For anyone who fell in love with the heartfelt, powerhouse rock music of the 1980s, his sound was unforgettable—a soaring, soulful saxophone that seamlessly blended heartbreak and hope in every note.

Kid Rock was performing at his Rock the Country festival date in Little Rock, Ark., on June 21, and he decided to make a core memory for an 8-year-old boy by gifting him his saxophone after he was ...