Soulful Carolina songwriting — folk, country, and Roots
with a New Orleans glow.
For fans of John Prine / Guy Clark / Van Morrison / Townes Van Zandt / Paul Simon / John Mellencamp
BIO
Kenny Shore is a North Carolina-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose songs are rooted in more than three decades of performing along the East Coast. Drawing from a life fully lived, Shore writes with grit, honesty, and hard-earned perspective, weaving folk, country, and roots rock into a distinctly personal sound.
His latest full-length album, Happiness & Misery, debuted at #24 on the Folk Alliance International Folk Chart and features an exceptional cast of collaborators, including Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five), Will McFarlane (Muscle Shoals session legend, Bonnie Raitt), Joseph Terrell (Mipso), Andrew Marlin (Watchhouse), and Joe MacPhail (Oblations, SunSp.t).
At the heart of Happiness & Misery is Shore’s gift for finding songs in the complicated places where joy, grief, resilience, and everyday life intersect. Drawing on experiences ranging from his former career as a psychotherapist to the profound loss of his wife to cancer in 2017, Shore turns deeply personal moments into songs that feel immediate and universal. The result is music shaped not simply by storytelling, but by experience—a songwriter looking honestly at where he’s been and finding something worth sharing in what remains.
PAST TOUR CITIES
- New York City, NY
- Raleigh, NC
- Carrboro, NC
- Richmond, VA
- Savanna, GA
- Jacksonville, MS
- Orlando, FL
- Hershey, PA
- Roanoke, VA
- Washington DC
- Knoxville, TN
- Nashville, TN
OPENED FOR
- Mike Cross
- Joan Jett
- Don Dixon (REM Producer) & Mari Jones
- Chris Stamey (the dBs)
FESTIVALS PLAYED
- NC Folk Festival, Greensboro, NC
- Fossil Festival, Aurora, NC
- Raleigh Rocks, Raleigh, NC
- Festival for the Eno, Durham, NC
- Cedar Creek Gallery Fall and Spring Festivals, Creedmoor, NC
COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES PLAYED
- Mt. Wachusett CC, Gardner, MA
- Cayuga CC, Auburn, NY
- Armstrong Atlantic State U., Savannah, GA
- Concord University, Athens, WV
- College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
- High Point University, High Point, NC
- Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC
- NC State University, Raleigh, NC
- Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
- Barton College, Wilson, NC
- Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC
- UNC Pembroke, Pembroke, NC
- Central Piedmont CC, Charlotte, NC
- Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
- Guilford Tech CC, High Point, NC
OTHER SHOWS
- Carolina Classic Fair, Winston Salem, NC
- NACA South Showcase Artist, 2003, Chattanooga, TN
- New Music Conference Showcase Artist, 2003, Nashville, TN
- APCA Showcase Artist, Fall, 2022, Orlando, FL
- APCA Showcase Artist, Spring, 2023, Hershey, PA
PRESS PHOTOS
LISTEN
WATCH
RELEASES
QUOTES
“When a cherished troubadour is taken from us, as John Prine was in 2020, it isn’t surprising that we so yearn to hear that voice again that our mind plays tricks, inserting his phrasing and vocal qualities in fresh recordings. Perhaps that is what happens across Kenny Shore’s album Happiness & Misery. I don’t believe Shore sounds much like Prine, but there are moments within the fabulous “Haunted,” “If I Ever Needed Someone,” and “Far Away” where one might swear Prine is singing to us from the long ago.
— Fervor Coulee-Roots Music Opinions
A veteran singer-songwriter, Shore lost his wife to cancer in 2017 and his work is even more heartfelt than ever, where each story touches on the human experience with insight and wisdom.
— Take Effect Reviews
“Kenny Shore’s songs are simply too good to be ignored.”
— Stephen Dubner, Freakonomics author and former music critic
“If he gets a little more daring and cutting edge I’d add his name to a list like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and late great Northern Ireland singer songwriter David McWilliams.”
— John Apice, Americana Highways
“North Carolina troubadour Kenny Shore showcases both his soft-rock singer-songwriter side and his more soulful with high octave vocals and on-the-mark harmonies, bringing to mind the quieter side of John Prine with a rootsy rock sensibility.”
— Alan Cackett, UK music critic
“…this song is an offering of cathartic release, and with the crickets and the back porch and his vocal cadence – really the whole song – Kenny Shore certainly evokes John Prine.” — Melissa Clark, Americana Highways, on “Almost Like Heaven”
“An album that has the merit of introducing us to a sincere and genuine artist.”
— Remo Ricaldone, Lonestartime.com, Italy
This new album (set for release March 20th) is a really strong set of eleven tracks that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to over the past ten days. Although the album is definitely in the Americana / folk space there is a nice range of sounds and styles here to enjoy…Happiness & Misery is a very pleasant listening journey with songs that are well composed, expertly performed and that have lyrics and themes that hit home while also being entertaining. I will be listening to this one on a regular basis and recommend it to you.
— Jack Mesenbourg, Music Critic
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