Kenny Wayne Shepherd, along with artists like Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark, Jr., Walter Trout, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and others, has been a driving force in keeping blues-based rock guitar alive during one of the instrument’s most tumultuous times. Over the last 10 years, music retailers like Sam Ash, which recently declared bankruptcy, have struggled or disappeared as popular music has almost entirely moved away from the guitar, and rock radio has largely abandoned new music. Yet when other guitarists decided to add urban elements to their sound to try to connect with a younger audience, Kenny Wayne doubled down, continuing to release song-based music that had muscle and attitude, and choruses that you could sing along to – especially in your car at top speeds with the windows down.
His commitment to not only his craft but to the kind of music that has always inspired him is too often overlooked, and the current revival that is happening in guitar with emerging artists like Ariel Posen could only have happened because guys like Kenny Wayne never let the candle burn out, even in the most harrowing of musical storms.
This past fall he released a record called Dirt On My Diamonds, Volume 1. It kind of summed up his journey to date with a sense of musical maturity that took shape with a kind of balance that’s impossible to ignore. The album was strong, firm with feeling, and inherently fun. Even Kenny Wayne knew that he had made something so solid that it warranted a companion piece.
Dirt On My Diamonds, Volume 2, which was released in September, began with writing sessions at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The rooms in that facility are like the sweatband in an ace pitcher’s cap. They have soaked up every emotion felt during the endless stretch of strikes thrown in sessions that resulted in the creation of some of America’s most important music. Kenny Wayne then completed the album in Los Angeles and made a record that is the follow-up punch to a quick hit.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dirt on My Diamonds Volume 2, album cover.
Dirt On My Diamonds, Volume 2 includes some surprises. The first are the vocal contributions of Corrina Gill, daughter of country artists Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Her voice is powerful, reminiscent of Tina Turner’s contribution to the Bryan Adams song “It’s Only Love.” Keep an eye out for her because her voice is so strong it can make the floors start to creak.
Both volumes welcome the return of former member Mark “The Loveman” Pender (of Conan O’Brien’s TV show and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes) on trumpet. He and partner Joe Sublett on sax add soaring horn parts that are so strong that when they come in, they lift the songs into a full blaze.
This record also recognizes the end of a productive relationship with mixer Eric “ET” Thorngren, to whom the record is dedicated. Thorngren is someone who has worked on albums many consider to be among the most important in modern rock. He sadly passed away a few months ago. This project, among his last, is a powerful reflection on his remarkable talent.
We had the opportunity to catch up once again with Kenny Wayne Shepherd (we featured him in Issue 183) to talk about Dirt On My Diamonds, Volume 2, and his participation in the all-star lineup of the Experience Hendrix Tour this fall.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd and a well-worn Fender Stratocaster. Courtesy of Mark Seliger.
Ray Chelstowski: When you made Dirt on My Diamonds, Volume 1, did you know then that the work there wasn’t complete?
Kenny Wayne Shepard: For sure. There was more to be done but at a certain point I realized that this might be a really cool package. At first it seemed as though we had enough songs where we could make two different albums. But then as time went on and the music started coming together I began to think it might be really cool to present them in a Volume One and Volume Two format; to release them separately but connect them. They were written around the same time and were recorded around the same time, and that allowed for this connection to exist and it shaped up to become a pretty compelling package.
RC: How did you decide which songs belonged where?
KWS: We just write songs according to whatever we’re inspired to put together, and as things progress the songs start to speak to you. Once I get about three songs deep you begin to see a direction begin to emerge, and you start to ask yourself what else fits that vibe. That’s eventually how the album takes its shape. Once we had one record [done] I started to look to see if we had another. As I moved things around I was able to see that we had [enough for] two albums. I think both albums stand on their own as great records, but the connection they share is pretty apparent, especially when you listen to them back to back. It works.
RC: The creative process began with a writing session at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. How did the history of those rooms inspire what you produced?
KWS: We went there and spent a week in the studio writing all of this material. We went with the intention and mentality that when you’re in that room you are going to feel that mood and vibe and that it’s going to impact what you are creating. It’s soaked into the walls; it’s everywhere. What I would like to do after having that experience is go back there [again] as an experiment and write and record at the same time.
RC: What has always seemed to set you apart is that your focus is on the songs, and the guitar is there to add dimension. Is that purposeful?
KWS: When we started out we had so much success on rock radio because it was always about the song; great songs telling great stories with choruses that stay in people’s minds. In fact, the song “Deja Voodoo” is probably a great example of the two approaches because the album version is like six minutes long. It’s probably one of the last radio singles that was that long and still got massive airplay. DJs loved it because it was so long they could use it for their smoke breaks. But that one had just enough guitar solos and fills throughout but also had a great chorus. Even with “Blue on Black,” there’s no flashy guitar hook. It’s always been for me about the entire song. Some songs are better platforms for me to venture off on during a live concert and do extended solos. Some are just meant to be short, sweet, and to the point.
RC: Corrina Gill’s vocals add an electricity to the song “Never Made It To Memphis” that’s pretty powerful.
KWS: I wasn’t there when she did her part. I was out on the road and Marshall Altman brought her in. When he sent me the track with her singing I knew that it had elevated the song to the next level. Any time you record a song and you’ve [already] got all the parts right there, you don’t add anything that doesn’t elevate it to the next level. She really took things up a notch.
RC: I see that Mark “The Loveman” Pender contributes on trumpet. Were the horns recorded separately?
KWS: Well Mark and Joe Sublett were my horn section for a few years. I brought them in to play horns on The Traveler album. They’re not in the band anymore but were with us for several years so they fit well into these two records. We recorded the horns separately because I think it’s too difficult to try and track the whole band with a horn section.
RC: Did you debut any new gear on this record?
KWS: Not really. The core of my gear has been firmly established now for several years. In my opinion, most stuff now is just a new version of old stuff. I don’t think the sound is very different and the instruments haven’t changed that much. When [legendary guitar amplifier designer] Alexander Dumble started building amps for me 10 years ago, that was the biggest change in my gear. He built me 11 different amplifiers over the course of our friendship before he passed away. That stuff fundamentally changed my sound and my playing because these amplifiers intuitively respond the way I always want amplifiers to respond. I used to have to force things out of them, where now I can just do it naturally. This frees up so much energy for me to more creative.
RC: The release of this record has to be bittersweet given the passing of Eric “ET” Thorngren. Was this his last project?
KWS: I’ve been working on four different albums over the past year. ET was a part of all of them. I have records he worked on that are not totally finished yet. So, I’m going to have to do that with someone else. The last complete project we did together as a record is going to come out next year. It’s something I did with Bobby Rush. We were literally were mixing the last song when he passed away in that motorcycle accident.
RC: You close the record with a fiery version of ZZ Top’s “She Love’s My Automobile.” It slams the door shut. How did you know this was the right way to wrap the record up?
KWS: I love ZZ Top. I love Billy Gibbons. And I love cars and guitars. We share a lot in common and that song just speaks to my passions. Billy is very much a car enthusiast like me and he’s been so good in writing these songs that pull both his passions together in such a cool and not contrived way. This has always been one of my favorite songs of his. It’s another one of those short and sweet songs that’s so familiar [and] leaves you on a high note.
RC: Are there any previews you want to share about the upcoming Experience Hendrix tour that you’ll be participating in?
KWS: Well, if you love guitar, then this is the show for you. You’ll have guys there from all different musical genres that are kind of bound together by the influence that Jimi Hendrix has had on all of us. You know the songs and you know the musicians who’ll be playing them and you’ll get to hear them play things you probably wouldn’t be able to hear anywhere else. It’s a tribute to the greatest guitar player of all time. What’s not to love?
Header image courtesy of Mark Seliger.
