Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Recording Week 25
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • As It Was preset
  • Don't Give Up
  • Ron Wood's drum secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Zach Myers of Shinedown plays a hunter green PRS NF53 live onstage at Download Festival 2025.
Artists Zach Myers on Shinedown’s secret weapon, the limits of shred guitar, and getting schooled by BB King
Derek Trucks takes a slide solo on his Gibson SG as Tedeschi Trucks Band performs live at Madison Square Garden.
Artists Derek Trucks is one of the greatest slide players of all time – here’s how he decides when to use it
John McLaughlin
Artists “I don’t have many guitar players’ albums on my iPhone, but Jeff is there”: John McLaughlin on the magic of Jeff Beck
Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck
Artists Carlos Santana on what made Jeff Beck a guitar great, and getting into character to cover Michael Jackson
Dickey Betts [left] and Warren Haynes trade licks onstage with the Allman Brothers Band at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Haynes's Strat would soon be stolen in New York.
Artists How Warren Haynes turned to Les Pauls after his favourite Strat was stolen
Wolfgang Van Halen
Artists “Some riffs have that swing. You hear it in the first Van Halen album”: Wolfgang Van Halen's new song echoes classic VH
Brian May and Freddie Mercury in 1980
Artists “I have none of that high-speed technical skill of a Steve Vai or a Joe Satriani”: How Brian May plays off instinct
Andy Fraser in 1971
Artists “The notes he didn’t play were more important than the notes he did play”: A salute from one great bassist to another
Warren Haynes takes a solo live onstage with his Gibson Les Paul Standard. He wears a black shirt.
Artists Warren Haynes on the Allman Brothers, Woodstock ’94, and finishing what Gregg Allman started with Derek Trucks’ help
Jimi and Billy in 1968
Artists “I was playing the Fender Strat that Jimi Hendrix gave me”: Billy Gibbons on the making of ZZ Top's greatest blues song
John McLaughlin
Artists “I’m not a collector. I get guitars, but I give them away”: Why John McLaughlin regrets gifting a '67 Strat to Jeff Beck
NEW YORK - JULY 11: Mark Ronson performs at the High Line Ballroom on July 11, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Donna Ward/Getty Images)
Artists Mark Ronson on having to come to terms with the fact that he would never be a great guitar player
Mark Knopfler
Artists Mark Knopfler on the Dire Straits song he's come to accept that he has to start in the same way every time
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Wolfgang Van Halen
Artists “Usually I’ve done the demos on my laptop, which can be a bit creatively stifling”: Wolfgang Van Halen on his new album
  1. Artists

Kenny Wayne Shepherd: my top 5 not-so-guilty pleasures of all time

News
By Joe Bosso published 27 November 2012

"If you want to be a well-rounded musician, you really have to be a lover of music"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd: my top 5 not-so-guilty pleasures of all time

Kenny Wayne Shepherd: my top 5 not-so-guilty pleasures of all time

“I know what people must think," says Kenny Wayne Shepherd. "'Oh, Kenny Wayne Shepherd? He’s a blues guy. He must listen to blues all the time.’ But you know, that's not always the case.”

Although he's now regarded as one of the most popular practitioners of modern-day blues, Shepherd's childhood was filled with a varied menu of musical forms. His father was a general manager and on-air personality for several radio stations in the guitarist's hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, and Shepherd recalls hearing "pretty much everything you can imagine on all the formats – Top 40, rock, country, you name it. Plus, I got to see just about any band that came to town. It was a great musical education."

As a teenager, Shepherd broadened his listening habits, checking out gospel, funk, R&B and Southern rock. Eventually, his tastes veered towards country and blues. "It was almost a toss-up between the two genres for me," he says. "A lot of people say that country is just blues with a twang. Driving to school, Shepherd often cranked Muddy Waters in his car – and he was startled to discover that his choice of music qualified him for outsider status. "I would try to talk to my friends about guys like Muddy Waters. They had no idea. So I always knew that my preferences were very different from most people my age."

