Kenny Wayne Shepherd

According to Paula Adams, spokesperson for the Blues Society, if you love the blues, this is your weekend. It all kicks off at the Odawa Casino Resort in Petoskey with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the Mid-North Michigan Blues Society Blues Challenge.
“Kenny Wayne Shepherd is fantastic, and has a great new CD out,” said Adams. “Then on Sunday we are going to host our annual competition to select a band to compete on the national level at The Blues Foundation International Blues Challenge.”
Previous winners have gone deep into the competition that takes place each year at the end of January at clubs along the famed Beale St. corridor in Memphis. Bands come from all over the country (most years over 70 bands make their way to Memphis) by winning regional qualifiers. Long time local favorites Mojo & The Boogiemen made it into the top 6 in 2002, and in 2006 the Vincent Hayes Project made the semi-finals.
The Mid-North Michigan Blues Society evolved out of the Northern Michigan Blues Society five years ago and serves as a resource for clubs, bands and fans of the blues. They host monthly meetings and promote blues events throughout Northern Michigan; this year’s Battle of the Blues Competition will take place Sunday, September 16 at the Odawa Resort Casino starting at 2 pm. As of press time, 10 bands will compete for the opportunity to head to Memphis.
Exactly one year ago this Saturday, Shepherd was getting married to Hannah Gibson (oldest daughter of Mel Gibson). This year he will find himself on the stage at Odawa Casino Resort’s Ovation Hall (Shepherd says he will have plenty of time to get home to celebrate his first anniversary on Sunday).
Shepherd burst on the scene in the mid-’90s, when commercial radio opened its doors for a short time to the blues. When that door opened, in walked a 13-year-old Johnny Lang and a 15-year-old Kenny Wayne. Both have achieved phenomenal success and continue to be well respected in blues and rock circles.
Now 30, Shepherd is still youthful even by today’s standards, and is touring in support of his critically acclaimed CD/DVD 10 DAYS OUT: Blues from the Backroads. After the success of his 2004 release, The Place You’re In (featuring the number one hit “Alive”), Shepherd went on a roadtrip traversing the “backroads of the country” to catch up with such blues legends as BB King, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, and Pinetop Perkins, jamming with them and interviewing them.
“A project like this, with all these great people, it’s not about me—it’s about the music,” says Shepherd, “and about the people who inspired me to pick up an instrument and make music. You’ve got to listen to what they sing or write about, and you’ll hear the people behind the music, the players behind the blues. And that’s what the blues is about—the lives these people led, and that we are living today.”
The famed Double Trouble rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton join Shepherd and the many blues greats. In particular, Shepherd feels fortunate to have caught of with the likes of Gatemouth Brown before the legendary guitarist passed away in 2005 of lung cancer. Shepherd said it was hard to get Brown to talk about the blues because “he doesn’t like being pigeonholed musically.”
He also was grateful for BB King’s participation in the project.
“I’ve played with him since I was 15,” said Shepherd. “He’s the only guy that makes me nervous. I was really aware of that when I was watching the documentary footage of our song together. He throws me a solo, and I’m too self-conscious to really let it rip. You can see him look at me to egg me on to keep playing. He has to keep looking at me. From him I need that green light.”
BB King chuckles over Shepherd’s nervousness and says it ought to be the other way around.
“He gets nervous, I am the one that ought to be nervous, he certainly can play that guitar,” said King. “I get asked all the time why I take the stage with guys like Shepherd and Johnny Lang. These guys are not only great players; they also have a passion for the music. They have that spirit. Plus they make me feel younger. Kenny is a great kid, so respectful of those who have come before him. I was proud that he asked me to be a part of this project, but most of all I am proud that he is carrying the torch.”
Shepherd will bring that blues torch - lit by the likes of BB King - to Odawa Casino Resort on September 15th. He has appeared in Northern Michigan a half dozen times over the past 10 years, and his live show has never been a disappointment.

For additional concert details and to purchase advance tickets visit www.odawacasino.com; to check out Shepherd’s guitar wizardry, visit www.myspace.com/KennyWayneShepherd. For additional information on the competition or joining the Blues Society, contact Paula Adams at 231.342.5390 or paula@wklt.com; details mayalso be found at mnmbs.org.



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