Inaugural Backroads Blues Festival Set To Play Bethel Woods

The inaugural Backroads Blues Festival featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd and blues legend Buddy Guy will play Bethel Woods this summer.

According to Kenny Wayne Shepherd's official website, the KWS Backwoods Blues Festival will be an annual touring festival featuring friends who are the best of the best, performing full sets with their own bands. The inaugural run of the festival is slated to play 6 stops including Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on Aug. 14. The first tour lineup will feature Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Buddy Guy, and the latest Blues Grammy winner Christone "Kingfish" Ingram.

A Little About Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Kenny Wayne Shepherd has released several albums over the years and has had commercial success as a blues artist. Shepherd has had seven singles in the Top 10 since 1995 and he holds the record for the longest-running on the Billboard Blues Charts with his 1997 release Trouble Is… featuring the hit “Blue on Black”.

The song went to No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. Heavily influenced by the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan, Shepherd himself has toured with rock legends like Van Halen and Aerosmith. In 2013, he formed the blues supergroup The Rides along with Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills and Nash) and keyboardist Barry Goldberg.

A Little About Blues Legend Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy ranked number 30 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". He's influenced the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many others. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 by Eric Clapton and B.B. King. His autobiography, When I Left Home: My Story was released in 2012.

Where To Get Tickets

Tickets for the inaugural Backroads Blues Festival at Bethel Woods Sunday, Aug. 14 at 6 PM are on sale now through bethelwoodscenter.org and Ticketmaster. Listen to WPDH afternoons all this week to score free tickets with the Mystery Riff at 4:20 PM!

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