Photo by Larry Philpot
Thirty years ago, when blues rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd released his debut album, Ledbetter Heights, he was only eighteen years old – and even before then, he’d been a seasoned professional, performing onstage since he was thirteen. With his sophomore album, Trouble Is… (1997), he had significant chart success with the single “Blue on Black,” which reached the top of the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart, among others. He’s remained successful ever since, releasing albums (several of which have attained platinum or gold sales status) and touring the world on a regular basis. But as the album that kicked off his career, Ledbetter Heights will always remain special – and to honor it, Shepherd has announced an extensive tour in 2026 (full dates listed below), during which he and his band will play that album in full. During a recent phone call, Shepherd tells The Big Takeover about what it was like to create those songs, why he thinks his music has connected so strongly with listeners, the upcoming tour, and his views on the legacy he’s created so far.
How did you know that this 30th anniversary was the one that you should mark with this tour?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: This is my debut record; this is literally the music that introduced me to the world and connected me with the foundation of my fan base. It’s significant. If you’re doing anything for thirty years straight, I think everybody should celebrate that. But this is what put me on the map and introduced us to such great fans. We did a 25th anniversary tour of my second album, Trouble Is…, and that went over extremely well with the fan base. So coming up on the 30th anniversary of Ledbetter Heights, we thought this would be a great thing to do.
What do you want people to know about the shows you have lined up for this anniversary tour?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: Next year, we’re launching this tour for the 30th anniversary of the Ledbetter Heights record, and we’re releasing a new version of it. We went in the studio and recorded a new version of that record thirty years later, and it has Noah Hunt singing on it. He was not the lead singer in the band when I first recorded that album, and a lot of fans have been asking to hear what that would sound like, so they’re going to get that. We’re going to play the Ledbetter Heights album live in concert for the first time from start to finish, along with a bunch of other material, as well. And it’s going to be a great experience. If it goes as well as planned, we’ll be announcing many, more [shows] that will probably take us through the end of next year. We’re just looking forward to getting out there and playing it for the people and doing what we love to do.
You were so young when you started out as a professional musician, and still so young when you recorded this album. At the time, were you aware that you were doing something unusual?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: Not really. First of all, when you’re young, you’re naive, so you don’t have the perspective. Doing these anniversary things has really given me the opportunity to have some real reflection and look at things with the perspective of the last thirty years’ worth of experience, just to be able to appreciate how unusual the whole scenario is. You hear about teen stars and child prodigies, but the reality is that that is not a very common thing. At the time, I just wanted to play guitar and play music, and I was getting an opportunity to do that, and that was incredibly exciting for me. But I had no idea at that time what this was going to turn into. I had no idea it was going to blow up the way it has. We’ve sold millions of records and had a huge run, and success at rock radio, and we’re still doing it, and our fans are still showing up to support us all these years later.
Did you have any particular themes or emotions that you were trying to get across when you wrote these songs?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: Not necessarily specific emotions. I wouldn’t say it’s a themed kind of a record. But I remember when I signed my record deal, Irving Azoff, who’s literally one of the biggest names in the record industry, he signed me personally to his label at that time, Giant Records. He asked me after he signed me, “What kind of record are you going to make?” And I was like, “I don’t know; I guess I’m going to go make a Kenny Wayne Shepherd record.” He said, “Just go make the music you feel inspired to make.” And at that time, I didn’t sing in my band because of my voice: I sounded like a kid when I sang, but I sounded much older when I picked up a guitar. So [singing] just didn’t click for me, for the sound of my music. That’s why I’ve had different lead singers over the years, until I started singing lead vocals, as well. But he literally gave me permission to make whatever album I felt inspired to make. And so I wanted to tell stories – I wanted to write music that I felt people could latch onto. I wanted to write choruses that stuck in people’s heads. I focused on taking blues music as my foundation, and then trying to figure out how to make it more accessible to a younger audience.
What inspired you play blues and combine it with rock?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: Blues spoke to me when I was young. I was obviously drawn to the guitar, and blues is generally guitar-heavy music, and so I liked that about it. But in my opinion, one of the biggest requirements to play blues authentically is to be able to play it with your heart. You’ve got to figure out a way to put your heart and soul into your instrument and translate that to the people so they can feel something when they’re listening to you play. And so I felt that. The instruments, the guitars, they talked to me, and I could feel the emotions these players were putting into their playing, even if I was too young to be able to relate to the words they were singing. So I connected with that emotion. And that’s really been the primary theme for me, as an artist, throughout my entire career. To play everything I can with all the heart and soul that I can put into it, so that it stirs up some emotion in the people that listen to it.
What drew you to being a musician in the first place?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: I feel like I was born to do this. I feel like ever since I can remember listening to music, I felt like I heard it differently than other people. Well, first of all, I was surrounded by music my whole life. My dad was a disc jockey and a general manager and program director of the biggest radio station in my hometown, so I literally grew up around music 24/7. And we went to every concert that came through town, because the radio guys always get free tickets and backstage passes, so I got to meet all these bands and see the behind-the-scenes of the touring industry. So I was just completely exposed to music and this industry from a very, very young age, and I think I was soaking it all up. But I also feel like I was drawn to it. I remember at a young age being able to sit and listen to music, and I could isolate the parts that every instrument in a song was doing, and hear it note for note. I knew at a very young age that that didn’t quite seem like the same experience everyone else was having. So that tells me that I feel like I was born to have something to do with music, and that’s the path that I took.
