Kenny Vaughan with his RS Guitarworks Pine Body Tele-style Guitar
Kenny Vaughan just may be the best guitarist in Nashville today. The soft-spoken axe-slinger is a sought-after session musician, sideman and a phenomenal solo artist.
In addition to being a vital component of The Fabulous Superlatives, Vaughn is also becoming quite a TV star. He can be seen every Saturday night on RFD-TV along side some of Country Music’s finest on The Marty Stuart Show. ”Cuz’n Kenny,” as Stuart affectionately calls him, stands tall in his hat and sequined cowboy suits and continually lays down a mean mix of perfectly placed licks.
“Playing with Marty has been an incredible journey down the back roads of county music,” says Vaughan. ”I’ve met and played music with people I never would have dreamt of playing with; Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker, Charlie Pride, Loretta Lynne, Wanda Jackson, Vince Gill, and Duane Eddy! Marty is a force.”
Although Vaughn loves playing with many of his idols, he also has a passion for creating his own music. His debut solo album “V,” released in the fall of 2011, gave him a chance to showcase his refined musical talent and unleash his ultra cool, country-punk voice. It’s truly a wild mix of foot-stompin’ fun and pure guitar magic.
Six String Theories: Tell me about your first guitar.
Vaughan: My first guitar was a ’66 Tele. I bought it from Johnny Smith at his music store in Colorado Springs in the fall of ’66. My dad used to take me to watch him play on Saturday nights at a place called Shaner’s in Denver. I wanted a Jaguar, but, fortunately for me, my guitar teacher told me to get a Telecaster. At the time, I was really into Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds, so it was easier for me to try and play those songs on a Tele. My neighbor’s dad had all of the Buck Owens & Merle Haggard records, as well as some Johnny Cash albums. The first things that I could really play were Folsom Prison Blues and Gloria. I don’t think that we thought of Cash as a country artist.
Six String Theories: Do you still have that Tele?
Vaughan: No, that guitar was stolen in ’68. I replaced it with a ’68 goldtop Les Paul w/ P-90′s. I was listening to Bloomfield & John Mayall w/ Eric, so it was an obvious move.
Six String Theories: How many guitars do you currently own and can you claim a favorite?
Vaughan: I probably have around 40 instruments and thanks to Marty, I now own a ’66 Tele. It’s lightweight and sounds fantastic. It would be hard to pick a favorite, but lately I’ve been playing an SG standard w/ a stop tail at a lot of gigs. No pedals and a Princeton Reverb. Lots of reverb.
Six String Theories: You’ve got regular gig on Monday nights in Nashville. What does a typical set list look like?
Vaughan: Our Monday night gig is down low blues and boog-a-loo. Not too loud. Cool crowd. Players hang out. We have fun.
Six String Theories: Who do you like to play with and who would you still love to jam with?
Vaughan: I get to play with some greats here in Nashville. Charles Treadway, Paul Mabury, John Radford, Rich Brinsfield , Geoffrey Clemmons, Dave Roe , Jimmy Lester, and Guthrie Trapp. I’d like to jam with Mike Stern, John McGlaughlin, Stevie Wonder, Bill Frisell, Jim Campilongo, Jimmy Vaughan, and Joey DeFranchesco.
Six String Theories: The TV show has attracted a wonderful list of guest stars. Who really surprised you?
Vaughan: Four seasons of The Marty Stuart Show (104 half hour shows) on the RFD-TV Network has been quite an experience. John D. Loudermilk took us by surprise. Don Maddox hit it out of the park.
Kenny Vaughan with Deke Dickerson and Marty Stuart playing a late 60's custom double neck Mosrite that belonged to Jody Maphis.
Six String Theories: Can you tell me a little bit about your family? How do they adjust to your time spent on the road?
Vaughan: My wife, the great Carmella Ramsey, is a world class singer, fiddler and alto saxophonist. She’s an incredible songwriter. She’s worked with James Taylor, Olivia Newton John, Reba, Patty Loveless, and Carly Simon. More importantly, she’s a wonderful mother. We have 3 beautiful daughters. She’s also a great chef! We are foodies. Managing family-time is not always easy for two musicians with three kids. There have been times when we’re both gone. Our kids have been on the road. The music biz is not steady. It’s the only thing we’ve ever done.
Six String Theories: You obviously love different types of music. What about Punk?
Vaughan: I had a band , ’77-’79 that played the punk scene. We played our own stuff. We were not punks. The scene was kinda open at the time. Worlds collided. It was fun. Adventurous. I miss the wide open, artsy audience.
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Kurt Schwarz is an Associate Editor at Six String Theories. Check out his blog Real Life Husband RockStar Dad!
1. Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice Cooper – This album was in many ways my introduction to Rock & Roll.
4. Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, King’s X – King’s X is the most under rated band in the world. They should have been the Beatles of my generation.
8. Images and Words, Dream Theater – I often joke that Dream Theater writes the best parts of songs of any band, but when you put the parts together it doesn’t always work. It works on this album – every single note.