KWS (June 12, 1977-) is an American blues musician. Shepherd was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Self-taught, he began playing guitar at age 7, figuring out Muddy Waters licks from his father's record collection.
(Information below copied from http://www.wholeearthfestival.net/wefkennywayneshepherd.htm) Thanks to his father's career in radio, Kenny Wayne Shepherd was exposed to a wide variety of music while growing up. But the flashpoint came when Kenny was taken to see a Stevie Ray Vaughan concert. At age of 13, he was invited onstage by the New Orleans bluesman Bryan Lee and Texan bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan. Witnessing the Texan's performance from atop an on stage amp case, the boy experienced a powerful and profound transformation, and in short order he decided on music as a career.
Using his own contacts in the record business, Shepherd's father and manager, Ken Shepherd (a Shreveport celebrity and DJ) helped his son land a major-label record deal with Giant Records. Rumor is Ken Shepherd also introduced Valerie Bertinelli to Eddie Van Halen. In 1995, his debut album was entitled Ledbetter Heights and featured original material and a few covers.
According to http://www.wholeearthfestival.net/wefkennywayneshepherd.htm "His music reflects a striking maturity and unequaled rock instincts. Combine these artistic abilities with a young man who is a product of the same cultural realities that others his age face, and you have the voice of blues rock for a new generation. Having enjoyed two straight #1 Blues albums, a string of #1 mainstream rock singles, two 1998 Billboard Music Awards for Rock Track of the Year ("Blue on Black") and Blues Album of the Year (for "Trouble Is..."), and a 1999 Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance ("Trouble Is..."). Kenny's powers as a guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and performer have only strengthened over time, making him without question the dominant guitar voice in rock for years to come."
Years later, Kenny surpassed all expectations with his second Giant album "Trouble Is...." Featuring lead singer Noah Hunt and produced by Jerry Harrison (LIVE), "Trouble Is..." accomplishes exactly what Kenny set out to introduce blues rock to a new generation. After the release of Trouble Is.... in October of 1997, Kenny and the band earned a 1999 Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance and picked up a BMI award as well. The album topped Billboard's Blues charts for two years straight, while three singles -- "Slow Ride", "Blue On Black", and "Somehow, Somewhere, Someway" -- were all #1 radio singles. In fact, "Blue on Black" was one of the most-played singles of the year, and voted rock song of 1998 in such prestigious trade publications as Billboard, R&R, and Album Network.
Over the past few years, the band has toured with the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Van Halen, Aerosmith, and Bob Dylan, reaching even wider audiences worldwide. They played over 200 shows in 1998, including debut tours of Australia and Japan and a return visit to Europe where Kenny headlined an evening at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival (he also joined B.B. King, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Musselwhite, and Keb' Mo' on stage there for an unforgettable multi-generational blues jam). Kenny also starred in a Gap commercial, while Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair (magazine) were among the many national magazines to run extensive spreads. Critics were effusive in their praise, with Vanity Fair (magazine) lauding his guitar playing as "both ferocious and restrained", and the Godfather of Soul, James Brown himself, calling Kenny "one of the wonders of the world."
BB King is also a big fan of Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Kenny has also played with Dr. John, Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughn's band), Doyle Bramhall II of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Arc Angels, who is touring with Eric Clapton in 2006; and Arion Salazar, bassist of Third Eye Blind.
Taken from www.tendaysout.net: On January 16, 2007, KWS is releasing a documentary movie titled "Ten Days Out- Blues from the Backroads." It shows him playing with blues legends such as Jerry "Boogie" McCain; Neal Pattman; Cootie Stark; Buddy Flett; B.B King; Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown; Bryan Lee; John Dee Holeman; Etta Baker; Henry Townsend and Honeyboy Edwards; The Howlin' Wolf Band with Hubert Sumlin, Henry Gray, Calvin Jones, and Wild Child Butler; The Muddy Waters Band with Pinetop Perkins, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Bob Margolin through out the south. Shepherd set out with a home court advantage, by hiring the team who had helped make Live On such an outstanding effort: Producer Jerry Harrison, himself a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, (his production credits include the Violent Femmes, Live, Big Head Todd & The Monsters; he was a member of the Talking Heads and the Modern Lovers), bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton, the rhythm section known as Double Trouble that came to fame behind Stevie Ray Vaughan. Partial proceeds of this project are being donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to helping impoverished blues artists.
