Third Street Cigar Records is very pleased to welcome the legendary Donald Kinsey to our roster.
Donald’s resume is among the most impressive you will ever see. Raised by the great Chicago bluesman Lester Big Daddy Kinsey, Donald’s long career began when he was tapped to tour with Albert King, before he was even 20 years old. Soon enough, he became Albert’s bandleader and before long was off on his own trek. In the mid-1970s, Donald formed a rock band called White Lightnin’ and signed to Island Records. Through Island, the Kinsey guitar sound became a part of the music of both Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. In the 1980s, Donald joined his two brothers to create The Kinsey Report, with lauded albums for Alligator and Smoke and Steel. The Report still performs regularly today, and Donald can be found touring with The Wailers, a living legacy version of Marley’s famous backing band.
With all that under his belt, Donald is now known as one of the great American guitar players of the last fifty years. Blues, reggae, rock and roll, all informed by seemingly millions of road miles. At Third Street, Donald will release his first-ever solo album. As a taste teaser, his first-ever digital single, “Bloody Tears” (combined with “Who’s Been Knocking”) is streaming now.