Elvin Shepherd

AKA:
Shep
Birth Name:
Elvin J. Shepherd
Birth Date:
May 28, 1923
Birth Place:
Alexandria, Virginia
Death Date:
June 2, 1995
Place of Death:
Buffalo, New York
Age:
72
Cause of Death:
Undisclosed
Cemetery Name:
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Music
Elvin "Shep" Shepherd was a legendary saxophonist whose career spanned half a century. He traveled with such big name bands as Buck Clayton, Bill Doggett, Billy Ekstine, Erskin Hawkins, Lucky Milinder, and Nat Towles. During his storied career he also accompanied such artists as Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Ray Price, Della Reese, and Dakota Staton.

Fun fact: Drafted into the military at the age of 18, Shep went off to camp Pickett, Virginia for basic training where he made the acquaintance of members in an Army band and started sitting in with them on officers club jobs. Shep was on a troop train headed for Camp Barkley, in Ailene, Texas and made a stop in St Louis for a 5-6 hour layover. Shep and some of the guys made for place called the Hawaiian Club to hear a new band with a promising young, but unknown trumpeter named Miles Davis, and Shep recalls, “I gave him some tips on playing the trumpet”.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Forest Lawn Cemetery

1411 Delaware Ave

Buffalo, New York, 14209

USA

North America

Map:

Grave Location:

Section 36, Lot 31-N 2/3, Space: 2

Grave Location Description

Behind the mausoleum about 100 feet from the road, even with the back-side glass doors to the mausoleum

Grave Location GPS

42.92832937,-78.85753384

Photos:

[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]

FAQ's

Elvin Shepherd was born on May 28, 1923.

Elvin Shepherd was born in Alexandria, Virginia.

Elvin Shepherd died on June 2, 1995.

Elvin Shepherd died in Buffalo, New York.

Elvin Shepherd was 72.

The cause of death was Undisclosed.

Elvin Shepherd's grave is in Forest Lawn Cemetery

Read More About Elvin Shepherd:

Videos Featuring Elvin Shepherd:

Watch YouTube video titled Elvin Shepherd plays the sax solo on the Bill Doggett 1964 track
Elvin Shepherd plays the sax solo on the Bill Doggett 1964 track "Fatso"
Watch YouTube video titled Elvin Shepherd plays the sax on the Bill Doggett 1964 track
Elvin Shepherd plays the sax on the Bill Doggett 1964 track "Mudcat"

See More:

Johnny Hodges

popular name: Johnny Hodges

date_of_death: May 11, 1970

age: 62

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Johnny Hodges was one of the most influential alto saxophonists in jazz history and is best known for his long association with Duke Ellington. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1907 and raised in nearby Boston, Hodges began as a pianist and drummer before focusing on saxophone. By the late 1920s he had joined Ellington’s orchestra, where his rich tone, lyrical phrasing, and expressive vibrato quickly made him one of the band’s standout soloists. For nearly four decades—mainly from 1928 until his death in 1970—Hodges helped define the Ellington sound, delivering memorable performances on compositions such as Passion Flower, Isfahan, and Prelude to a Kiss. During the early 1950s Hodges briefly left Ellington to lead his own small groups, recording popular rhythm-and-blues–inflected instrumentals and albums for labels like Verve Records. Despite this successful period as a bandleader, he rejoined the Ellington Orchestra in 1955 and remained a central figure in the ensemble’s recordings and international tours. Renowned for his smooth, blues-tinged style and elegant ballad playing, Hodges influenced generations of saxophonists and remains a defining voice of swing-era jazz.

Mississippi Fred McDowell

popular name: Mississippi Fred McDowell

date_of_death: July 3, 1972

age: 68

cause_of_death: Abdominal Cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Inspired by seeing the legend Charley Patton playing in a juke joint, McDowell secured his reputation without a back catalog of historic blues recordings but rather by playing around the world to enthusiastic fans of low country blues.

Gene Autry

popular name: Gene Autry

date_of_death: October 2, 1998

age: 91

cause_of_death: Lymphoma

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Gene Autry, nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station, several radio stations in Southern California, and the Los Angeles/California Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997. From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films, and between 1950 and 1956 hosted The Gene Autry Show television series. During the 1930s and 1940s, he personified the straight-shooting hero—honest, brave, and true. Autry was also one of the most important pioneering figures in the history of country music, considered the second major influential artist of the genre's development after Jimmie Rodgers. His singing cowboy films were the first vehicle to carry country music to a national audience. In addition to his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again" and his hit "At Mail Call Today", Autry is still remembered for his Christmas songs, most especially his biggest hit "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as well as "Frosty the Snowman", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and "Up on the House Top". Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

Back to Top