As per our current Database, Robert B. Shepard is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020).
Currently, Robert B. Shepard is 97 years, 0 months and 6 days old. Robert B. Shepard will celebrate 98rd birthday on a Monday 28th of April 2025. Below we countdown to Robert B. Shepard upcoming birthday.
| Popular As | Robert B. Shepard |
| Occupation | Music Department |
| Age | 97 years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Born | April 28, 1927 (Phoenix, Arizona, USA) |
| Birthday | April 28 |
| Town/City | Phoenix, Arizona, USA |
| Nationality | USA |
Robert B. Shepard’s zodiac sign is Taurus. According to astrologers, Taurus is practical and well-grounded, the sign harvests the fruits of labor. They feel the need to always be surrounded by love and beauty, turned to the material world, hedonism, and physical pleasures. People born with their Sun in Taurus are sensual and tactile, considering touch and taste the most important of all senses. Stable and conservative, this is one of the most reliable signs of the zodiac, ready to endure and stick to their choices until they reach the point of personal satisfaction.
Robert B. Shepard was born in the Year of the Rabbit. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rabbit enjoy being surrounded by family and friends. They’re popular, compassionate, sincere, and they like to avoid conflict and are sometimes seen as pushovers. Rabbits enjoy home and entertaining at home. Compatible with Goat or Pig.
Robert B. ShepardChildhood, Family & Music: Bob Shepard was born on April 28, 1927, in Phoenix Arizona, to Chester and Dorothy Shepard. He was raised in Riverside, California, from the time of his birth to 1945.
He was the eldest of four boys (Bob, Phil, Gilbert and Wayne). His father, Chester, died when Bob was 8 years old. The family was a talented musical family and Bob loved music from a very young age. His mother told how he would, as a little boy, go to the back yard where there was an orchard.
He would stand on a crate with a stick and pretend the trees were an orchestra or choir and he was their conductor. As a boy he learned to play the trombone and piano.Bob's mother, Dorothy, played the piano by ear.
She sang as a soloist at church, weddings and clubs. During the silent movie era, she was hired to play the piano in the back of the theater while the movie played. In the early 1940's she sang and played with the Mason Bell Ringers and traveled all over California to different churches to entertain and share the gospel.
She taught Bob's brothers, Gil and Wayne, to play hand bells. In 1945, at the age of 12 and 14, they performed at various women's and men's groups like the Elks and Eastern Star. In 1946 they participated in the Horace Heidt Talent Show.
They came in first place for 13 straight weeks. They then traveled with the Horace Heidt Show and USO throughout the U.S. and Europe. After high school they performed at fairs and TV shows like Bandstand Revue, Polka Parade, Pinky Lee, Red Skelton and Ed Sullivan.
Sports & Service: Bob was very athletic. He played baseball, football and basketball in high school and college. He loved all sports but especially baseball. As a teen he attended a baseball game at the Tustin, CA Marine Base and saw Joe DiMaggio play.
He was so inspired that he taught himself to pitch by practicing against the backstop in the local park's baseball field. In 1945, during his senior year of high school, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds.
But, he enlisted in the Navy and served on the U.S.S. Sargent Bay aircraft carrier until 1946. Bob continued to be active in sports throughout his life. He particularly enjoyed fast pitch softball. He was an elite pitcher and continued pitching into his 60's.
Through the years he belonged to many leagues both in the Burbank and Chico areas and went on numerous softball mission trips to Mexico with Athletes in Action. He also loved golf, had a single digit handicap and played until he was physically unable in his 70's.
Education & Work: From 1946 to 1950, Bob attended Southern California Bible College "SCBC", in Pasadena (now Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA). He studied music and Bible. After college he continued his music education by attending L.
A. City College, and L.A. Pierce College. While at Pierce College, he studied under an African-American professor, where he was introduced to the sound and history of Black Spirituals, which became one of his favorite music genres.
He also studied for six years under private tutor, Professor Roy Reid Brignall, FTCL (Trinity College of Music, London). He became good friends with Ralph Carmichael at SCBC. This started a musical collaboration that would continue for several years.
Bob worked together with Ralph Carmichael on the TV show, Campus Christian Hour, the first religious show on television. The show won an Emmy in 1949. In the 1940's Bob also worked for Bob Bowman at Far East Broadcasting Company.
He also led the music at the Long Beach Youth for Christ working alongside Louie Zamperini.Music Directing: In 1953, Bob organized the Bob Shepard Chorale. His chorale group performed in churches all over southern California.
They also performed on the Phil Kerr Monday night musicals in the Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, CA, as well as Men and Women's clubs, touring up and down the west coast. In 1957 Bob put out his first album, "Songs of the Shepherd".
In 1959 he made his second album, A Cappella". His chorale and brass ensemble took a 3 week trip to Winona Lake, Indiana to perform at a Youth for Christ conference. In 1960-1961 he worked for 6 months as a music director at the Bible conference grounds in Boca Raton, FL.
In 1970 he made his third album, "Bob Shepard and the Blue Meadows". He worked as a music director in the 1960's at Eagle Rock Baptist Church and Village Church in Burbank, CA. In 1979 the family moved to Chico, CA, where Bob worked as the music director at Chico Neighborhood Church.
Bob gave singing lessons throughout his career.Arranger: Bob was a talented arranger and did work for churches, universities, producers and various musicians and Christian artists from the 1950's up until he passed away.
In his later years he arranged for the groups, The Diamonds, The Chordettes and Deja vu. He arranged at his piano and hand wrote all his arrangements until the age of computers in the 2000's when he began to arrange using software.
Hollywood: In 1961 Bob joined SAG and AFTRA and began working as a studio musician singing back up on album recording sessions and movies. His friend, Jay Meyer, helped him get into the industry. Bob had a beautiful tenor voice.
He performed with the Ray Coniff Singers and Anita Kerr Quartet, on albums, at concerts and the Lawrence Welk show). He also performed with the Kay Starr Quartet at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe and on a John Wayne TV special "Swing Out, Sweet Land-Tribute to America".
He performed as a caroler on the Ozzie and Harriet 1956 Christmas Special. On Easter Sunday in 1971, at the Greek Theater in Hollywood, Bob conducted the orchestra and Pat Boon the vocals, for a Rock production by Ray Ruff called 'Truth of Truths'.
He also sang backup on albums with Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Fred Waring, Elvis Presley, Doris Day, Frankie Laine, Lorne Greene, Petula Clark, Dean Martin, John Williams, Nelson Riddle, Bobby Darin, Glen Campbell and more.
Movies: Bob sang on many movie soundtracks including Hawaii (Julie Andrews & Richard Harris), Hallelujah Trail (Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick), Finian's Rainbow (Fred Astaire), Green Berets (John Wayne), Hurry Sundown (Michael Caine & Jane Fonda), Extraordinary Seaman (David Niven & Faye Dunaway), Trouble with Girls (Elvis Presley), Summer Magic (Hayley Mills), How to Save a Marriage (Dean Martin), and Taras Bulba (Tony Curtis & Yul Brynner).
He sang and acted as a soldier in the movie Camelot (Richard Harris & Vanessa Redgrave).His own Family: Bob married Clarice Mack in 1951. She grew up in San Gabriel, CA. They met in high school while attending a church camp together.
They began dating in college at SCBC. They raised 3 children, (Corinne, Rand and Brett), while living in California, first in Burbank and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley and later in Northern California.
Bob and Clarice were married for 53 years. Bob was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma Cancer in 1994. After receiving treatment he went into remission for 10 years. The internet became available during this time and he was able to reconnect with many of his past musician friends.
Thankfully, one friend had the equipment to transfer much of Bob's music from his original reel to reel tapes onto a digital format. CD's were created of all Bob's albums just a short time before Bob's death on January 17, 2004.
We are fortunate to be able to still listen to his beautiful voice, trombone playing and music he created. He was a talented man and very much missed by his family and friends.
