Kenny Wayne Shepherd and the Art of Blues

It’snot hard to get Kenny Wayne Shepherd to talk about cars, especially the Detroit muscle machinesof the early 1970s. The Shreveport, La., blues musician, in fact, seems to have as much respectfor Chrysler and Plymouthproducts from the V8 era as he does for some of the blues giants that inspiredthe searing, rapid-fire guitar riffs that have become his trademark.

“Igrew up with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars,” says Shepherd, 31. “As an adult,I’ve had the chance to indulge that interest.”

Shepherd’spassion for high-performance autos led him to join the 2008 Hot Rod Power Tour,a public driving event sponsored by HotRod magazine that left the Arkansas State Fairgrounds on June 7, windingits way north and ending at the AlliantEnergyCenterin Madison onJune 13. Shepherd says he was planning on driving his newly restored 1972Plymouth Charger, one of four antique roadstersin his collection. Of course, he could also choose from his 1969 Dodge Charger,1972 Plymouth Duster or 1950 Ford Coupe.

OnJune 14, Shepherd once again traded his muscle car for music, playing a date inAurora, Ill., the start of a summer tour that will keep the musician mostly inthe upper Midwest through his June 24 Pabst Theater performance. As much as heloves cars, Shepherd says his passion for the blues is equally as strong.

“Alot of things attract me to the blues,” says Shepherd, who in the past hasperformed with blues legends B.B. King, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, HoneyboyEdwards and Pinetop Perkins. “The characters behind the blues are realpersonalities. There’s truth in the music.”

Twoof Shepherd’s idols, Hubert Sumlin, 76, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, 72, willbe joining him onstage at the Pabst, living testimony not only to the power ofblues and its makers, but also to its lasting influence on modern music. It’stheir inspiration that has kept Shepherd true to the blues and its mission, heexplains.

“It’slike Hubert Sumlin says about the blues, “If I can feel it, then I know you canfeel it,’” Shepherd says. “That’s what keeps me playing.”

Shepherd,who is largely self-taught, began playing at age 7, copying Muddy Waters riffsfrom records in his father’s collection. At age 13, he was invited onto a New Orleans stage by Bryan Lee, the blind blues guitaristfrom Two Rivers, Wis., an experience he says led him tochoose music as a career. Lee has since performed with Shepherd multiple times,including Shepherd’s last Pabst date, on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” inFebruary 2007 and, most recently, on Shepherd’s new CD, Ten Days Out.

Althoughhe cites jazz, gospel, country and rock ’n’ roll as influences on his style,Shepherd is keenest on the blues, a musical genre he feels is kept alive asmuch by its fans as by the musicians who perform it.

“Theblues has its own personality,” he explains. “It’s not something you’resupposed to think about; you just let your soul carry you through it. When Iperform, I try never to play the same song the same way twice.”

Thosevariations on familiar themes will also characterize his Pabst Theater show,which he says will be varied from other shows on the tour so that the materialremains fresh and inventive, both for the audience and the musicians. Sumlinand Smith will alternate sets with Shepherd’s band.

“That’spretty cool because I get to take a back seat and just play like a sideman,” hesays. “I learn a lot during those sets.”

Shepherdwill continue his blues studies, he says, because the blues have never beenbetter than they are today.

“Theultimate state of the blues is strong right now, as people look for good,solid, dependable music that they can sink their teeth into,” Shepherd says.“I’m a bluesman at heart, and if you listen to my music you will see that I amtrying to push the boundaries of the blues to their limits.”

Kenny Wayne Shepherd plays the Pabston Tuesday, June 24, at 8 p.m.