For twenty years Kenny Wayne Shepherd has been stepping up the ladder, always trying to find new ways to express his musical vision. At times he is genius, as seen in his Ten Days Out documentary where he sought out old blues players and recorded music with them. Other times, he has struggled, as seen by his uncomfortable attempt at a mainstream rock album. Now, he is back doing what is most dear to his heart, playing his own brand of rocking blues that his fans have come to love.

The new album, released on Loud and Proud Records, is titled How I Go and the name says all one needs to know. This is a return to the style of music Shepherd’s fans want him to play, while at the same time a step forward into much more mature songwriting. Shepherd is no longer that wide-eyed, hot- shot young guitar hero. He is a father of three who has brought himself up in the limelight and even conquered a drinking problem at a young age. He is a student of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, yet prides himself on keeping his music real. He is not afraid to trot out an influence and acknowledge those who came before him. Yet it is important to him to keep moving forward, putting his own stamp on things.

In the interview that follows Kenny opens up about who he is, what he has done in the past, and where he is going in the future.

Kenny: I remember playing in that place in Wichita because there was a dude, after the show that tried to steal one of my guitars. We caught him, and he got a nice little felony to face after that, but it all turned out all right.

Kenny: Absolutely, the name of the record is How I Go. It’s just another way of saying how we do things, this is how we roll and this is what we love to do. I think the music is a very good example of that.

Kenny: To me, every album that we do is a look at a moment in time of where we are at. This album represents a lot of growth and everything I’ve learned over the last twenty years, since I’ve been recording and performing. I have grown as an artist, a musician, and as a writer. This is a great example of who I am at this point of my career, and who I am as an artist.

Kenny: That is one of the reasons that this album took as long as it did. In the meantime, we put out the Ten Days Out blues documentary, and we put out our very first live album, Live in Chicago.

I have had three kids in the last four years. If you look at that, and factor in all the live shows that I have done during that time, then you can see there was not a lot of spare time. The process for this record began three years ago, and we started recording this album over a year and a half ago. We are very glad that it is finally out there for the fans to get their hands on. The fans have been hitting me up on Facebook and Twitter, telling me that it was worth the wait. Some people think that it is my best record to date. For me to hear people tell me that after doing this for twenty years, that I’m just now putting out my best work, is great.

Kenny: I’ve always made records where my intention is to have people listen to every song on the album. The more that you listen to the record, then the more that it grows on you, and the more familiar you become with it and the more you want to listen to it. A lot of people have said that about all of my records, over the years. Sometimes on first listen, they dig it but the more they listen, the more they fall in love with it. To me, that is great because that means the music has longevity; the more they listen to it, the longer they are going to listen to it.

Kenny: You want the album to sound like an entire body of work. You don’t want a bunch of songs that are all coming out of left field and don’t fit together. I write thirty or more songs for every record that I do. When we go into the studio, and start recording, then an album starts to take shape and it takes a certain direction. The songs that fit into that direction start to rise to the top. Song selection is one of the most important things, and it also leads to some of the most difficult decisions that you have to make. We had several songs that didn’t make this record, even though it was all great material. It ended up that we made the right decisions because the album is very cohesive and every song sounds like it belongs with the others. You still get a lot of different textures, sounds and grooves throughout the record.

Kenny: That’s what a producer is there for. Jerry is really involved in every step of the process. He’s down in the trenches every day. I really value his opinion and his feedback. There are a lot of moments on this record, and a lot of sounds on this record, that would not be there if he had not been involved. He has a big hand in this record.

Kenny: I try and do some different stuff on each record. I used a few different amplifiers, some new guitars and a few new effects this time out. I don’t want everything to start to sound the same. I did have some new toys to play with and I think we got some pretty cool tones on this record.

Kenny: That’s a real interesting tone. On the rhythm part, I’m using a custom made amplifier that Alexander Dumble built for me. If you have never heard of him, then you need to know that he is one of the greatest amp builders, ever. I used his amp on that song. You get this really interesting sound -- I don’t even know how to describe that sound. You just get the wah-wah in the right place, and roll the Tele knob back on the neck pickup, and move the pickup selector back and forth. It is really hard to recreate that song live. We worked it up for the live set but we haven’t started playing it yet. It is definitely one of the more challenging ones to pull off live.

