Everything about Tommy Shepard totally explained
Tommy Shepard (
March 31,
1923 –
February 23,
1993) was an
American trombonist who worked extensively in both
Chicago and
Hollywood as a regular recording artist for the top recording,
television, and
film studios. He had a trombone sound that was often compared to
Tommy Dorsey. Tommy is also well known as a photographer, who took behind-the-scenes
photographs of many of the top
entertainers of the
1960s.
Biography
Tommy Shepard began playing trombone in his junior year in
high school. The next year he won a national solo contest and by the time he was 19 he was on the road with the Ben Bernie Orchestra. After twelve months with Ben Bernie, he enlisted in the
United States Army and played in a variety of Army
big bands, finally winding up with Wayne King’s Orchestra at
Fort Sheridan, Illinois, where he played for two years, making
V-Discs, working bond rallies and generally supporting the nation’s
spirits.
Released from service in
1946, he settled down in Chicago working first at the Chez Paree, then on the staff of the
orchestras at
NBC,
ABC, and finally
CBS.
While he was at ABC, Shepard was granted six months leave of absence in
1953 to join
Stan Kenton on first trombone (his section mates were
Frank Rosolino and Bill Russo). The invitation to join Kenton came as a direct result of a rehearsal band that Tommy had formed in
1948. It was a big swinging band that gave some of the top studio musicians in Chicago a chance to perform once a week. Tommy kept the band going until 1953 when he went with Kenton.
In
1960 Tommy started working in Hollywood and quickly became one of the city’s busiest free-lance studio trombone players. He was a regular recording artist for
Capitol Records,
Reprise Records, and
Verve Records during this time. He was also part of the house band for
The Hollywood Palace television show,
The Joey Bishop Show (
1967-
1969 talk show), and worked in many Hollywood film orchestras.
During
1963 Tommy began to document his time working in the Hollywood studios with his camera. His photography brought a new perspective to an era of American music that would end with the
British Invasion. His photographs were eventually donated to
University of Arizona's School of Music in
2005, where his collection now resides.
In the
1970s Tommy began leading his own orchestra again, which performed for numerous events in
southern California. He also contracted for the
Nelson Riddle Orchestra — when Nelson Riddle was unavailable — and led the Nelson Riddle Alumni Orchestra after Mr. Riddle's passing. Tommy continued to lead his own orchestra until succumbing to a
heart attack, at his home in
Indian Wells, California, in
1993.
Discography
- Shepard's Flock (Coral Records, 1957)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tommy Shepard'.
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