Ledbetter Heights
Encyclopedia
Ledbetter Heights is the debut album by American blues
solo artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd
. He was a mere 17 years old during its release on September 19, 1995. The album's name refers to a neighborhood in Shepherd's home town of Shreveport, Louisiana
. It also featured lead singer Corey Sterling on vocals.
Ledbetter Heights was an immediate hit, selling over 500,000 copies by early 1996. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1996 and certified Platinum by 2004. Most blues records never achieve such a level of commercial success, much less ones released by artists who are still in their teens. Ledbetter Heights also spent 20 weeks topping Billboard
's blues chart. In their list of blues artists, Guitar World
voted Shepherd #3 after B.B.King and Eric Clapton
.
with legal prostitution within this neighborhood, and musician Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter
, after whom the neighborhood is now named, lived and performed there. The renaming of the neighborhood to Ledbetter Heights in the 1990s was part of an effort to rehabilitate the area's image, as it had become known as an economically depressed and crime-ridden area.
Shepherd named his debut album after this neighborhood as an homage to the blues tradition of his home town.
Singles - Billboard (North America)
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
solo artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced a rare level of commercial success both as a blues artist and a young musician.-Biography:Shepherd graduated Caddo Magnet High School in Shreveport, Louisiana...
. He was a mere 17 years old during its release on September 19, 1995. The album's name refers to a neighborhood in Shepherd's home town of Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. It also featured lead singer Corey Sterling on vocals.
Ledbetter Heights was an immediate hit, selling over 500,000 copies by early 1996. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1996 and certified Platinum by 2004. Most blues records never achieve such a level of commercial success, much less ones released by artists who are still in their teens. Ledbetter Heights also spent 20 weeks topping Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's blues chart. In their list of blues artists, Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
voted Shepherd #3 after B.B.King and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
.
Album title
The Ledbetter Heights neighborhood, traditionally known as "The Bottoms", is one of the earliest parts of Shreveport to be settled outside the original downtown district, dating back to the 19th century. For almost all of its history, it has been predominantly African-American. In the early 20th century, there was a red-light districtRed-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
with legal prostitution within this neighborhood, and musician Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
, after whom the neighborhood is now named, lived and performed there. The renaming of the neighborhood to Ledbetter Heights in the 1990s was part of an effort to rehabilitate the area's image, as it had become known as an economically depressed and crime-ridden area.
Shepherd named his debut album after this neighborhood as an homage to the blues tradition of his home town.
Track listing
- "Born With a Broken Heart" (Shepherd/Tate) – 5:56
- "Déjà Voodoo" (Selby/Shepherd/Sillers) – 6:09
- "Aberdeen" (White) – 4:15
- "Shame, Shame, Shame" (Nadeau/Shepherd) – 6:05
- "One Foot on the Path" (Selby/Shepherd) – 3:49
- "Everybody Gets the Blues" (Michael) – 5:58
- "While We Cry" (live) (Shepherd) – 6:17
- "I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime)" (Howlin' Wolf) – 4:16
- "(Let Me Up) I've Had Enough" (Nadeau/Selby/Shepherd) – 2:43
- "Riverside" (Bowe) – 3:46
- "What's Goin' Down" (Nadeau/Shepherd) – 5:30
- "Ledbetter Heights " (Shepherd) – 6:11
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Heatseekers | 1 |
| 1995 | Top Blues Albums | 1 |
| 1995 | Top Blues Albums | 2 |
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | 108 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Déjà Voodoo" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 9 |
| 1996 | "Aberdeen" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 23 |
| 1996 | "Born With a Broken Heart" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |