What Is Kenny Wayne Shepherd's Net Worth?
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer who has a net worth of $12 million. Kenny Wayne Shepherd has earned five Grammy nominations, and he has released 10 studio albums, including the Platinum albums "Ledbetter Heights" (1995), "Trouble Is…" (1997), and "10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads" (2007).
Eight of Shepherd's albums have reached #1 on the "Billboard" Blues Albums chart. Kenny's 2010 live album "Live! in Chicago" also topped the "Billboard" Blues Albums chart, and seven of his singles were top 10 hits on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock chart. Shepherd designed the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Series Stratocaster, which was released by Fender Musical Instruments Corp. in 2008, and he served as an associate producer on the Grammy-nominated 2007 documentary "10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads."
Kenny was also a member of the band The Rides, which he formed with Stephen Stills and Barry Goldberg in 2013. The band released two albums, 2013's "Can't Get Enough" and 2016's "Pierced Arrow," which both reached #1 on the "Billboard" Blues Albums chart. Shepherd's music has been featured in films such as "The Fan" (1996), "Michael" (1996), "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" (2000), "3000 Miles to Graceland" (2001), "Footloose" (2011), and "Only the Brave" (2017) as well as the television series "The Shield" (2003), "Numb3rs" (2007), "American Dad!" (2013), and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (2022).
Early Life
Kenny Wayne Shepherd was born Kenny Wayne Brobst on June 12, 1977, in Shreveport, Louisiana. When Shepherd was growing up, his father, Ken, was a concert promoter and local radio personality. During Kenny's childhood, his grandmother used her S&H Green Stamps to buy him several plastic guitars, and at the age of 7, he began playing real guitars after meeting Stevie Ray Vaughan. Shepherd Is a self-taught guitarist and doesn't read music. He attended Caddo Magnet High School, graduating in 1995.
Career
When Kenny was 13 years old, blues musician Bryan Lee invited him to perform with him onstage. Shepherd then made demo tapes, and a performance of his was filmed at Shreveport's Red River Revel Arts Festival. Irving Azoff of Giant Records saw the video and signed 16-year-old Kenny to a record deal. Shepherd released his debut album, "Ledbetter Heights," on September 19, 1995, and it reached #108 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and #1 on the "Billboard" Blues Albums chart. The album was certified Platinum, and the single "Déjà Voodoo" reached #9 on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock chart. Kenny's second album, 1997's "Trouble Is…," went Platinum and reached #74 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and #1 on the Blues Albums chart. The singles "Slow Ride," "Somehow, Somewhere, Someway," "Blue on Black," and "Everything Is Broken" were top 10 hits on the Mainstream Rock chart, with "Blue on Black" reaching #1. That single also peaked at #78 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. The 1999 album "Live On" was Shepherd's third consecutive album to reach #1 on the Blues Albums chart, and it reached #52 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and was certified Gold. The album featured the singles "In 2 Deep" and "Was," which reached #5 and #9, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Next, Kenny released 2004's "The Place You're In," followed by the Platinum album "10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads" in 2007. That album topped the Blues Albums chart, as did Shepherd's next four albums, "How I Go" (2011), "Goin' Home" (2014), "Lay It On Down" (2017), and "The Traveler" (2019). All four albums also charted in Switzerland and the U.K., and "Goin' Home" and "Lay It On Down" reached the top 50 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. In 2020, Kenny headlined the Mahindra Blues Festival alongside Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, and Larkin Poe. The following year, he was nominated for a Blues Music Award for Best Blues/Rock Artist, but the Blues Foundation revoked the nomination because of Confederate flag imagery on his car, a replica of "General Lee" from "The Dukes of Hazzard." Shepherd told "Rolling Stone" magazine, "Years ago I put that car in permanent storage and some time ago, I made the decision to permanently cover the flag on my car because it was completely against my values and offensive to the African American community which created the music I love so much and I apologize to anyone that I have unintentionally hurt because of it. I want to make something very clear and unequivocal; I condemn and stand in complete opposition to all forms of racism and oppression and always have." In 2022, Kenny released his 10th studio album, "Trouble Is… 25," a re-recording of 1997's "Trouble Is…" that includes a cover of the 1965 Bob Dylan song "Ballad of a Thin Man."
Getty Images
Personal Life
Kenny was married to Melissa Abcock from September 2000 to 2002. Shepherd wed Hannah Gibson on September 16, 2006, and they have welcomed six children together. Hannah is the daughter of actor Mel Gibson.
Awards and Nominations
Shepherd has earned five Grammy nominations: Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Trouble Is…" (1999) and "Electric Lullaby" (2001), Best Traditional Blues Album for "10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads" (2008), Best Long Form Music Video for "10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads" (2008), and Best Contemporary Blues Album for "Live! In Chicago" (2011). Kenny has won two Blues Music Awards, two "Billboard" Music Awards, and two Orville H. Gibson Awards, and he received a Black Reel Award nomination for Best Song for "Walkin' Blues" from "Footloose" (shared with CeeLo Green and R.L. Burnside) in 2012.
