Bradley Mark Shepherd
(born 1 February 1961) is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and
harmonica player; he has performed with several bands,
especially
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, ha ...
.
Biography
Early life
Shepherd was born in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
but his parents relocated to
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
when he was six years old and describes himself as "a frustrated drummer": his parents had bought a drum kit but after moving on to guitar he left the kit for his younger brother Murray Shepherd.
Shepherd attended Kedron High School and
Brisbane Grammar School
, motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour
, established = 1868
, type = Independent, day & boarding
, gender = Boys
, denomination = Non-denominational
, slogan =
, key_people =
, ci ...
in the mid-1970s. His first band was
Brisbane punk rock
Brisbane punk rock had its main impact between 1975 and 1984 as part of the overall punk rock scene in Australia. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, the Queensland capital provided "some of the most anarchistic bands" of that er ...
act, The Aliens, which formed in 1978 with Shepherd as their lead guitarist/singer, John Hartley on bass and Murray Shepherd on drums.
With the addition of second guitarist, Graeme Beavis, The Aliens eventually became The
Fun Things
The Fun Things were an Australian punk rock band that was formed during the heyday period of punk rock. Known for their admiration of Radio Birdman, they also have been documented as being "modeled on almost exclusively on the Radio Birdman/ S ...
by 1979 and released a self-titled
EP, ''The Fun Things'' (1980).
In mid 1980 Shepherd joined The 31st, which at that stage consisted of
Mick Medew
Robert Michael Medew is an Australian singer-songwriter who fronted The Screaming Tribesmen, which formed in Brisbane in 1981. Medew has written or co-written a number of independent hits, "Igloo", "Date with a Vampyre" and "I Got a Feeling", w ...
, Tony Robertson, Chris Welsh and Ron Peno (
Died Pretty
Died Pretty, sometimes The Died Pretty, is an Australian alternative rock band founded by mainstays Ron Peno (lead singer) and Brett Myers (lead guitarist and backing vocalist) in Sydney in 1983. The band was briefly called Final Solution. The ...
). In September 1980 Peno and Shepherd travelled to Sydney, where Shepherd was invited to join
The Hitmen
The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run ...
, replacing Tony Vidale.
At that time they included Johnny Kannis (lead vocals), Mark Kingsmill (drums, backing vocals), Warwick Gilbert (bass, backing vocals) and Chris Masuak (guitar, backing vocals).
Upon joining, Shepherd re-recorded his guitar parts for their debut self-titled album, ''The Hitmen'' (1981) in one day, and then toured the east coast of Australia to promote it.
The band changed record labels (switching from
WEA
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami.
Today, the descendants of the ...
to
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
), with fellow 31st member Tony Robertson replacing Gilbert, and entered studios to record their second album, ''It is What it is!'' (1982),
with Shepherd also writing the band's 1982 single, "Bwana Devil".
As a side project, Shepherd had joined former Hitmen member and fellow flatmate, Clyde Bramley (bass guitar), in
bubble gum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...
group Super K
to record a single "Go Go" / "Recurring Nightmare" (1982) (co-written by Shepherd).
Hassles with The Hitmen producers and Masuak led Shepherd to quit, he followed Bramley into Hoodoo Gurus.
Hoodoo Gurus
![Hoodoo-gurus-brad shepherd-29-apr-2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Hoodoo-gurus-brad_shepherd-29-apr-2012.jpg)
In 1981, Faulkner had founded
Le Hoodoo Gurus in Sydney with
James Baker
James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...
,
Roddy Radalj
Rodney John "Roddy" Radalj is a Croatian-born Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He has provided guitar, bass guitar and vocals in several influential Australian bands starting with Perth punk bands in the late 1970s before relocating to ...
and
Kimble Rendall
Kimble Rendall (born 1957) is an Australian Film director, director, musician and writer mostly known for his Second unit direction of ''The Matrix Reloaded'' (2003), ''The Matrix Revolutions'' (2003), ''I, Robot (film), I, Robot'' (2004), ''Cas ...
but after their first single, "
Leilani" (1982), Rendall and Radalj both left being replaced by Bramley and Shepherd.
As Hoodoo Gurus, with Shepherd on lead guitar, backing vocals (sometimes lead vocals) and harmonica the band released eight studio albums starting with ''
Stoneage Romeos
''Stoneage Romeos'' is the debut album by Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus. Released in March 1984 by Big Time Records in Australia, the album's release saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live perf ...
