Q: Steven Curtis Chapman seems to be utilizing your talents lately. What's it like working with him?
A: Well, I think the album you are talking about there is, ‘Signs of Life’, which is an incredible album. He really came to the table on this record, I thought, and showed up with some great acoustic guitar riffs and great songs. Everything just kinda fell into place on that album. All the players and the tunes and everything just gelled. That’s the first album where I took notice of his remarkable talent. It was great working on the record with him.

Q: How is that album doing right now?
A: I’m not sure on numbers, but they sent me a gold album so it’s done at least gold.

Q: I've noticed that Wayne Watson's latest, "The Way Home", features *your* playing as well as Jerry McPherson and Dann Huff's. How do you decide who plays on what? Or do you each pick/choose a song?
A: Of course, it’s not up to me. I think his current single that is out right now, which is, "Here In This Town.", I co-wrote so when I showed up in the studio to play on the song, they kinda wanted me to do what I did on the demo. So that was a decision that was already made on that song just from having written the song and played certain parts on the demo that they wanted duplicated on the record. But as far as just in a general tracking session, everybody just stands around, and you will hear the song you are about to record. And then you’ll kinda gravitate first, towards what comes natural to you as a player, and volunteer to do this particular thing. It’s like, "Hey. I’ll do this." And then everybody kinda starts working on what they think is right...so it’s trial and error for a while until you get something that is working.

Q: At times do they have several sessionists come in?
A: A normal tracking session will feature drums, bass...possibly a rhythm guitar, acoustic, and lead guitar possibly. Sometimes a keyboard player, on ‘Waynes’ album, and for instance their were drums, bass. Jay and I tracking two guitars and Omartian was playing keyboards, piano. Acres was on synthesizers/keyboard kind of stuff...and Omartian was playing acoustic piano. So that’s how the tracking session went on that.

Q: Any more material due for "Dog's of Peace"?
A: Nothing scheduled for that project at the time.

Q: How and where did you get saved?
A: Probably for me, I can’t remember a time in my life, maybe chiefly due to my grandmother, where I did not know who Jesus was. So I kinda feel like I grew up and knew who He was, but I was baptized when I was 14. I feel like there are many landmark occasions in my life where I’ve stepped up my faith to new levels, but that would be the time that I could place the age that I was.

Q: What was your most embarrassing moment on stage?
A: For me, I did a show one time where when they drew the curtains to start the show, that they pulled my entire rig over, and it hit the stage. That would qualify as one of them...there are many though. Billy Smiley jumped through the stage one time, off of a drum riser.

Q: Do you have any moments on stage that stand out as being extraordinary? Something special that God allowed to happen?
A: Well, I think most of the time when I had moments like that it would have to be visualizing and seeing somebody in the audience experiencing something. Being on stage and playing music is always fun, but it can almost get to the point where your going through the motions, but the emotion is something you get as feedback from the audience. And a lot of times it wasn’t people cheering and say, "Great job playing this or singing that." More or less having real life experiences coming from music and how powerful music and how it can be used.

Q: How long have you been playing guitar? Do you have a favorite?
A: I’ve got pictures of me playing badminton racquets in my underwear at 2 years old. So I’ve always been kinda strumming on something. My dad played so I naturally gravitated toward being interested in guitar and wanting to play and picking up his guitars around the house while I was a kid. Learning to chord on an acoustic guitar when I was younger, but I got serious about it when my gave me my first Fender Telecaster when I was 15. That was when I got very serious about it.

Q: Is the guitar a collectors item?
A: It would be an early ‘70s telecaster. Between the two of us we have some collectable...some 35 guitars or something that are valuable to collectors, and some are invaluable because of some of the records my father played on with some guitars. You can’t put a price on something like that.

Q: Have you and your dad ever played on anything together?
A: Yeah. The first sessions I ever did...he produced. The first session, period, that I ever played on, or an overdub for a Johnny Rodriguez album. I did a solo on a song, and then the two of us did a twin guitar part on another song, and that was the first time I’d ever played on an album.

Q: Was WhiteHeart your first exposure to being in a musical group?
A: No. In fact, I was in a group with Dann and David Huff in High School. So we were always throwing together a band and wanting to play at this event, this function, this dance...or wherever we could play assemblies at school and all that kind of stuff. We played at our High School Chorus put on a production of 50s music my Junior Year, 70s music my Senior year, and we were always the band. So I experienced playing music in a group, probably starting as a Freshman in High School. My first I played in, Jerry Reed’s daughter was the lead singer, and we practiced over at his house. And I had had my Telecaster 2 months before we played in a talent show/variety show.

Q: So you, Dann and David Huff always knew yall would do something in music?
A: Oh yeah. I think when we were in our high school years, we all knew this is where we were going. Each coming from families that were in music.

Q: Weren’t all of you around Belmont college?
A: I went there for 3 years, but it didn’t necessarily help me in the music business part of my life. There were some good things experience-wise.

Q: Do you think you could ever top your dad?
A: I don’t think I will ever be a part of the thing that he was a part of . There is something to be said for the original guys here in this town, Nashville, where the guitarcase is like the briefcase in every other town. And he was here when it was all starting and played on some huge records. So the best I can do is just try to keep up.

Q: How long have you known Dann Huff? Did he "show you the ropes" when you replaced him as White Heart's guitarist? Or did you just have to sit down and "figure it all out" on your own?
A: I met him when I was going in my Sophomore year in High School...he was a Freshman in High School. I’m one year older than him. We were born in the same month.
No. They showed me the cassettes, and I had to just learn everything from tapes. I was originally supposed to sub for him for a few concerts.

Q: Montana Sky always has blown me away (and I believe you co-wrote it, right).
A: Yeah. I co-wrote it with Mark and Billy.

Q: Are there any songs that you've written that have touched a lot of people? That have generated a lot of mail?
A: The most recent song that I’ve had, obviously when I was with Whiteheart we’d go from town to town and meet face to face our audience. Everyday you’d hear from people that this song or that song has meant alot to me. But most recently I think I’ve experienced that with this song, "You Move Me", which was on Susan Ashton’s album (A distant Call), and Garth Brooks’ "Sevens." And I’ve had people come up and say, "This song is my life." and "When I first heard it. I cried." Things of that nature. So I think that is one of the most recent songs that I’ve had that people have been moved by.

Q: Are there any areas that believers could best pray for Gordon Kennedy?
A: I would say the same things that I pray for myself, that what it is that I do plays a part in the kingdom...not what it will do for me, but what I’m able to do with music...or contacts as a result of music or whatever...places where I’m gonna go to work....that doors will always open...opportunities to be a light.