News  

Great news! I have been signed to Stony Plain record company out of Edmonton, Alberta by the company owner Holger Petersen. Holger has had his record company for over 30 years and also produces and host the CBC "Saturday Night Blues" radio station throughout Canada. My new record wasrecorded in Rhode Island with the great Duke Robillard producing and playing on all the tracks along with his hot band which included horn section arrangements by 'the Roomful of Blues'. Duke is internationally known for his superb guitar playing and his recording productions with many great artists. I'm very excited about all of this and I know you will be too when you here my new CD titled "An old rock on a roll". It is now released in Canada, the US and in Europe on Dixie Frog Records!

This year the Bay Area Blues Society's West Coast Hall of Fame committee in California selected me for the "Blues Piano Player of the Year 2010" award! The ceremony took place at the Hilton Oakland Airport, Grand Ballroom on March 28, 2010. I was present to receive this prestigious award. This award is for the best blues pianist in the Bay Area (San Francisco & East Bay) and it is a welcomed surprise!

The American Music Research Foundation’s “International Boogie Woogie” was honored with a "2009 Gold Remi Award" for Television or Cable Documentary at Worldfest, the 42nd Annual Houston International Film Festival. WorldFest is one of the oldest and largest film & video competitions in the world, with more than 4,500 category entries received from 33 countries in 2009. Awards were determined by points accumulated in juried viewings.

“International Boogie Woogie” documents solo and trio performances by four internationally acclaimed pianists at the 7th Annual Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival, augmented by interviews with the artists: Switzerland’s Sylvan Zingg, France’s Philippe LeJeune, and Canadians Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne and Michael Kaeshammer. Wayne emigrated from California, and Kaeshammer from Germany.

I've recently performed at the first "Pianorama" in Toronto on October 29th at Gladstone Hotel in a live soldout concert featuring Julian Faust, Curley Bridges & Bobby Dean Blackburn and it was amazingly recorded and video-ed for release in the spring of 2010. We are looking at touring the Pianorama across the country!

Love Song to New Orleans held an international song competition to pick the best
songs about Louisiana & New Orleans.  My song “Ragin’ Storm” was picked to be on
the compilation CD. The end result is a flavorful tribute CD with a complimentary
mix of Blues, Americana, Folk, Zydeco & Jazz with award winning guest stars. Oct. 1
you can purchase the cd through retail outlets in New Orleans Peaches Records,
Louisiana Music Factory (online too) & digital distributors Itunes, & Cdbaby.
Visit http://www.lovesongtoneworleans.com for more information.
Everyone is invited to the release party Fri. Oct. 2 at Check Point Charlies in the
French Quarter.  Part of the proceeds help the New Orleans Musician’s Fund.

Two of my songs "Thin Line" and "True Blue" on my previous albums were picked to be in an upcoming movie called "Damage" starring Steven Austin distributed by Fox Pictures. Also "Boogie-Woogie Mama" on my latest CD Can't Stop Now was recently picked for a movie called "Death Among Friends" directed by Ron Oliver. A big thanks goes out to Peter Allen & Associates for helping to place the songs in movies.

I am presently working on my next new CD with great songs and of course some of the finest blues and boogie-woogie piano playing that you can't hear live today! I have completed my Master Class Blues Piano Instructional book for professionals and will be available on line soon. I've been offered to be an Examiner and also workshop Piano Blues Master Classes for the Conservatory Canada based out of London Ontario which I am very excited about!

On latest Can't Stop Now CD, it includes 2 songs dedicated to my good friend and yours the late great Johnnie Johnson.  The remaining songs will be a mixture of modern and traditional blues.  On "You Cured My Blues" features a wonderful guitar solo from Jeff Healey who recently passed away. He was a true friend and will be deeply missed. I've included my son Cory to lay down a little rap on "My Little Peach" which I believe will get a lot of attention from the younger generation.  Thanks to all the musicians and my personal manager Rick Bates for his musical guidance.  Rick Bates has been hard at work as Activities Coordinator for the Big Bear community in California in addition to managing my musical career.

In the past, I had the pleasure of meeting and performing with these three great piano players. I did a concert in St. Louis, Missouri with Johnnie Johnson, a concert in Atlanta, Georgia with Floyd Dixon and a concert in Vancouver with Big Joe Duskin before they all passed on. It was truly an honor to have met and boogie-woogied with them all. You are all missed, my piano brothers. 

I have hopes and dreams of performing with my other great living piano players. More to come.....

Cheers,
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne