Nashville guitarist, Kenny Vaughan is at the top of the "A" list among studio and road players on the country music studio scene. Often seen on Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien backing up artists like Kim Richie, Linda Loveless, or Lucinda Williams, he is a master of sounds in the ever-widening country rock music. Written up in Guitar Player Magazine, Kenny brings a producer's and composer's viewpoint to his seeming sideline role as a sideman.

He studied as a teenager with innovative jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, long before Frisell became famous. And beginning in the 1960s, Vaughan was able to see legendary artists like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Howlin Wolf in their heyday. His ambitions were as clear as the mountains that ran across Denver’s skyline:

And indeed he had a punk band too, a cult favorite called the Jonny 3 that toured and opened for major acts like Elvis Costello. So despite playing a lot of country music, he didn’t court Nashville. Nashville called him. A friend invited him out for a short-term studio gig. Vaughan thought he’d stay three weeks. That was 1987. Nashville also offered plenty of work. Vaughan got hired for a road job by country duo Sweethearts of the Rodeo. He played on Lower Broadway with eccentric honky-tonk artist Greg Garing, which led to meeting Lucinda Williams and a job with her. There were studio sessions as well, including a fair amount of mainstream country, which he endured more than enjoyed.

That does not describe his current membership in Marty Stuart’s band, the Fabulous Superlatives. Lanky and laid back, Vaughan looks like a 1960s country rocker in the band’s elegant western stage wear. Stuart has called Vaughan his ‘guitar soul mate’ and praised his range as a player. As if to test that range, Stuart has already put Vaughan to work on a twangy country CD, a bluegrass album, and a Staples Singers-influenced gospel album, called "Soul’s Chapel."

Vaughan maintains that he’s not a great pure guitarist. He’s even called himself a garage rocker masquerading as a professional. But those who’ve hired him know better. When it’s time to solo, he can shred, in the guitar player’s parlance, but his greatest asset may be his musicality, his restraint, his respect for the lyrics, and his service to the song.