Brad Shepherd

Brad Shepherd
Backstage, Rottnest Island, April 2012
Background information
Birth name	Bradley Mark Shepherd
Born	(1961-02-01) 1 February 1961 (age 56) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	rock
Occupation(s)	musician, singer, songwriter
Years active	1978–present
Labels	A&M Elektra RCA Zoo/Volcano (Mushroom) Evangeline EMI
Associated acts	The Fun Things, The Hitmen, Super K, Beasts of Bourbon, Hoodoo Gurus, Monarchs, Persian Rugs

Bradley Mark "Brad" Shepherd (born 1 February 1961 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus.

Shepherd was born in Sydney but his parents relocated to Brisbane when he was six years old and describes himself as "a frustrated drummer": his parents had bought a drum kit but after moving on to guitar he left the kit for his younger brother Murray Shepherd. Shepherd attended Kedron High School and Brisbane Grammar School in the mid-1970s. His first band was Brisbane punk rock act, The Aliens, which formed in 1978 with Shepherd as their lead guitarist/singer, John Hartley on bass and Murray Shepherd on drums. With the addition of second guitarist, Graeme Beavis, The Aliens eventually became The Fun Things by 1979 and released a self-titled EP, The Fun Things (1980).

In mid 1980 Shepherd joined The 31st, which at that stage consisted of Mick Medew, Tony Robertson, Chris Welsh and Ron Peno (Died Pretty). In September 1980 Peno and Shepherd travelled to Sydney, where Shepherd was invited to join The Hitmen, replacing Tony Vidale. At that time they included Johnny Kannis (lead vocals), Mark Kingsmill (drums, backing vocals), Warwick Gilbert (bass, backing vocals) and Chris Masuak (guitar, backing vocals). Upon joining, Shepherd re-recorded his guitar parts for their debut self-titled album, The Hitmen (1981) in one day, and then toured the east coast of Australia to promote it. The band changed record labels (switching from WEA to RCA Records), with fellow 31st member Tony Robertson replacing Gilbert, and entered studios to record their second album, It is What it is! (1982), with Shepherd also writing the band's 1982 single, "Bwana Devil".

As a side project, Shepherd had joined former Hitmen member and fellow flatmate, Clyde Bramley (bass guitar), in bubble gum pop group Super K to record a single "Go Go" / "Recurring Nightmare" (1982) (co-written by Shepherd). Hassles with The Hitmen producers and Masuak led Shepherd to quit, he followed Bramley into Hoodoo Gurus.