Howard Shepherd

Howard Shepherd, a British banjoist and bandleader best known as founder and leader of Shep’s Banjo Boys, died on December 13th. He formed the group with his father, Will, and brother, Graham in the 1960s, and they became nationally known in the 1970s through regular appearances on the TV variety series The Comedians and an extended residency at Manchester’s Golden Garter club.

Encouraged by his father, he took up the banjo at age 11, made early broadcasts on BBC Radio’s Children’s Hour, and at 14 appeared on the BBC TV variety show All Your Own from Lime Grove Studios. For many years he worked as a double act with his father on social club and theatre dates, later leading Shep’s Banjo Boys on UK theatre tours including a season at the London Palladium, guest spots on programs such as Pebble Mill, The Golden Shot, and The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, and overseas engagements in Sweden, the Netherlands, and on QE2 cruises.

The group began recording in 1969, subsequently holding a contract with Pye Records, and Shepherd also issued banjo-focused recordings under his own name while continuing to perform in smaller units such as Shep’s Rhythm Aces for corporate events, festivals, and other functions. In 1980 he was featured as headliner at the Mid West Banjo Convention in Arkansas, and into later years he remained active as a soloist and small-group leader based in Didsbury, Manchester.