Kenny Wayne Shepherd is heading back to the beginning. ‘Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions)’ arrives May 8, a fully re-recorded version of the debut album that launched his career when he was still a teenager splitting time between high school in Louisiana and recording sessions in Memphis. Lead single “Deja Voodoo” is out now on all streaming platforms and sets the tone with the same blistering energy that defined the original, now sharpened by three decades of road and studio experience. Listen here.
The original ‘Ledbetter Heights’ arrived in 1995 at a moment when grunge dominated the cultural conversation. Shepherd, signed by legendary executive Irving Azoff at 16, cut through with fiery fretwork, pop-rock hooks, and an unapologetic reverence for the blues. The album went Gold within months, earned Platinum certification by early 1996, and spent 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Blues Chart. Guitar World ranked him the number three blues artist in the world at the time, behind only B.B. King and Eric Clapton.
The re-recording brings back key collaborators. Legendary drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton, founding member of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, who played on the original sessions, returns alongside co-producer Jerry Harrison, whose history with Shepherd spans multiple records. Shepherd also returned to his original 1995 rig for the sessions, grounding the recordings in the same sonic palette that first introduced him to audiences. “This is the album that put me on the map,” Shepherd says. “Unfiltered and straight from the heart.”
The release runs alongside the ongoing Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour, where Shepherd and his band are performing the full album live for the first time, followed by a second set spanning his entire career. Select dates feature special guests Jimmie Vaughan and Eric Johnson. The tour runs through the spring and into the fall, covering theaters and performing arts centers across the country.
Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions) Tracklisting:
Born with a Broken Heart
Deja Voodoo
Aberdeen
Shame, Shame, Shame
One Foot on the Path
Everybody Gets the Blues
While We Cry (Live)
I’m Leaving You (Commit a Crime)
(Let Me Up) I’ve Had Enough
Riverside
What’s Goin’ Down
Ledbetter Heights
2026 Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour Dates:
April 10 – Miramar Beach, FL – Joe Bonamassa’s Beach Vacation
April 11 – St. Petersburg, FL – Tampa Bay Blues Festival
April 12 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
April 14 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center @ Au-Rene Theater (with Eric Johnson)
April 15 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre (with Eric Johnson)
April 16 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
April 18 – Charles Town, WV – Hollywood Casino
April 19 – Greensburg, PA – Palace Theatre
April 22 – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center
April 23 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
April 24 – Gary, IN – Hard Rock
April 25 – Northfield, OH – MGM
April 26 – Detroit, MI – Hollywood Greektown Casino / Music Hall
April 29 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live @ 20 Monroe
April 30 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
May 1 – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate PAC
May 2 – Rockford, IL – Hard Rock
May 3 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Theatre
May 5 – Champaign, IL – Virginia Theater
May 7 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theatre
May 8 – Carterville, IL – Walker’s Bluff Casino
May 9 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
June 13 – Bossier City, LA – Paradise Theater @ Margaritaville Resort Casino
June 14 – Lubbock, TX – Buddy Holly Theatre
June 17 – Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium
June 18 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
June 19 – Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theatre
June 20 – Cerritos, CA – Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
June 21 – Oxnard, CA – Oxnard Performing Arts Center
June 23 – Escondido, CA – California Center for the Arts
June 25 – Salt Lake City, UT – Capitol Theatre
September 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender
September 11 – Carmel, CA – Sunset Center
September 12 – Napa, CA – Blue Note Summer Sessions
September 13 – Grass Valley, CA – Center for the Arts
September 15 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
September 16 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
September 17 – Spokane, WA – First Interstate Center for the Arts
September 18 – Billings, MT – Alberta Bair Theater