Welcome back to another edition of Crate Digging, our recurring feature that finds artists digging into their crates of personal tastes. This time, singer-guitarist Myles Kennedy shares 10 albums from the 1970s that has a profound influence on him.
Myles Kennedy is one of the most prolific rock musicians of the 21st century. The singer-guitarist handles lead vocals in both Alter Bridge and Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, along with being a notable solo artist.
Get Myles Kennedy Tickets Here
Kennedy is launching a tour in support of his new solo album, The Art of Letting Go, on Friday (January 17th) in Joliet, Illinois, that runs through a February 21st show in his childhood hometown of Spokane, Washington. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster or StubHub.
As a young child of the 1970s, Kennedy’s musical influences include a number of legendary acts of the era, including such rock bands as Boston, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and The Cars, along with R&B artists like Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire.
In fact, he told us that one of his earliest musical memories was seeing Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street. “When Stevie Wonder was on Sesame Street, that was such a profound moment for me. I can still see the room. It’s just burned into my head. That changed my life.”
Another impactful moment was hearing Queen’s “We Are the Champions” after losing a tee-ball game as a kid: “Even though we weren’t the champions … I remember suddenly everything was okay. I remember hearing that and going, “Oh, that’s awesome.” It made me forget about losing. And it was a real special moment. So, I think that was my first rock ‘n’ roll experience.”
While Kennedy is often lauded for his vocal ability, he’s also a very skilled guitarist. As you’ll see in his list of 10 albums from the 1970s that influenced him, the guitar playing had as much, if not more, impact on him as the singing.
See Myles Kennedy’s list of 10 essential 1970s albums that influenced him below.