Now a father of three (with another child on the way), Shepherd admits that he hears more than his fair share of non-blues around the house. "If I'm not playing music myself, you can imagine it's a lot of Disney and stuff like that," he says with a laugh. But he stresses that keeping an open mind is critical for making artistic leaps, even when working in an idiom as steeped in tradition as the blues.

"If you want to be a well-rounded musician, you really have to be a lover of music," Shepherd says. "You don’t have to love every genre, and you don’t have to like everything that you hear. But you should be open-minded to listening to other types of music. You might hear something that you really dig, and that might inspire you to do something different.”

On the following pages, Shepherd runs down his not-so-guilty pleasures, five albums off the blues beaten path that have found their way onto the guitarist's playlist.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (1984)

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (1984)

“Jerry Harrison was a member of the Talking Heads, and he produced a couple of my records – I would’ve been remiss if I didn’t check out what he did. The Talking Heads don’t have anything to do with the blues, but one of the things that I really dig about this record is that it’s live, and it captures the band doing their thing well.

“I’m a fan of music that makes people want to dance. Everything that I do, I try to do with a serious groove. I love to look out and see people having a good time and the music making their bodies move. The Talking Heads were very well known for that.

“Again, the live aspect of the recording is very cool to me. The band had a lot of tricks that they would do in the studio, and they had a lot of layers to their songs, but they could pull it off live. A lot of bands can make good records, but they can’t make their music translate to the stage.

“I love the opening track, Psycho Killer. In fact, I play it a lot in my car. I have a pretty amazing stereo in one of my cars – it’s absolutely sick – and when I want to show it off to somebody, that’s the song I’ll put on. It sounds incredible.”

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Adele - 21 (2011)

Adele - 21 (2011)

“My wife got turned on to Adele, and so I started hearing the record around the house whenever she would play it. I didn’t go seeking Adele out, and to be honest, when I hear people being labeled as pop stars, I’m a bit skeptical. But I have to admit that I think she's incredible.

“She’s got a lot of soul and blues in her voice, and the music is very well produced. It’s not too over-the-top cheesy, and it’s got a lot of credibility. I’ve become a fan. There’s something to be said for somebody who can really sing and has actual raw talent. Adele can certainly do it.”

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - The Whole Fam Damnily (2008)

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - The Whole Fam Damnily (2008)

“I got turned on to this guy through John Mellencamp. We were hanging out at the Super Bowl last year in Indianapolis, and he was really impressed by the guy’s guitar playing and slide work. ‘Oh, you gotta hear this!’ he was saying. So I checked it out, and I dug it.

“He’s got an interesting sound. His playing is great, but the vocal is where it gets unique. Some people dig it, some people don’t. It’s hard to put a label on it. He sounds like a lumberjack singing. Try to picture some dude in a flannel shirt, walking through the backwoods with an axe and singing to himself. That’s what this is.

“I played it for my singer, Noah – he was a bit curious. The singing is not for everybody. So this is an oddball choice, but I really like it.”

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
MC5 - Kick Out The Jams (1969)

MC5 - Kick Out The Jams (1969)

“This record is kind of out of nowhere for a guy like me, but I really like the primal nature of the music. Wayne Kramer is a friend of mine, and he’s awesome.

“The band was just full-on. It seemed like anything went with those guys. They would go from moments of musical genius, with everything very tight and put together, to complete and total mayhem. Somehow or other, they managed to find their way back together again. It seemed like pre-determined chaos.

“They kind of started a musical movement. They were like the original garage band, and punk was a bit of a spin-off of the MC5’s generation. Plus, they’re from Detroit. I’m a big American car guy, so I love anything that comes out of Detroit.”

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
David Bowie - Let's Dance (1983)

David Bowie - Let's Dance (1983)

“If you were looking through my iPod and checking out the iTunes, you’d find this album and go, ‘What? What’s that doing here?’

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have bought this record if Stevie Ray Vaughan didn’t play on it. That was the main reason right there. Let’s Dance is a decent song. Like with the Talking Heads, I'm a fan of anybody who can create music that makes people want to get on the dance floor and start moving.