Round and Round
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keeps me rolling in this blaze of glory
And the wheels on the bus go round and round
Leading me to where I'm bound
And the highway does my thinking for me
Yeah, this six-string does my talking for me
Come on, listen, let it tell you a story
Sun comes up and the moon goes down
And this six-string does my talking for me
Oh, my baby does my breathing for me
Keeps me going when the way get stormy
All the wheels on the bus go round and round
Leading me to where I'm bound
And my baby does my breathing for me
All the days and the nights go round and round
Sun comes up and the moon goes down
And this six-string does my talking for me
All the wheels on the bus go round and round
And the highway does my thinking for me
The lyrics to The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band's song "Round And Round" are a representation of how the singer is dependent on certain things to keep moving forward in life. The first verse refers to the highway as being the thing that does the thinking for him. The highway represents the journey of life and how sometimes it can be difficult to make decisions and know which path is the right one to take. The singer relies on the highway to guide him in the right direction, leading him to where he is meant to be. The wheels on the bus going round and round symbolize the cyclical nature of life and how every day we are moving forward, but also going through the same motions repeatedly.
In the second verse, the singer refers to his six-string guitar as being the thing that does the talking for him. The guitar represents his passion and his outlet for expressing himself. The guitar tells his story, sharing the highs and lows of his life. The days and nights going round and round symbolize the passing of time and how life is full of ups and downs. The sun coming up and the moon going down represent the never-ending cycle of life and how even though we may face difficult times, the sun will always rise again.
The final verse refers to the singer's significant other as being the one who does his breathing for him. This could mean that the significant other is his source of inspiration or support that keeps him moving forward when life gets tough. Overall, the song is about the little things in life that we rely on to keep us moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a highway, does my thinking for me
The highway is symbolic of the singer's life journey and helps him make important decisions.
Keeps me rolling in this blaze of glory
The highway keeps the singer motivated and inspired to keep moving forward with his life.
And the wheels on the bus go round and round
The journey the singer is on is cyclical, and he feels like he's constantly moving forward, but never quite arriving.
Leading me to where I'm bound
The cyclical journey the artist is on is ultimately leading him to his destiny or fate.
And the highway does my thinking for me
The artist relies on the path he's on to make important decisions since it's been a constant presence in his life.
Yeah, this six-string does my talking for me
The singer expresses his emotions and feelings through music played on his guitar.
Come on, listen, let it tell you a story
The singer wants others to listen to his music and understand the stories and emotions he's conveying through it.
And the days and the nights go round and round
The passage of time feels cyclical to the artist as he continues on his life journey.
Sun comes up and the moon goes down
The natural rhythm of the day and night cycle illustrates the cyclical nature of life for the artist.
And this six-string does my talking for me
The guitar remains an important form of expression for the artist, allowing him to communicate feelings he might not otherwise be able to express.
Oh, my baby does my breathing for me
The singer relies on his partner to keep him grounded and focused on what's important in life.
Keeps me going when the way get stormy
The artist's partner is a constant source of support for him, even during difficult times.
All the wheels on the bus go round and round
The cyclical journey the singer is on is symbolic of the larger journey of life, with all its ups and downs.
And my baby does my breathing for me
The singer's partner is a symbol of the importance of companionship in life.
All the days and the nights go round and round
The cyclical nature of life continues on, no matter what the singer is experiencing.
And the highway does my thinking for me
The artist continues to rely on the journey he's on to guide him in making important decisions about his life.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mark O Selby, Tia Sellers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind