Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band at the Capitol Theatre -- April 11.
Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m.
Capitol Theatre, 330 West Third Street, Davenport IA
Currently touring in support of his 2023 album Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1, a recording that No Depression deemed "a chewy spread of grown-up blues for fans of all ages," blues-rock singer/songwriter and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd brings his ensemble to Davenport's Capitol Theatre on April 11, the artist's latest also inspiring Rose & Blues Muse to rave that the bandleader is "gifted with a voice that's made for country radio and a knack for co-writing hook-laden, memorable songs."
Thirty years ago, Shepherd signed his first record deal at age 16 and burst onto the national scene with the release of his 1995 debut album Ledbetter Heights, which produced the radio hits "Deja Voodoo," "Born with a Broken Heart," and "Shame, Shame, Shame." His relentless touring and success on rock radio helped to drive the album to platinum-sales status, and Shepherd's 1998 sophomore effort Trouble Is... also went platinum, yielding such smash singles as "Blue on Black," "True Lies," and "Somehow, Somewhere, Someway." 1999's Live On spawned the radio hits "In 2 Deep," "Shotgun Blues," and "Last Goodbye," while 2004's The Place You're In was a blistering rock record suggesting why the artist would eventually be nominated for five Grammy Awards and win two Billboard Music Awards and two Blues Music Awards.
The Place You're In was followed by 2007's ambitious 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, for which Shepherd and his band traveled throughout the American South to record with such vintage blues greats as B.B. King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins and David "Honeyboy" Edwards on their home turf. 2010 saw the release of Shepherd's long-awaited first live album Live! In Chicago, recorded at Chicago's House of Blues during the all-star Legends tour and featuring guest appearances by such blues legends as Hubert Sumlin and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. The live recording debuted at number one on Billboard's Blues chart, as did 2011's How I Go.
In 2013, Shepherd further expanded his musical horizons by teaming with veteran rockers Stephen Stills and Barry Goldberg to form THE RIDES, whose first album Can't Get Enough helped to expand Shepherd's audience as well as his musical resume. 2014 saw the release of Goin' Home, Shepherd's sixth number-one debut on the Billboard Blues charts. Goin' Home features several talented friends who shared Shepherd's enthusiasm for the project's back-to-basics ethos, those guests including fellow guitar icons Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Keb' Mo' and Robert Randolph; longtime friend Ringo Starr; Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson; the Rebirth Brass Band; and co-producer Blade's father, Pastor Brady Blade Sr., who lends a bracing dose of preaching to Shepherd's version of Bo Diddley's' "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover."
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band brings their tour to Davenport on April 11, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $45-179, and more information and tickets are available by visiting the Capitol Theatre's Facebook page.
