Berisford "Shep" Shepherd is an American jazz musician. Shepherd's parents were from the West Indies. His father took a job working on the Panama Canal and sent his pregnant wife to Philadelphia; Shep Shepherd was born en route, in Honduras, and despite his Caribbean background grew up in a largely Jewish neighborhood in Philadelphia. Shepherd had an early interest in music, particularly drumming, and could read sheet music for drums by the age of 14, and began to take on paid gigs. Music was not his sole focus; attending a vocational high school, he trained as a cabinet maker. As a touring musician, he apparently carried cabinet making tools and a fishing pole in addition to his instruments. In the 1930s, Shepherd worked in Philadelphia for band leader Jimmy Gorham. 

January 1st, 1917 in United States of America  /  Died:   Nov 25th, 2018 - aged 101