Ollie Shepard

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Ollie Shepard (* 1909 with Oberlin , Allen Parish ; † after 1960) was an American blues pianist , singer and songwriter.

Shepard recorded in the late 1930s, first in the fall of 1937 Chicago ("It's Low Down Dirty Shame") and from 1938 in New York, under his own name ( Ollie Shepard & his Kentucky Boys ) for Decca Records ("Frankenstein Blues" , # 7508). His music, wrongly associated with country blues because of the band name , was an urban mix of blues with jump blues , jive and swing .

Edgar Saucier , Lonnie Johnson , Frankie Newton , Robert Carroll and Teddy Bunn participated in Shepard's recordings in May 1938 ; in April 1939 he recorded with Chu Berry ("My Blood Blues") and Sammy Price ("Sweetest Thing Born"). Shepard made further recordings in New York between 1939 and 1941 with Walter Wheeler , Stafford "Pazzuza" Simon, Theodore McCord, Wellman Braud , George Francis and Johnny Wells. In 1941 he moved to Okeh ; In January 1942 Shepard recorded eight titles for Okeh, but they remained unpublished. Another recording session took place on November 1, 1950 for Columbia Records , when Hot Lips Page performed with his band (including Crazy with the Blues and Big Fine Automobile ). In 1951 he took on the rhythm and blues influenced single "My Baby Is Gone" (Gee). After Tom Lord , he was involved in 13 recording sessions between 1937 and 1951.

Shepard was one of a number of blues musicians like Big Bill Broonzy with his Memphis Five or Jimmy Gordon with his Vip Vop Band who used jazz- influenced instrumentation (with trumpet, clarinet or saxophone).

Discographic notes

  • Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1: 1937-1939 (Document)
  • Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 2: 1939-1941 (Document)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Bob L. Eagle, Eric S. LeBlanc Blues: A Regional Experience . 2013, page 304.
  2. ↑ Todd Bryant Weeks: Luck's In My Corner: The Life and Music of Hot Lips Page , 2014, p. 307.
  3. ↑ Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed January 2, 2014)
  4. ↑ Stephen W. Baskerville, Ralph Willett: Nothing Else to Fear: New Perspectives on America i Thirties 1985, pp. 210-1985 -
personal data
SURNAME Shepard, Ollie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shepard, Oliver
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues pianist, singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH at Oberlin , Allen Parish
DATE OF DEATH after 1960