AMG">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Indiana}}
* [[List of electric blues musicians]]
* [[List of people from Indiana]]
* [[List of singer-songwriters]]
* [[List of slide guitarists]]
* [[Music of Indiana]]
{{Clear}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==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)]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Catfish}}
[[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]]
[[Category:21st-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Indiana]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male singers]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Indiana]]