“I was curious to check out the way the two different approaches worked together. David Bowie was very kind of ‘80s pop, and Stevie Ray was blues. What would they sound like combined? Sometimes it made sense, and sometimes it felt as if they just threw some blues guitar on top of David Bowie tracks.

“It was probably very innovative for its time. There’s a bit of over-the-top production, but overall it still sounds good. I still hear it come on the radio or when I’m walking around the shopping mall, so obviously it's not too dated or else they wouldn’t play it.”

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.

Read more
Zach Myers of Shinedown plays a hunter green PRS NF53 live onstage at Download Festival 2025.
Zach Myers on Shinedown’s secret weapon, the limits of shred guitar, and getting schooled by BB King
 
 
Derek Trucks takes a slide solo on his Gibson SG as Tedeschi Trucks Band performs live at Madison Square Garden.
Derek Trucks is one of the greatest slide players of all time – here’s how he decides when to use it
 
 
John McLaughlin
“I don’t have many guitar players’ albums on my iPhone, but Jeff is there”: John McLaughlin on the magic of Jeff Beck
 
 
Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck
Carlos Santana on what made Jeff Beck a guitar great, and getting into character to cover Michael Jackson
 
 
Dickey Betts [left] and Warren Haynes trade licks onstage with the Allman Brothers Band at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Haynes's Strat would soon be stolen in New York.
How Warren Haynes turned to Les Pauls after his favourite Strat was stolen
 
 
Wolfgang Van Halen
“Some riffs have that swing. You hear it in the first Van Halen album”: Wolfgang Van Halen's new song echoes classic VH
 
 
Latest in Artists
DJ Seth Troxler performs on stage during the Primavera Sound Festival at Distrito Anhembi on November 5, 2022
“It’s just too emotional”: Seth Troxler is offering €10 an hour to anyone willing to help him clean up his vinyl
 
 
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 20: Musician D'Angelo plays a private concert at a media event announcing updates to the music streaming application Spotify on May 20, 2015 in New York City. The latest updates include the ability to stream video content, podcasts and radio programs as well as original songs for the application. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Jacob Collier, Flea and many more pay tribute to D'Angelo
 
 
Lynyrd Skynyrd
“We said, ‘We’re calling the band Leonard Skinner!’ Everybody laughed. So we kept it”: The early days of Lynyrd Skynyrd
 
 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 27: D'Angelo performs at The Apollo Theater on February 27, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images)
Neo-soul pioneer D’Angelo has died, aged 51
 
 
DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Andrew Watt of Earthlings performs live on stage during Ohana Music Festival at Doheny State Beach on September 26, 2025 in Dana Point, California. (Photo by Jim Bennett/Getty Images)
It took an intervention from Paul McCartney for Mick Jagger to offer Andrew Watt a job with the Rolling Stones
 
 
Amy Allen
Sabrina Carpenter songwriter Amy Allen on the challenges faced by women in the music industry
 
 
Latest in News
brian eno
"It felt fitting to broadcast it into the unknown, into dark matter": Brian Eno to beam his new album into space tonight
 
 
The Strymon Olivera is a five-knob stompbox in bronze-brown that offers an emulation of an oil-can delay
Strymon’s Olivera is a oil can delay without the oil, without the mechanics, and with a lot more control over your tone
 
 
Harley Benton CLF-50E Parlor Metallic: the compact-bodied acoustic has been launched with a range of metallic finishes.
Harley Benton’s new acoustic is a compact parlour with a solid top and metallic colour finish – and it is just $250
 
 
Behringer
"The rebirth of phase distortion": Behringer releases its Casio CZ-1 clone, the CZ-1 Mini
 
 
Fender's American Professional Classic series photographed against the side of a chrome tour bus [L-R]: Jaguar in faded Sherwood Green Metallic, HSS Stratocaster in Faded Lake Placid Blue, Stratocaster in Faded Firemist Gold, Telecaster in Faded Butterscotch Blonde, Precision Bass in Faded 3-Color Sunburst.
Fender gives its US lineup a retro-modern makeover with the American Professional Classic range
 
 
akai mpk
Akai unveils MPK Mini IV with pitch and mod wheels, new keybed and full-size MIDI output
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...