Three-time Grammy Award-winning blues legend Bobby Rush and five-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd have joined forces for Young Fashioned Ways, a new collection of blues songs written and recorded together. The album will be released on March 21.
The debut single, “Who Was That” is also be featured in Lionsgate’s latest film Flight Risk, starring Mark Wahlberg.
Rush and Shepherd will embark on a 24-city U.S. tour beginning April 25 in Kansas City, Missouri, and concluding August 23 in Lincoln City, IN. Additional dates will be announced.
Born 44 years apart, Rush and Shepherd recorded Young Fashioned Ways at Royal Studios in Memphis. The album features 10 tracks, highlighting Shepherd’s signature guitar work and Rush’s soulful vocals, rhythm guitar, and harmonica.
Rush, 91, is a three-time Grammy winner for Best Traditional Blues Album with Porcupine Meat, Rawer Than Raw, and 2024’s All My Love for You. He is also a 16-time Blues Music Awards winner and has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, and Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
Shepherd, in addition to his Grammy nominations, has earned two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson Awards, a Blues Music Award, and a Keeping the Blues Alive Award. He has eight Top 10 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and holds the record, alongside B.B. King and Eric Clapton, for the longest-running albums on the Billboard Blues chart with Trouble Is…
“You don’t find albums this 100 percent, real deal authentic every day,” Shepherd said. “When Bobby and I started playing together, age didn’t matter. We spoke the same language with the blues, spiritually, musically, and geographically.”
Rush added, “Music keeps me young, and learning something new every day does too. This kind of album is rare, and when it comes to the blues these days, you can’t get much better than what we’ve done.”
Young Fashioned Ways Track Listing:
- Who Was That
- 40 Acres (How Long)
- Hey Baby (What Are We Gonna Do)
- Uncle Esau
- Make Love to You
- Long Way from Home
- G String
- You So Fine
- Young Ways
- What She Said
The album’s title reflects Rush and Shepherd’s shared admiration for Muddy Waters. They wrote a new version of Waters’ Young Fashioned Ways, retitled “Young Ways,” included on the album.
Young Fashioned Ways features original compositions born from the duo’s collaborative process, with contributions from veteran musicians Steve Potts (drums), Charles Hodges (keyboards/B-3), Darryl “DJ” Pruitt (bass), Doug Wolverton (trumpet), and Charlie Di Puma (saxophone). The album also reimagines four of Rush’s classics: “40 Acres (How Long),” “G String,” “Make Love to You,” and “Uncle Esau.”
For tour dates, album pre-orders, and to listen to “Who Was That,” visit here.
Read Bobby Rush Talks Back here.
