Amani Burnham – Roots & Wings
It is a classic blues-rock power-trio record, largely built around a single guitar track running from beginning to end
Amani Burnham – Roots & Wings
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital
Label: Blind Pig Records
Release: 2026
Release date: May 29, 2026
Seventy years after its initial recording, blues-rock artist Amani Burnham posted a video of himself playing Muddy Waters’ “Hoochie Coochie Man.” It was surreal to see a 19-year-old on Instagram wielding a white Fender Stratocaster with such dexterous ferocity and sensual charisma. But there Amani was, seated on the floor in Gen Z’s standard uniform of sweatpants and a hoodie, holding the guitar like a sword between his legs and playing the hell out of it.
In his hands, the Willie Dixon blues standard sounded sexy and dangerous again. At the time, Amani hadn’t been playing guitar for very long, and the post was simply a natural extension of his love for blues-rock. Yet his fluid soloing and electrifying showmanship captured the imagination of blues fans and seasoned professional musicians alike, inadvertently heralding the arrival of a new blues dynamo.
“Most 20-year-olds haven’t heard of ‘Hoochie Coochie Man,’” shares the Middletown, Connecticut–based artist. “But I bring an energy and a life force to the music and people connect with it. I’d love to be the person in my age group who brings this music back.”
Today, Amani is stepping out from behind the screen with his debut album, ‘Roots & Wings,’ released on acclaimed blues indie Blind Pig Records. The 12-song collection crackles with groovy blues-rock riffs, cosmic solos, lyrical phrasing, stinging vibrato, and soulful vocals. ‘Roots & Wings’ was produced by and co-written with label head Jeff Schroedl.
Since starting on social media in late 2023, Amani has amassed more than 245,000 followers and nearly 30 million cumulative views on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. His viral videos have caught the attention of many prominent musicians including Ted Nugent, who recently had Amani open one of his shows.
Amani is a song-oriented artist who writes tough, tuneful blues-rock with introspective, free-spirited lyrics. ‘Roots & Wings’ is a classic blues-rock power-trio record, largely built around a single guitar track running from beginning to end. Think Clapton, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, and Robin Trower, but for a new generation.
Throughout the album, Amani effortlessly shifts between rhythm and lead guitar. Much of his greasy fluidity comes from a unique technique: he plays using his right-hand thumb instead of a pick. Amani is able to blaze through lead runs and dig into aggressive, syncopated chordal riffing just using his thumb. The approach recalls fingerprint stylists like Jeff Beck, Wes Montgomery, and Curtis Mayfield.
The title Roots & Wings reflects Amani’s connection to his African heritage. Born in Ethiopia, he was adopted at a young age and raised by a loving family in Connecticut. His father is a music fanatic, and some of Amani’s earliest memories include watching live footage of the Beatles and Chuck Berry—his first guitar hero—on the family computer. From there, he branched out to Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Amani began his musical journey on drums, inspired by Gene Krupa. Guitar was something he dabbled in on the side until the COVID lockdown, when he fully committed. He spent years hunkered down, voraciously practicing and writing songs, many of which appear on Roots & Wings.
Ready to share his work, Amani began posting videos on Instagram of himself playing with his power trio. The “Hoochie Coochie Man” clip proved to be the turning point, earning his highest engagement to date and a flood of new followers. One of those connections led to Blind Pig’s Jeff Schroedl receiving a DM alerting him to Amani’s work. Schroedl officially signed Amani in spring 2025, and that fall the pair, along with drummer Ray Hangen and bassist Matt Raymond, headed into Carriage House Studios (Paul Simon, Gov’t Mule, Johnny Winter, Marcus King) in Stamford, Connecticut.
The sessions were tailored around Amani’s spontaneity, resulting in recordings that feel raw and full of wonder. Roots & Wings opens with the turbo-charged Stevie Ray Vaughan–style instrumental “Fastlane.” Next comes the introspective, swampy shuffle “I Wanna Know,” where Amani’s lyrics reflect a young man’s earnest search for meaning. His vocals channel the mojo-laced cadence of Muddy Waters as he sings: I wanna know/why the stars still shine/through the darkest nights/and the hardest times/can broken hearts/still beat as one/is forgiveness found/when damage is done.
The title track is the album’s most personal statement. It is an abstract reflection on Amani’s experience as an adopted child. “I don’t know who my birth parents are, and that plays a big part in my life,” he shares. “I know they’re out there somewhere.” “Roots & Wings” features strutting blues riffs punctuated by astonishingly liquid leads.
The “Last Thing I Remember” may be the only slow blues you’ll ever hear about sleep paralysis. It barges open with a fiery solo, teeming with hallmarks of Amani’s lead playing, his thick gritty tone, ability to play fast while maintaining a laid-back groove, and his detailed phrasing, including wise-beyond-his-years vibrato.
It’s fitting that Amani’s first album opens with a song called “Fastlane,” as his career has been pedal to the metal. In just a year and a half, he went from posting guitar clips on social media to landing a record deal. It’s a testament to both the resilience of the blues and the fervent passion it inspires across generations. “Blues, like nature, has to keep evolving,” Amani says. “You can trace heavy metal, prog rock, grunge, everything, back to it. I want to be a part of that evolution.”
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