Young blues artist opens for rock legends tonight

Though more than a few people have hyped him as a soul savior, it's unlikely Kenny Wayne Shepherd will be reinventing the blues any time soon.

That said, however, there's no doubt the 20-year-old guitar-slinger is an electrifying live performer, and that's reason enough for Aerosmith to be just a bit nervous about choosing Shepherd as their opening act.

They just might get upstaged.

Aerosmith, whose many hits include "Walk This Way," "Love In An Elevator" and "Crazy," headline a concert tonight at The Bryce Jordan Center. Blues prodigy Shepherd fills the opening slot, and will kick things off at 8 p.m.

Shepherd's first album, Ledbetter Heights, was released two years ago and established Shepherd as a blues-rock phenomenon. Featuring the hits "Deja Voodoo" and "Born With A Broken Heart," the album reigned for five months as the No. 1 album on the Billboard blues charts.

His dazzling, powerful guitar playing reminded critics and fans of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, a leader of the early '80s blues revival -- and with good reason. When Shepherd was 7 years old, his father took him to see Vaughan and his band, Double Trouble, in concert. A courteous Vaughan pulled the young Shepherd out of the crowd and let him watch the show from what must have been the best seat in the house -- his main amplifier.

The experience changed Shepherd's life.

From that point forward, he was enthralled with the guitar, Vaughan and the blues. By the time he was a teen-ager, Shepherd had already shown tremendous promise as a player, and began making a name for himself.

Undoubtedly, Ledbetter Heights established Shepherd as a great guitar player, but critics wondered if he could step out of Vaughan's shadow and come up with an original sound. With his new release, Trouble Is . . . , Shepherd has taken steps toward doing so.

"Actually, the new album is kind of a cross of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix," said Brian Martin, assistant manager of Vibes Music, 226 E. College Ave. "The first album was more of a Stevie Ray tribute, blues-rock album. The second one is a lot better musically."

Trouble Is . . . features the revamped Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band with new singer Noah Hunt. A single from the album, "Slow Ride," is getting a good deal of radio play, and Shepherd did what a lot of people thought he couldn't -- put out a record equal to, or even better than, his first.

"His single, 'Slow Ride' -- we've had tons of request for that," said Gordon Holmes, a disc jockey at WQWK (97.1) radio. "And as far as the request line goes, that's the closest thing I have to tell what people like listening to."

Unlike Shepherd, who is relatively new to the likes of request lines and heavy airplay, Aerosmith has been a staple of classic-rock radio for more than 25 years.

Aerosmith is touring in support of its latest release, Nine Lives. The album has not been a commercial or critical hit, but after a long stretch in the music business, the band is big enough to warrant arena tours.

"They're probably riding on their name right now," Martin said. "I think they've already built a name for themselves. It's not that they make bad music -- the music they make is good -- but I think anything they make right now will be accepted."

Martin said Nine Lives sold well after its initial release, but sales dropped soon after that. He said the concert should help the album's sales, however.

Nine Lives was actually a very good record, Holmes said, and pointed to the single "Hole In My Soul" as one of Aerosmith's better efforts.

Holmes said it makes sense to have Aerosmith play at the center because of their diverse fan base. Having made hits in the '70s, '80s and '90s, the band has had the opportunity to attract a wide variety of fans.

"They're definitely not college rock, but I think they kind of bridge a gap," Holmes said. "I think a band like Aerosmith transcends any particular style you could try and put them in. I know people who are into alternative rock who love Aerosmith."