Article Contributed by jbleicher.com
Published on 2026-04-17
Thirty years after a Fender Strat-wielding teenager from Shreveport, Louisiana helped bring the blues back into the mainstream, the platinum-selling, six-time GRAMMY-nominated guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd continues the rollout of his newly recorded Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions) with the release of “One Foot on the Path,” available now on all streaming platforms.
Originally featured on Shepherd’s 1995 debut, “One Foot on the Path” stands as one of the album’s most forward-driving and reflective tracks, pairing a restless groove with a sense of momentum and self-determination that mirrors the arc of Shepherd’s own career. In this new version, that spirit remains intact, now sharpened by decades of experience, with a more deliberate arrangement and a deeper, more expressive guitar voice guiding the track forward.
At a time when grunge dominated the cultural conversation, Shepherd emerged unapologetically rooted in a genre often pushed to the margins. With fiery fretwork, pop-rock hooks, and a deep reverence for the blues, his arrival cut through the noise and connected with a new generation of listeners. Signed by legendary executive Irving Azoff at just 16, Shepherd recorded Ledbetter Heights while still in high school, splitting his time between classes in Louisiana and sessions in Memphis.
Now, three decades later, Shepherd returns to that material with clarity and perspective. “One Foot on the Path” reflects both where he was headed then and the path he ultimately forged - a career defined by movement, growth, and a refusal to stand still.
“This is the album that put me on the map, and I still enjoy listening to it because my goal has always been to make music I want to listen to,” Shepherd says. “Unfiltered and straight from the heart.”
A key presence on the re-record is longtime collaborator Chris “Whipper” Layton, founding member of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, who has played alongside Shepherd since the original sessions. The album was co-produced with Jerry Harrison, whose history with Shepherd spans multiple records including Trouble Is… and its 25th anniversary re-recording. In another full-circle moment, Shepherd returned to his original 1995 rig for the sessions, grounding the recordings in the same sonic palette that first introduced him to audiences.
When Ledbetter Heights was first released, it quickly became a breakout success, going Gold within months and earning Platinum certification by early 1996. The album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, and in 1996, Guitar World ranked Shepherd the No. 3 blues artist in the world, behind only B.B. King and Eric Clapton.
In the years since, Shepherd has built one of the most enduring careers in modern blues-rock. His sophomore album, Trouble Is…, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and spent 20 consecutive weeks atop the Blues Chart. Across his career, Shepherd has earned six GRAMMY nominations, multiple Platinum and Gold records, and shared stages with artists including Bob Dylan, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
That sense of forward motion is central to “One Foot on the Path” and the project as a whole. The new recordings revisit the original 12-song collection with a deeper sense of nuance and intention. While the energy of the original remains, the updated versions reflect a more refined musicality and a clearer artistic voice shaped by years on the road and in the studio.
“Before I could identify with the lyrics, I always could identify with the feeling of the blues,” Shepherd says. “When you pour your heart out, everyone can feel that.”
The release of “One Foot on the Path” arrives alongside Shepherd’s ongoing Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour, where he and his band are performing the album in full for the first time, as well as an array of songs spanning his three-decade career. The tour continues to build momentum across theaters and performing arts centers nationwide. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/tour.
Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions)
1. Born with a Broken Heart
2. Deja Voodoo
3. Aberdeen
4. Shame, Shame, Shame
5. One Foot on the Path
6. Everybody Gets the Blues
7. While We Cry (Live)
8. I’m Leaving You (Commit a Crime)
9. (Let Me Up) I’ve Had Enough
10. Riverside
11. What’s Goin’ Down
12. Ledbetter Heights
2026 Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour
Saturday, April 18th – Hollywood Casino – Charles Town, WV
Sunday, April 19th – Palace Theatre – Greensburg, PA
Wednesday, April 22nd – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, IN
Thursday, April 23rd – Taft Theatre – Cincinnati, OH
Friday, April 24th – Hard Rock – Gary, IN
Saturday, April 25th – MGM – Northfield, OH
Sunday, April 26th – Hollywood Greektown Casino / Music Hall – Detroit, MI
Wednesday, April 29th – GLC Live @ 20 Monroe – Grand Rapids, MI
Thursday, April 30th – Pabst Theatre – Milwaukee, WI
Friday, May 1st – Blue Gate PAC – Shipshewana, IN
Saturday, May 2nd – Hard Rock – Rockford, IL
Sunday, May 3rd – Hoyt Sherman Theatre – Des Moines, IA
Tuesday, May 5th – Virginia Theater – Champaign, IL
Thursday, May 7th – Uptown Theatre – Kansas City, MO
Friday, May 8th – Walker’s Bluff Casino – Carterville, IL
Saturday, May 9th – The Factory – St. Louis, MO
Saturday, June 13th – Paradise Theater @ Margaritaville Resort Casino – Bossier City, LA
Sunday, June 14th – The Buddy Holly Theatre – Lubbock, TX
Wednesday, June 17th – Kiva Auditorium – Albuquerque, NM
Thursday, June 18th – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ
Friday, June 19th – Celebrity Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
Saturday, June 20th – Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts – Cerritos, CA
Sunday, June 21st – Oxnard Performing Arts Center – Oxnard, CA
Tuesday, June 23rd – California Center for the Arts – Escondido, CA
Thursday, June 25th – Capitol Theatre – Salt Lake City, UT
Saturday, June 27th – Blues From The Top Music Festival – Winter Park, CO
Sunday, July 26th – Open Air Blues Festival – Brezoi, Romania
Tuesday, July 28th – Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour – Helsinki, Finland
Thursday, July 30th – Notodden Blues Festival – Notodden, Norway
Saturday, August 1st - Megeve Blues Festival - Megeve, France
Thursday, September 10th – Big Blues Bender – Las Vegas, NV
Friday, September 11th – Sunset Center – Carmel, CA
Saturday, September 12th – Blue Note Summer Sessions – Napa, CA
Sunday, September 13th – Center for the Arts – Grass Valley, CA
Tuesday, September 15th – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR
Wednesday, September 16th – Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA
Thursday, September 17th – First Interstate Center for the Arts – Spokane, WA
Friday, September 18th – Alberta Bair Theater – Billings, MT
Wednesday, September 30th – Sandler Center for the Performing Arts – Virginia Beach, VA
Friday, October 2nd – State Theatre New Jersey – New Brunswick, NJ
Saturday, October 3rd – Grand Opera House – Wilmington, DE
Sunday, October 4th – Appell Center for the Performing Arts – York, PA
Wednesday, October 7th – Carolina Theatre – Durham, NC
Thursday, October 8th – Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, TN
Friday, October 9th – Lexington Opera House – Lexington, KY
Saturday, October 10th – Paramount Bristol – Bristol, TN
Sunday, October 11th – Knight Theater – Charlotte, NC
Saturday, October 17th – Mystic Lake – Prior Lake, MN
October 31st – November 7th – The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise – San Diego, CA
Friday, November 20th – Riverside Casino & Golf Resort – Riverside, IA
