Uncrowned Community Builders

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. He accompanied such artists as Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Ray Price, Della Reese, and Dakota Staton. He was a trumpet player before turning to saxophone.

Back in 1943 while in the Army, Shepherd met a young unknown, but promising jazz trumpeter named Miles Davis during a train stopover in St. Louis. He gave trumpeting tips to the young Miles Davis. In 1950 Wilbur P. Trammell, former Buffalo City Court judge, loaned Shepherd his tenor saxophone because Trammell was in law school at the time and didn't have time to practice. "It was an easy transition", Shepherd later recalled. He learned to play tenor and alto saxophones in six weeks.

Locally Shepherd played the Club Moonglow, with jazz singer Joe Williams, the Little Harlem Hotel and the Colored Musicians Club, and the old club Zanzibar. he played the former McVan's Night club on the West side and in more recent years the downtown Club Tralfamadore. He played all over Buffalo, including Kleinhans Music Hall and the Albright Knox Art Gallery. Music Critic Herman Trotter on one of Shep's performances at the Tralfamadore Cafe stated "With the mellow sound of his tenor, he held the capacity crowd in the palm of his hand. Not a honker or screamer, Shep's warm and pulsing tone has a beautiful suspended quality."

In addition to performing, Elvin taught a number of students. His best known saxophone student is Grover Washington, Jr. Washington was quoted as saying that "Shep taught me so much, I can never repay him." Local musicians held a tribute to Shepherd in 1992 at the Colored Musicians Club. in the last years of his career, he played with his own trio. he was known as a musical perfectionist who changed side men a number of times when he became dissatisfied.

He was married to the former Alma Wilkins, who died in 1992. He is survived by two sons, John and Wendell and four daughters, Barbara Lipscomb, Joanne Hamilton, Monica Littles and Verna. He had thirteen grandchildren. Shepherd died on June 2, 1995 and is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York.