Ernie Shepard, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Ernie Shepard

American singer and musician

Date of Birth: 19-Jul-1916

Place of Birth: Beaumont, Texas, United States

Date of Death: 23-Nov-1965

Profession: singer, musician

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Ernest Shepard, Jr.
(July 19, 1916 in Beaumont, Texas – November 23, 1965 in Hamburg, West Germany) was an American jazz double-bassist and vocalist. Shepard played in territory bands in Texas in the 1930s and soon after worked in California in the bands of Phil Moore and Gerald Wilson.
For a short time he played in a quintet with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in 1945; later that year he recorded as a vocalist with Lem Davis.
He also worked with Eddie Heywood in 1945-1946.
In the 1950s he worked with Slim Gaillard, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, and Johnny Hodges, but played little in the latter half of the 1950s.
In 1962 he became a member of Duke Ellington's band and accompanied him on tours of Europe through 1964; he also worked with Paul Gonsalves in 1963 and Johnny Hodges in 1964.
He moved to Germany early in 1964 and took up work as a session musician for studio recordings, radio, and television.