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:

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:

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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

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:

Harry Nilsson

popular name: Harry Nilsson

date_of_death: January 15, 1994

age: 52

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: A leading pop songwriter first, and a performer a distant second Harry Nilsson was never able to fully develop his talent and instead was more widely regarded for his erratic rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Nilsson began writing songs in the early sixties while working the late shift in the computer department of a large California bank. After struggling for 5 years, he sold the songs "Paradise" and "Here I Sit" to producer and future murderer Phil Spector and the Ronettes. He signed a recording contract with RCA after he sold songs to The Monkees and the fledging Yardbirds. In 1967 he released the critically acclaimed album "The Pandemonium Shadow Show", showcasing his three-octave range while still working at the bank. The album did not go unnoticed by the Beatles and soon Nilsson became good friends with the Fab Four. Nilsson scored his first Top Ten hit with "Everybody's Talkin'", the theme song from the movie "Midnight Cowboy" (ironically written by someone else). In 1971 he scored big with his most commercially successful album "Nilsson Schmilsson," which included the emotive ballad "Without You." But Nilsson's problems began with the infamous year-long "lost weekend" with John Lennon during Lennon's split with Yoko Ono. The year long sessions of drinking and debauchery stayed with Nilsson the rest of his life. Another setback came when, after Lennon offered to produce Nilsson's next album, Nilsson lost the upper register of his voice for much of the recording sessions. Failing in health during the nineties, Nilsson passed away in his sleep from a massive heart attack just two days after putting the final vocal tracks down on his last album.

Elvin Shepherd