Park Foundation Music App

Home > Artists

Big Daddy Kinsey

Big Daddy Kinsey (March 18, 1927 — April 3, 2001) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. Born Lester Kinsey in Pleasant Grove, Mississippi, United States, he was a slide guitarist and harp blower with roots in both the Mississippi Delta and post-war Chicago Blues styles. Kinsey worked with local bands only long enough for his sons to mature into top-flight musicians, and since 1984 (when Kinsey recorded his debut album, Bad Situation) the family act has become one of the hottest attractions in contemporary blues. Kinsey's material ranged from deep blues in the Muddy Waters vein to hard-rocking blues with touches of funk and reggae, courtesy of sons Donald and Ralph. In the early 1990s Kinsey released one of the most successful albums of his career, I Am the Blues which featured contributions from Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Sugar Blue and Pinetop Perkins.