239:. When the show closed on Broadway, Shepherd was invited to participate as one of two musicians on a nationwide tour of the show. Shepherd and the conductor traveled from city to city with the cast, but for each stop on the tour a local group of 27 musicians was hired to be the pit orchestra and perform onstage musician roles, and Shepherd had to train them for their roles.
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where he trained as a percussionist on timpani, vibraphone, xylophone, snare and bass drums. Students were required to have a secondary instrument, Shepherd's was trombone. He also trained as a cabinet maker. He initially hoped for a career in the
Philadelphia Orchestra, but then his interest shifted
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Now nearly 80 years old, Shepherd switched his primary focus from drums to trombone, claiming that it was easier to carry. In 1995, he and Art Harris formed the group "Blues Fuse", with Harris playing
Hammond Organ and singing, and Robert Labbe on drums and they regularly performed in San Francisco
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When he was leaving
Philadelphia, his mother advised him, "Beris, you find out what they want and you give it to them!" Shepherd explained in a 2018 interview, "That meant, don’t just fasten myself down with jazz alone. Play whatever kind of music comes along. And that’s what I did.” In New York,
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Shepherd was in the U.S. Army for four years, serving in the entertainment corps, and working there improved his skills as a composer and arranger. Since the army had enough drummers, Shepherd also played trombone and trained drummers.
262:. Shepherd took over all drum work for the Ibanez Trio, and also worked security for a building in the financial district. After Black's son finished high school, Black was ready to move on and offered Shepherd the job at Finocchio's.
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While in the Army, he married his first wife, Pearl E. Timberlake, and they were together for over thirty years until she predeceased him in 1996. Together they had three children.
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He had an early fascination with marching bands, drumming on tables and chairs until his mother bought him a toy drum to save wear and tear on the furniture. He attended the
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Shepherd left
Doggett's group in 1959 and returned to New York, where he worked in pit orchestras for Broadway shows, and as a music copyist and arranger.
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From 1973 until 1995, Shepherd was the drummer for the house band, a piano, drum and saxophone trio, at
Finocchio's Club, a nightclub with
258:. Black wanted steady employment while his son was in high school, so he left the trio to take a job as the drummer for the house band at
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in
Southern California, performing locally with Jerry Velasco. On his 91st birthday, he married his third wife, Joy.
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contacted
Shepherd after hearing him play, and this resulted in Shepherd working for Carter and eventually moving to
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When the tour ended, Shepherd found himself in San
Francisco, and became a freelance musician there.
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during the journey, and then raised in first a Jewish neighborhood and later a black neighborhood in
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Shepherd was in heavy demand and the phrase "Get Shep!" became a phrase among area musicians.
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gig five to six nights a week, meaning a steady paycheck and benefits including paying in to
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and arranged for
Shepherd to take over his orchestra role on the Broadway musical
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Musician, composer, singer, music copyist, music arranger, woodworker, security
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In the late 1960s or early 1970s, Shepherd was alternating drum duties with
103:(January 19, 1917 – November 25, 2018), was an American multi-instrumental
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when
Shepherd was conceived. His father sent his mother by ship to
653:"Shepherd, Berisford (Shep) - Who's Who Among African Americans"
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765:
How I Got Over: Clara Ward and the World-famous Ward Singers
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Shepherd's father Charlie Shepherd was an engineer from the
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Jules E. Mastbaum Area Conservatory and Vocational School
277:. In 1995, Finocchio's stopped using live musicians.
624:"Berisford "Shep" Shepherd, Biography & History"
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through at least 2000 and released at least one CD.
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478:The Original Dizzy Gillespie Big Band in Concert
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708:"Jazz Faculty with 100-Year-Old Shep Shepherd"
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320:He died in November 2018 at the age of 101.
231:In 1964, Jimmy Crawford accepted a job from
269:entertainment in San Francisco. This was a
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224:Return to New York and move to California
323:Musicians Shepherd worked with included
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159:In the 1930s, Shepherd performed with
598:"Finocchios House Drummer (23 Years)"
369:The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz
191:Military service and touring musician
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862:20th-century American male musicians
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179:. Shepherd also started working for
87:King Records, RCA Victor, RCA Camden
16:American musical artist (1917–2018)
300:in January 2017, and performed at
289:In the early 2000s, Shep moved to
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842:Jazz musicians from San Francisco
837:Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
793:NAMM Oral History Library (2008)
744:"He's 94 and a virtual newlywed"
596:Davis, Bob; Kleinmaier, Carol.
373:Who’s Who Among Black Americans
107:musician, composer and singer.
817:20th-century American drummers
394:Everybody Dance the Honky Tonk
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430:Doggett Beat for Dancing Feet
367:. Shep Shepherd is listed in
867:American male jazz musicians
787:on Heroes Among Us from 2007
731:Shep Shepherd's NAMM profile
659:. 2014-09-21. Archived from
558:Swegles, Fred (2018-01-31).
532:""San Clemente's Music Man""
852:Musicians from Philadelphia
681:Tudor, Silke (2000-05-10).
530:Moore, Donia (2015-11-30).
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748:The Orange County Register
202:In the Army, Shepherd met
99:, professionally known as
872:American men centenarians
847:American male trombonists
827:American jazz trombonists
438:Dance Awhile with Doggett
163:'s band in Philadelphia.
127:, intending she continue
512:(20th Century Fox, 1965)
510:Joya Sherrill Sings Duke
791:Shep Shepherd Interview
832:American male drummers
822:American jazz drummers
422:A Salute to Ellington
119:working to build the
785:Still "Getting Shep"
706:Staff (2017-01-23).
622:Chadbourne, Eugene.
499:Odetta and the Blues
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857:Soul-jazz musicians
712:Saddleback College
484:Little Willie John
463:(RCA Camden, 1963)
457:(RCA Victor, 1958)
302:Saddleback College
97:Berisford Shepherd
34:Berisford Shepherd
657:HighBeam Research
502:(Riverside, 1962)
256:Chris Ibanez Trio
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59:November 25, 2018
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455:Any Old Time
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441:(King, 1958)
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425:(King, 1957)
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417:(King, 1957)
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353:Cab Calloway
345:Buck Clayton
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204:Billy Butlet
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173:Benny Carter
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161:Jimmy Gorham
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137:Philadelphia
129:Philadelphia
121:Panama Canal
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61:(2018-11-25)
812:2018 deaths
807:1917 births
564:OC Register
468:With others
401:Hot Doggett
379:Discography
341:Earl Bostic
237:Here's Love
125:New Orleans
117:West Indies
801:Categories
753:2016-05-22
717:2017-02-15
692:2016-05-22
667:2021-05-30
633:2016-05-22
569:2021-05-30
517:References
448:Artie Shaw
333:Lena Horne
325:Patti Page
310:California
298:turned 100
281:Later life
267:drag queen
252:Dave Black
217:Honky Tonk
181:Artie Shaw
111:Beginnings
45:1917-01-19
30:Birth name
783:Article:
687:SF Weekly
407:Moon Dust
357:Sy Oliver
183:in 1941.
171:In 1941,
628:AllMusic
167:New York
133:Honduras
51:Honduras
254:in the
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494:Odetta
363:, and
349:Odetta
155:Career
84:Labels
68:Genres
488:Fever
446:With
384:With
769:ISBN
371:and
105:jazz
71:Jazz
56:Died
39:Born
304:in
296:He
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