What do you think it is about your music that’s made it connect so strongly with listeners?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: I don’t know – I don’t have the magic recipe, because if I did, I could sell that! [laughs] I just know that I followed my intuition, and I made the music that I felt inspired to make, and one way or another, it’s connected with a broad group of people. I mean, l I grew up listening to blues. I grew up listening to all kinds of other music, too. And the one thing that was generally absent in traditional blues music was a chorus. Blues music had great lyrics and it was fun, but there was no big chorus like people generally sing along to. So I was trying to figure out how to merge the blues music that I love with the aspects of other songs that reached more people, and a lot of that was trying to write a great chorus and good lyrics and good melodies that stick in people’s heads. That helps reach a broader audience, generally. But I didn’t do it with the intention of, “I want to sell this many records,” or whatever. It was just part of my DNA because of what I grew up around. I was never trying to follow a trend, I was never trying to be a pop star, so therefore, the music I was writing has never gone out of style, because it was never the trending style of the moment. And I’ve always wanted to make timeless music, because my intention is for people to hopefully enjoy my music for decades, maybe even after I’m gone.
You seem to have a down-to-earth outlook, which isn’t always the case with people who started out in this business so young. How did you manage to stay grounded?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: I think it just has to do with the way that I was raised, primarily. The family that I come from, the morals that were instilled in me, and also just realizing that I’m not buying into the hype. I’m just a guy. I still think of myself as the same kid that was sitting in the living room playing guitar, trying to learn how to make it sound good. I didn’t invent this. I just took what I learned from other artists and then tried to figure out how to do it in my own way, and so I’m not trying to walk around pretending like I invented something. I’ve gotten good at it, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to connect with a large group of people that have taken this journey with me now for over thirty years.
Now when you play live, it seems like there are songs that you are always expected to play, so how do you keep that interesting for yourself?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: The key to that is, do not record music that you don’t enjoy. Like, don’t let anybody talk you into recording something that you don’t feel passionate about. If you make music that you enjoy playing, then it’s not a problem; it doesn’t get old.
What do you think about the legacy that you’ve created as you look back across your career so far?
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: I mean, I’m grateful. I don’t know, at the end of the day, what the legacy will or won’t be, or the impact it will or won’t have. I know when people reach out to me, they say my music has helped them through difficult times and the different experiences that they’ve gone through, where they were able to relate to certain that songs I wrote. That’s what it’s all about. That’s why we make music, because you want to touch people. And certainly if you can help people through difficult times through music, that’s incredible. So I feel like I’ve reached a lot of people. Hopefully this music will continue to be heard long after I’m gone. And then also, making an example for my kids. I have six wonderful kids, and ever since they’ve been born, my career was already happening, but I’ve still been able to show them what it means to apply yourself and work really hard to accomplish certain goals and do it with integrity. That part of my legacy is really important because I want to have a positive impact on my kids.
2026 LEDBETTER HEIGHTS 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR:
Thursday, February 19th – Majestic Theatre – Dallas, TX
Friday, February 20th – ACL Live – Moody Theatre – Austin, TX
Saturday, February 21st – House of Blues – Houston, TX
Tuesday, February 24th – The Criterion – Oklahoma City, OK
Thursday, February 26th – Graceland Soundstage – Memphis, TN
Friday, February 27th – Atlanta Symphony Hall – Atlanta, GA
Saturday, February 28th – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Friday, March 6th – Wind Creek Event Center – Bethlehem, PA
Saturday, March 7th – Chevalier Theatre – Medford, MA
Sunday, March 8th – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
Tuesday, March 10th – Bergen PAC – Englewood, NJ
Wednesday, March 11th – Garde Arts Center – New London, CT
Thursday, March 12th – Mayo PAC – Morristown, NJ
Friday, March 13th – Paramount Hudson Valley – Peekskill, NY
Saturday, March 14th – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ON
Friday, April 10th – Joe Bonamassa’s Beach Vacation – Miramar Beach, FL
Saturday, April 11th – Tampa Bay Blues Festival – St. Petersburg, FL
Sunday, April 12th – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL
Tuesday, April 14th – Broward Center at Au-Rene Theater – Ft Lauderdale, FL
Wednesday, April 15th – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL
Thursday, April 16th – Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC
Saturday, April 18th – Hollywood Casino – Charles Town, WV
Sunday, April 19th – Palace Theatre – Greensburg, PA
Wednesday, April 22nd – Brown County Music Center– Nashville, IN
Thursday, April 23rd – Taft Theatre – Cincinnati, OH
Friday, April 24th – Hard Rock – Gary, IN
Saturday, April 25th – MGM – Northfield, OH
Sunday, April 26th – Hollywood Greektown Casino / Music Hall – Detroit, MI
Wednesday, April 29th – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
Thursday, April 30th – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
Friday, May 1st – Blue Gate PAC – Shipshewana, IN
Saturday, May 2nd – Hard Rock – Rockford, IL
Sunday, May 3rd – Hoyt Sherman Theatre – Des Moines, IA
Tuesday, May 5th – Virginia Theater – Champaign, IL
Thursday, May 7th – Uptown Theatre – Kansas City, MO
Friday, May 8th – Walker’s Bluff Casino – Carterville, IL
Saturday, May 9th – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
Saturday, June 13th – Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Resort Casino – Bossier City, LA
