Sounds like you have a solid plan and good medical care all lined up!
I believe I do. I have a lot of faith in my doctors, my family, and I have a lot to keep me busy while I'm undergoing treatment. A lot of what I'll be doing, other than getting healthy, will involve projects which will honor my family. So I can get healthy, stay busy, and do something to share my inspiration.
If I'm good, I'll start looking through my collection of instruments, too.
Oh? How big is this collection?
Well, there are at least 15 guitars and four lap steels around. It's not the biggest collection in the world, but you have to realize that most of them are hand me downs and I don't like to throw anything away. I have a lap steel from the 1930s and one from 1952. I have a pedal steel in there, too.
One of my favorites is a bass guitar given to me by Junior Wells. It's 1960 Fender he loaned me once. I still have it because, even though he'd tease me about the bass, he'd never take it back. At one point, someone took the guitar from me and returned it with this beautiful oil painting of me on the back. So, on stage one night, I was playing away and Junior was in the audience. I pulled the bass up to play with my teeth and, of course, he saw the painting when I did that. I got teased about that, too.
Now there's another story for your book!
[Laughing] You better believe it! And that's just a start.
I could listen all day, but I'm sure you have other things to do and I don't want to take up your time. Yet, I have more questions!
It's always nice to share stories with people who want to hear them. And I'm really lucky because I came up in the tail end of the Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, Honeyboy era, I've seen the Stevie Ray Vaughan influence... I've had the good fortune of playing with some of the people who are considered the pioneers and masters of the blues. For me to go through all those experiences, I could be telling stories for years.
Some of the people I played with, well, I'm not sure how I managed what I did. I must have had some guts to pull it off the way I did. And some of the things I did or saw on stage...
Article comments
1 - Pico
Being from Kenny's neck of the woods, I enjoyed reading this interview, he seems to be so down to earth.
I also realized a big goof on my Studebaker John review from a couple of week ago, implying that like John, Kenny could play guitar, sing, compose and play harmonica. But I didn't realize he could also play paino, trumpet and bass, too! Very informative piece.
-P
2 - Connie Phillips
Congratulations! This article was an Editor's Pick this week.