His travels took him to the Caribbean , where in the Virgin Islands he crewed briefly on a sailboat, soaking up a wealth of island sounds.  Rhythms of Jazz, Calypso, Reggae and the music of Joseph Spence gave Catfish inspiration to reach new musical heights.  Though he grew up on the Mississippi River, Catfish earned his monicker from a West Indian lobster diving partner who, after seeing him swim, dubbed him "Catfish-Swimmin'-Aro; and ";Catfish-Steel-Guitar-Man.";

In 1984, at age 22, Catfish recorded his first album (on Kicking Mule), Catfish Blues.  The all-solo debut established him as a new force in acoustic blues, reaching Number One on independent worldwide radio charts.  This enabled Catfish to play and tour continually, learning directly from legends such as Johnny Shines, David Honeyboy Edwards, Jesse Mae Hemphill and Henry Townsend.

Catfish and Penny Cahill married in 1988 and soon formed Fish Tail Records.  In 1991, Pepper in My Shoe! was released to tremendous acclaim, sparking international interest and extensive touring in the UK and Europe .  Embraced as a true blues star, The Guardian called Catfish ";a solo revelation"; who was ";Breaking new ground for blues.";  Headlining major festivals and concerts, Catfish was featured on the covers of Blues Life (Austria/Germany), Blueprint ( UK ), and Block ( Netherlands ).  In the US , Catfish tours from coast-to-coast and packs houses with his dynamic, foot-stomping stage show.  Feature articles and reviews in Blues Revue Quarterly, Acoustic Guitar, Living Blues, Blues Access and many others, testify to his love of, and dedication to carrying on his musical message to excited audiences the world over.

Pepper in My Shoe! was followed by Jitterbug Swing which was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award for ";BEST ACOUSTIC BLUES ALBUM OF 1992.";  Catfish was also honored to perform at the Handy Awards show, where he appeared alongside Robert Cray, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Buddy Guy, Johnny Copeland, Delbert McClinton and others.  The British Blues Connection nominated Catfish for ";BEST OVERSEAS ARTIST,"; calling him ";The new slide king of the National steel guitar.";

Cherry Ball was released in 1993, further exploring Catfish's string-twanging style for an ever-growing following of devoted fans.  James Jensen in Dirty Linen writes:  ";Catfish will give you goose bumps and leave you howling for more!";  That same year a concert video by  Catfish Keith was produced for the American Blues video series, as Catfish continued to tour over 150 days a year.

Catfish Keith's fifth solo album, Fresh Catfish, was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award for ";BEST ACOUSTIC BLUES ALBUM OF 1995.";  This disc displays the drive and swing of a true blues performer on the vanguard of today's music scene.  ";Catfish Keith is hands down one of the finest acoustic bluesmen in America ."; -Mark E. Gallo, Blues Review

Catfish swims deep on his latest album,  Twist It, Babe!   This is perhaps his finest work to date and reaffirms the 20-year veteran's reputation as one of our era's premier exponents of American blues and roots music.  Like all of his previous albums, Twist It, Babe! hit Number One on radio charts around the globe.

";One of the finest guitarists of any genre. Keith's great love and delight in this music make Twist It, Babe! completely irresistable."; - Acoustic Guitar.

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