Born and reared in Shreveport, Louisiana, guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd must have had the blues in his blood, because he was playing at the professional level at a remarkably young age. When he was 13, an invitation from New Orleans bluesman Brian Lee to play on stage proved a turning point. Shepherd formed his own band shortly after, and began playing clubs around the Texas triangle. Shepherd's first album, LEDBETTER HEIGHTS, appeared in 1995, and was a surprising commercial hit, a rarity for a blues artist. TROUBLE IS (1998) landed Shepherd a Grammy nomination, and subsequent albums, such as 1999's LIVE ON and 2004's THE PLACE YOU¹RE IN were equally successful with critics and audiences. He also made a documentary entitled 10 DAYS OUT (BLUES FROM THE BACKROADS), which captured him playing with veteran bluesmen in the deep South.
