Shep Shepherd

Berisford "Shep" Shepherd (born January 19, 1917) is an American jazz musician.

Shepherd's parents were from the West Indies. His father took a job working on the Panama Canal and sent his pregnant wife to Philadelphia; Shep Shepherd was born en route, in Honduras, and despite his Caribbean background grew up in a largely Jewish neighborhood in Philadelphia.

Shepherd had an early interest in music, particularly drumming, and could read sheet music for drums by the age of 14, and began to take on paid gigs. Music was not his sole focus; attending a vocational high school, he trained as a cabinet maker. As a touring musician, he apparently carried cabinet making tools and a fishing pole in addition to his instruments.

In the 1930s, Shepherd worked in Philadelphia for band leader Jimmy Gorham.

In 1941, Benny Carter contacted Shepherd after hearing him play, and this resulted in Shepherd working for Carter and eventually moving to New York City. Shepherd also started working for Artie Shaw in 1941. Due to musician's union regulations, Shepherd was initially able to acquire occasional jobs as a musician, playing a night here or there, but not allowed to take steady employment. As with many jazz musicians of the era, he made his income from several sources, including working as a music copyist and working as a session musician for various recordings. As a session musician, he was versatile, playing not only drums, but also vibraphone and xylophone, and was desired for his ensemble playing, being skilled at supporting a group without attempting to grab the spotlight. He was in enough demand as a copyist that "Get Shep" become a sort of catchphrase within the microcosm of New York jazz.

Shepherd served four years in the United States Army, composing, arranging, and conducting vocal music as well as playing trombone in Army bands. Soon after his discharge, he was hired by Cab Calloway to replace a drummer who hadn't shown up. Shepherd worked for Calloway for a year, eventually being replaced because Calloway needed a "show drummer", but Calloway continued to use Shepherd as an arranger.

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