ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
LEFT: Shep at this drum set in New York. MIDDLE: Shep, left, at the Million-airs when one of his songs aired for a million radio plays. RIGHT: Writing and playing music at home.
with his snare drum, read the music and faked the rhythms whenever there was a booking to be had. He only knew one rhythm at that time –
the marching rhythm he had learned for An- chor’s Away. His grand salary of $2 a gig beat out his paper route takings. His mother was doing laundry part-time, and together they bought Shep’s first drum set for $147 at $20 per month until he paid it off. Word got around, and so did Shep. Soon
he was making more money on his gigs than on his steady paper route. At that time, musi- cians hoping to make it big needed to play a secondary instrument. For Shep, that was the trombone –not because he loved the instru- ment so much, but after toting the drums around, a trombone was a lot easier to carry. He admired Tommy Dorsey’s style and worked at emulating it. Shep spent his extra money and time practicing on his trombone and trav- eling back and forth to Jules E. Mastbaum Area Conservatory and Vocational School. He stud- ied Music Theory and Percussion Instruments in the Music Department. On the advice of a teacher there, he picked up woodworking. “No matter what, keep up the woodwork-
ing,” advised his teacher. Since Shep never knew for sure when his next play-date was, he kept up with cabinetry-making courses and produced both beautiful furniture and wonder- ful music over the years.
Uncle Sam Really Wants You Shep served four years in the army, com-
posing, arranging and conducting vocal music, as well as playing trombone in army bands and USO canteens. Every extra penny went home to support his mother and sister back in Philadelphia. One camp Commander went to great lengths to keep him and his fellow musi- cians on the base to play at camp dances. The musicians were placed on the deferred list as Port Battalion cadre men, responsible for train- ing. Shep was promoted to Sergeant, training drummers for the band. The officers often ar- gued about which combo was going to play for the weekend dances. One officer got smart and authorized a 28-piece orchestra of Port Battal- ion musicians for his camp. He selected the very best of the musicians and ensured that they would remain there throughout the war. Fame found Shep early in life, and has
stuck by his side for over 70 years. He went to New York to play with big band greats Bennie Carter and Artie Shaw in the ‘40s. Here he dis- covered the difficulties of performing profes- sionally when unions were involved. Never one to buck the system, he rolled with it. Union rules stated that no musician could play nightly without going through the Union. Like many musicians of his day, he figured a way around it by getting individual jobs working as a music copyist and as a session musician for many recording sessions. Soon, he realized he didn’t want to play full time for one band. He was so much in demand that he could choose his own path. The catchphrase among big band micro- cosms in New York soon became “Get Shep”. An opportunity to travel with the bands
took him on trips through the South at a time when the civil rights movement was in its in- fancy. Thanks to the loving generosity of family friends, there were very few occasions when Shep had to deal with restaurant and hotel rules. He is still appreciative of that hospitality, but also grateful that he had to deal with some of the other problems. “When you’re in Paris, you don’t act the same way you would in Egypt”, he chuckled.
The Joy of his Life. Shep left New York to tour with a com-
pany that played Broadway shows. When Mir- acle on 34th Street finished in San Francisco, Shep decided to stay. He had doubled as an actor on stage, music arranger and musician, the only member allowed to travel with the show. All the other orchestral musicians were hired at each stop the play made. After being on the road, San Francisco looked inviting and he decided he wanted to settle in. He looked for steady work and found it at Finocchio’s, where he remained for 23 years as the house drummer. He also hooked back up with an old neighborhood friend, Willis Kirk, now Dr. Willis Kirk , President of San Francisco City College.
Married at 91 Shep eventually migrated south to Orange
County. When he celebrated his 90th birthday, his friend Willis came down to celebrate with him. Willis enticed Shep to come meet some of his homies living in the area. One of those was Joy. “I saw what I wanted immediately,” says
Shep. “I set my sights on her and after a long year, she finally agreed to accept me. We were married in Vegas on my 91st birthday.” Joy’s family welcomed him with open
arms. Shep discovered that he had played the Diamond Horseshoe in New York many years before with the uncle of one of her relatives, tal- ented clarinetist Omar Simion. Joy and Shep moved to San Clemente shortly after their mar- riage and have been here ever since, delighting in close family relationships with their children and grandchildren. Shep has performed with a star-studded list of musical greats, including Patti Page, Lionel
Hampton, Lena Horne, and more. He has re- leased several CDs. Ever humble and grateful for the life he’s
led, Shep still writes and arranges music as well as performing regularly around Southern Cal- ifornia for charity events. He is featured in the Who’s Who of Black Americans and The Bio- logical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Shep may be 98 years old, but if you didn’t
know it you’d never believe this kind, talented and loving man has survived with dignity and humor a century of historic significance that has taken us from horse carriages to Mars. And during it all Shep was definitely there.
Our Success Rate Speaks for Itself...
REAL ESTATE • PROBATE/TRUST LITIGATION • BUSINESS LAW
At Legate Law Corporation, we deliver results for our clients. Established in 1980 by Robert Legate, we provide comprehensive litigation. Our founding attorney has more than 35 years of experience and undefeated in jury trials.
We cultivate this track record by meticulously preparing cases with our clients’ goals in mind and advocating strongly on their behalf in the courtroom.
L
L L
REAL ESTATE – Commercial real estate, residential real estate, foreclosures, short sales and homeowners rights
ESTATE AND TRUST LITIGATION – Wills and trusts disputes, as well as trust enforcement
BUSINESS AND CORPORATE LAW– Business litigation, corporate/LLC setup and maintenance
SAN CLEMENTE RES IDENT •
LEGATELAW.COM
2601 Main Street , Sui te 1200 • Irvine, CA 92614 Ph: 949-724-1770
Fx: 949-724-1717 SANCLEMENTEJOURNAL 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76