Kenny Wayne Shepherd Interview & masterclass

A protégé of BB King, jamming partner with Alexander Dumble and bandmate of Stephen Stills, we joined Kenny to talk about Dumble-modded Fuzz Faces, the essence of a great Strat, and learn some of his blues soloing strategies.

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“One of the hardest things to do, I think, in today’s world is to write an authentic-sounding blues song, lyrically,” Kenny Wayne Shepherd observes as we sit down to a coffee at John Henry’s rehearsal rooms in London, where Fender keeps an office. Once a blond wunderkind of the blues scene, Kenny has matured into a thoughtful player with prodigious chops and a sure-footed melodic instinct that has seen him praised by no less authorities than the late BB King and CSN&Y legend Stephen Stills.

“If the lyrics and the story that you’re telling are authentic and you’re not sacrificing the quality of the message that you’re trying to convey to the listener, then I think that keeps the whole thing authentic,” Kenny adds. “My band is about the guitar. It’s guitar-based music, but because I grew up in a radio environment with my dad, I grew up listening to hit songs on the radio. Having a great vocal melody and a great lyric has always been, to me, equally as important as the guitar playing on the record – even if I wasn’t doing the singing – because that’s just what I grew up around. And I also think those are the songs that people will end up remembering for the rest of time.”

Seated among racks of Strats and Teles, naturally, the conversation turns to gear – as well as being a very fine player, Kenny has great ears, too, so before we embark on an illuminating one-to-one soloing lesson with him, it’s time to do what guitarists naturally do in such surroundings – and talk guitars.

What gear did you bring into the studio for the album?