Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenny Wayne Brobst, 1977) and his group exploded on the scene in the mid-’90s and garnered huge amounts of radio airplay on commercial radio, which historically has not been a solid home for blues and blues-rock music, with the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan in the mid-’80s.
Shepherd is a Louisiana-born guitarist, singer, songwriter and began playing at age seven, figuring out Muddy Waters licks from his father’s record collection (he has never taken a formal lesson). He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success both as a blues artist and a young musician.
Shepherd’s father/manager used his own contacts and pizzazz in the record business to help land his son a major-label record deal with Irving Azoff’s Giant Records. It paid off big time when his first album, Ledbetter Heights was released two years later in 1995 and was an immediate hit, selling over 500,000 copies by early 1996.
Trouble Is… released in 1997, earned a Grammy nomination and Live On followed a year later. In 2004 The Place You’re In was released on Reprise Records, and was the first album to feature Shepherd doing the majority of the lead vocals (singer Noah Hunt handled the lead vocals on the previous two albums). Shepherd married actor Mel Gibson’s daughter, Hannah, in 2006. The couple has five children, three daughters and two sons.
Shepherd’s next project saw him traveling in the American South with a documentary film crew and a portable recording studio as he backed up several veteran blues players on their home turf. The resulting album and film, 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, appeared in 2007 before Live! In Chicago followed in 2010.
In 2013, Shepherd, along with Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills & Nash) and Barry Goldberg (Electric Flag), formed The Rides. The band has released two albums by this date.
Kenny has been kept busy touring and making many live performance appearances. In 2017 he dropped a new disc, Lay It On Down. Hear the track “Nothing But The Night”.
On May 31, 2019, Shepherd released The Traveler on Concord Records and Mascot Label Group in Europe. The album, like the previous release Lay It On Down, was co-produced by Marshall Altman. The Traveler was chosen as a ‘Favorite Blues Album’ by AllMusic. Shepherd headlined the 2020 Mahindra Blues Festival, along with Buddy Guy, Larkin Poe and Keb Mo.
In March 2021, the Blues Foundation revoked Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s 2021 Blues Music Awards nomination for Best Blues/Rock Artist. According to a statement from the organization, the decision was made over Confederate flag imagery displayed on Shepherd’s The Dukes of Hazzard “General Lee” car replica. Shepherd acknowledged the offensiveness of the flag on his car and said he had permanently covered it some time ago. “Years ago I put that car in permanent storage and some time ago, I made the decision to permanently cover the flag on my car because it was completely against my values and offensive to the African American community which created the music I love so much and I apologize to anyone that I have unintentionally hurt because of it.” The organization also asked Shepherd’s father, Ken Shepherd, to step down as a member of its board of directors. Ken Shepherd declined to comment on being asked to step down. On December 2, 2022, Shepherd released Trouble Is… 25, a complete re-recording of his sophomore album for its 25th anniversary. The album includes a never before heard cover of Bob Dylan’s “Ballad Of A Thin Man.”
His new record Dirt on My Diamond, Vol. 1, released in Nov. 2023. Birthed from the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, this project chronicles Shepherd’s journey of musical evolution, touching on stories of loss, redemption, and memorable melodies, all crafted by an elite team of songwriters. As Shepherd himself describes it, “Every record I make is a moment in time. And this is a really special moment.” The album’s lead single, “Sweet & Low,” encapsulates modern urban influences blended with traditional blues undertones, bringing together the quintessence of Shepherd’s musical expertise. The track offers a fresh perspective on the old-fashioned courting ritual, emphasizing the irresistibly captivating groove. Shepherd recalls, “People I’ve played the album for, they consistently have the biggest reaction to that one.”
Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM plays KWS. All part of 50 years of Rock, Blues and More, 24-7 on our station’s stream at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/
Check out KWS:
Artist Web Site
Discography
Ledbetter Heights (1995)
Trouble Is… (1997)
Live On (1999)
The Place You’re In (2004)
10 Days Out: Blues from the Backwoods (2007)
How I Go (2011)
Goin’ Home (2014)
Lay It On Down (2017)
Trouble Is… 25(2022)
Dirt on My Diamonds, Vol. 1(2023)
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