Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenny Wayne Brobst, June 12, 1977, Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced a rare level of commercial success both as a blues artist and a young musician.

Personal life;

Shepherd married actor Mel Gibson's oldest daughter, Hannah Gibson, on September 16, 2006, and they now have three children, a daughter born October 10, 2007, first son born in 2009, and a second son born March 12, 2011.

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Story and photos by Dave Vacula

Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a true American blues musician. Born in Louisiana, it didn't take him long to cultivate his abundant skills as a blues/rock guitarist and singer/songwriter. With his able bandmates (Noah Hunt - vocalist, Riley Osbourn - keyboards, Scott Nelson - rhythm section and bassist along with Chris "Whipper" Layton on drums) in tow to play the beautiful new capacity-filled Viper-Alley in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Shepherd's parents took him at the tender age of three to see Muddy Waters live and his intense and soulful style reflects many of the late-great bluesman. You can hear the ghosts of Howlin' Wolf screaming for forgiveness or Jimi Hendrix's wailing cries in the notes that he so effortlessly bends.

A Kenny Wayne Shepherd Show is always an up close and personal affair - no matter if you see him at a small club or a huge arena. Shepherd specializes in the electric blues. The blues where the mud still drips from every wailing chord as his guitar work is an honest extension of his mind.

The show started off with a lively version of the popular "Someday, Somewhere, Someway." The song pulled you to the edge of your seat in anticipation for what might lie ahead. Shepherd nailed the soul down on the Louisiana rocker "King's Highway." The entire band got more than involved in the blast of "True Lies" with one part gritty blues and the other part hard rock. A new song called "Never Looking Back," expected out this summer, was amazing as Shepherd mastered the fiery lead. "Blue on Black" and "Everything is Broken" went so fast and furious that Shepherd surely had blisters on his fingers.

Everyone in Viper-Alley experienced a once in a lifetime performance. The show was beautifully raw from beginning to end. A 21 minute encore of Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" last known cousin "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" blew the house down.

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Story and photos by Matt Schwenke

Touring in support of his CD/DVD documentary release Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has searched out the scattered roots of blues and brought what he learned back to the stage, along with some of the lesser-known masters he called upon.

While Shepherd and his band opened strongly with the muddy strut of "Somehow, Somewhere, Someway," the handful of tunes they played alone, save for "Deja Voodoo" from the 1995 release Ledbetter Heights, would quickly be overshadowed as they welcomed four guest musicians-- one at time and all together to end the set.

      

Clips from the DVD officially opened the set and effectively segued between guests, but before welcoming the first guest, Shepherd's own rant went a bit too far in promoting his recent work. Once the extended commercial break was over, Shepherd welcomed fellow Shreveport guitarist Buddy Flett for a run of songs that ended with the acoustic "Honky Tonk," which the pair had performed at Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter's grave for the DVD. And, the show only got better from there.

A touching tribute to the late Etta Baker and her Piedmont blues style led to welcoming Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, who played in Muddy Waters' band and brought his Chicago Blues stylings behind harmonica to the mix. Energizing the crowd, the 71-year-old Smith got the crowd fired up by trading licks with Shepherd in the double-time, toe-tapping "Got My Mojo Workin'."

With a New Orleans howl a la Dr. John, guitarist Bryan Lee, also known by the nickname “Braille Blues Daddy”, was the next musician to take the stage. Lee, who was born in Two Rivers, Wis., received much applause for his roots alone and then for his fiery singing and playing. As Lee had invited Shepherd to the stage when he was only 13, Lee's guest appearance in Shepherd's show proves how far the guitar prodigy has come, and Lee's intensity on the classic "The Things That I Used To Do" and "Tina Marie" set the stage for Shepherd to show off his chops, of which he has plenty and was rather selective in using throughout the night.

The final guest to take the stage was guitarist Hubert Sumlin, who played with the great Howlin Wolf. His trademark grin while playing was amplified into an outright smile during the back and forth of "Sittin' on Top of the World," and after all the musicians came back to the stage, the 75-year-old Sumlin was as animated as the 29-year-old Shepherd. With the talented cast producing compelling blues, any encore without the guests seemed difficult to pull off, but Shepherd and his band didn't disappoint with a rollicking version of "Voodoo Child."

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I just bought some new blues CD’s of Robert Cray, Joe Bonamassa and of course, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The names of the CD’s are;

10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads) / by Kenny Wayne Shepherd

How I Go (Special Edition) by Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Ledbetter Heights by Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Dust Bowl: Special Edition (2CD) by Joe Bonamassa

Black Rock by Joe Bonamassa

Blues Deluxe by Joe Bonamassa

Cookin' in Mobile [CD/DVD] by Robert Cray

Definitive Collection by Robert Cray

I’m also looking to get some music from Hubert Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) and  Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), known as Howlin' Wolf, who was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player.

           

Howlin’ Wolf                     Hubert Sumlin

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These Classic American blues singers, guitarists and songwriters that I’ve mentioned are just a few of the great talent in the genre. A couple of them are younger artists who have studied the old time artists in an effort to continue the music, such as the southern blues or Chicago blues, Texas blues-rock and other blues venues.  I am learning blues guitar scales and chord patterns in hopes of becoming a more proficient lead guitarist in blues music.

I love learning more and more about these artists from the 40’s thru the 70’s and just listening to their guitar work and their songs.  So very simple, so very direct.  Not all of the effects pedals and recording tricks that you hear today are found in that music.  I am so very impressed with guitarists who use only a Compressor, a 10-Band Equalizer, some type of Echo (but very slight, not heavy), and a Distortion Unit or else basic tube distortion straight from a good amplifier such as a Fender, Orange, Marshall, Paul Reed Smith or the best being a Mesa Boogie.

Sound is what it’s all about so when practicing, be sure to keep going over your different blues scales and always practice your major scale.  I always practice my ‘G’ Major scale, each and every day.  I play it over and over and over and over and now I’m beginning to add the G blues scales into my practice session.  That’s what it’s all about.  Repetitive playing until you can play the scales without making a single error; that’s how we get to where these artists got. I hope you enjoyed todays post; I know I enjoyed writing it.

Until next time, remember to keep practicing your scales and your chord patterns over and over.  You’ll appreciate it later; I promise that.

Musician By Night . . .