Kenny: Absolutely, man. It has some Stones influence in there and it has some ZZ Top in there. There is also some SRV stuff going on. You can hear a lot of a different influences of mine but you can also hear the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, as well. It’s a fun song. It is one of those songs where you want to drive down the road and put the hammer down. I think it is also a great track to start out the record.

Kenny: Certainly. Just like you were talking about with “Never Lookin' Back,” if you guys, who are listening to the music, can hear it, then you know that I can hear it.

Kenny: I have a lot of other influences besides Stevie but it is a fact that without Stevie Ray Vaughan there might not be a Kenny Wayne Shepherd. I don’t deny that. I give him credit because he was my hero. He was the greatest guitar player ever, in my opinion. He inspired me to play guitar. Everybody has their big influences. BB King was hugely influenced by T-Bone Walker. When you listen to early BB King then you hear tons of T-Bone Walker riffs that he’s playing. The thing is, as you grow and evolve as an artist, then your music grows and evolves. There are plenty of things that I’ve done that I don’t think Stevie would have ever recorded. You would never hear Stevie Ray Vaughan play, or record, “Blue On Black” or “Slow Ride.” There are plenty of songs that I’ve done where I have my own sound but Stevie Ray Vaughan is always going to be a huge influence on me and you’re always going to hear him in my music. If you had to throw me into a category then I would say that I’m more the middle ground between Stevie and Jimi Hendrix. My music is a little more edgy and rock than Stevie.

Kenny: That is one of the vintage, original Vox pedals. That song is one of my favorites; it’s a rocking tune. We had to make some tough decisions as to what to keep on this record and I really fought for that song to be on the record. I’m really glad it made it. Besides the guitar and the wah-wah stuff you have to recognize the drums. Chris Layton, who was in Stevie’s band, just tears it up.

Kenny: It’s incredible. Those guys are, hands down, the best rhythm section for the kind of music that I do.

Kenny: Tony just joined the band on bass. Tony was in The Firm with Paul Rodgers and he was in Blue Murder. He has been in a lot of high profile bands over the years. He plays a fretless bass, which is a really cool sound. He’s a great guy and a great player. He is just a tremendous addition to the band.

Kenny: I have a lot more vocal responsibilities, even when Noah is singing lead. I sing a lot of backgrounds and I sing lead on two songs. It is cool with him. I think it is the natural progression of this band. I’m singing more but Noah is playing some rhythm guitar. Noah has been a part of this band for fourteen years, and I hope he is always a part of this band. There is nothing to be worried about. We’re just trying some new things, musically, and having a good time doing it.

Kenny: Growing up as a public person, who does music and is on the road, was great. Some people ask me if I feel I missed part of my childhood. Man, I’ve got to do things that most people can only dream about. I have no regrets. I’ve always tried to keep somewhat of a low profile. I appreciate the attention, and I appreciate those who dig what I do, but I’m not one of those people who wants to parade myself around in front of the media and make a big spectacle of myself. I’m from Louisiana, so I’m about family and keeping it real and that is what I’ve tried to do over the course of my career.

Kenny: We could sit around and talk all day about ‘what if this’ or ‘what if that’ was different. The bottom line is that I’ve had the life that I’ve had. I have made it a point to try to grow from all of my experiences in my life. I try to take the good with the bad and come out the other side a better person. I’ve had some really great experiences and I’ve had some things that I’ve had to learn the hard way. Ultimately, I’ve used all of that to try to better myself. I think the end result is that I’ve become wiser. Would I be any more wiser, or any less wiser, if I had led a different life? Who knows? I am just grateful for the life that I do have.

Kenny: I went to his house a couple of months ago and played on a couple of tracks that are supposed to come out on his next record. That was a whole lot of fun and it was really a huge honor. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, both professionally and personally.

Kenny: No, he hasn’t heard it yet, but the next time I see him, I’m going to give him a copy of it.

Kenny: I appreciate that, man. That’s the goal, to keep on getting better and to keep on working your way up that ladder, one step at a time. As long as I’m doing that, then I feel like I’m doing my job.

www.kennywayneshepherd.net