'' (1984).
Shepherd was briefly involved with James Baker's side project
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon were an Australian blues rock band formed in August 1983, with James Baker on drums (ex-Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists), Spencer P. Jones on guitar (The Johnnys), Tex Perkins on vocals (Dum Dums), Kim Salmon on guitar and Boris ...
, and recorded their four-track CD, ''From the Belly of the Beasts'' (1984) live at the Trade Union Club, Sydney. Shepherd's tenure with Beasts ended after Baker was sacked from the Gurus in 1984. Baker's replacement was fellow The Hitmen drummer Mark Kingsmill who joined in time for Hoodoo Gurus first US tour starting in late 1984. Bramley left in 1988 to be replaced by
Richard Grossman (ex-
Divinyls
Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school unifo ...
,
Matt Finish
Matt Finish are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in mid-1979 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Matt Moffitt (1956–2003) and drummer, composer and producer John Prior (musician), John Prior. The 1981 line-up of Moffitt, Prior, Rich ...
).
Hoodoo Gurus' best performed single written by Shepherd
was "
You Open My Eyes" (1994) which reached No. 43 on the
ARIA
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
Singles Charts. Hoodoo Gurus line-up was unchanged from 1988 until they disbanded in 1998, they reformed in 2003 with same members: Faulkner, Shepherd, Kingsmill and Grossman.
In 1999, following Gurus break-up, Shepherd recorded "
Alex Chilton
William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...
" for
The Replacements tribute album, ''I'm in Love... With That Song'' (Antfarm Records). He also produced
Shutterspeed
Shutterspeed were an Australian Independent rock, independent rock band which formed in Brisbane in 1998. They were frontman, fronted by Andrew Petersen on lead vocals and guitar, and released two albums, ''Hill Street Views'' (September 2001) ...
's debut EP, ''Up Go The Shutters'' (1999) and co-produced their second EP, ''Well Ain't That Something A Good Thing's Comin' '' (November 1999) on Laughing Outlaw Records.
The Monarchs
Shepherd then went on to form a new band, The Monarchs (initially known as The Honkies), together with Andy Kelly on bass (Glide), Greg Hitchcock on guitar (The Neptunes,
The Kryptonics, New Christs, The Verys, Challenger 7,
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...
,
The Dearhunters) and his brother Murray Shepherd (Harpoon, The Fun Things,
Screaming Tribesmen) on drums. The Monarchs played with
The Meanies,
Even
Even may refer to:
General
* Even (given name), a Norwegian male personal name
* Even (surname)
* Even (people), an ethnic group from Siberia and Russian Far East
** Even language, a language spoken by the Evens
* Odd and Even, a solitaire game w ...
,
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...
,
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...
and
The Hellacopters
The Hellacopters are a Swedish garage rock band that was formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson (vocals and guitar), Andreas Tyrone "Dregen" Svensson (guitar), Kenny Håkansson (bass) and Robert Eriksson (drums). Andersson (sometimes known as Nick ...
. In August 2000 they released their first single, "2001" b/w "This Is All I Can Do" (
Ivy League Records
Ivy League Records is a record label based in Sydney, Australia.
History
Ivy League Records is an Australian-based record label established in 1997 by three ex-musician friends: Pete Lusty (John Reed Club) (RIP), Andy Cassell (Youth Group) an ...
) which was followed by their debut album, ''Make Yer Own Fun'', in October 2001 (
Shock Records).
From 1990 onwards, fellow Hoodoo Gurus member Grossman has been involved in a side project,
Ghostwriters
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
, with
Rob Hirst
Robert George Hirst (born 3 September 1955) is an Australian musician from Camden, New South Wales. He is a founding member of rock band Midnight Oil on drums, percussion and backing vocals (sometimes lead vocals) from the 1970s until the band t ...
from
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...
.
Shepherd played with Ghostwriters on their albums ''Ghostwriters'' (1991) and ''Fibromoon'' (1999).
The Kelly Gang was a 2004 project Grossman formed with Jack Nolan to record ''Looking for the Sun'' (July 2004); Shepherd performed as a session musician.
Persian Rugs
In September 2001, the four ex-Gurus (Faulkner, Grossman, Kingsmill & Shepherd) performed as The Moops (later called Persian Rugs).
At
Homebake 2001, both Hoodoo Gurus and Persian Rugs performed separate sets.
Just after Persian Rugs recorded a five-track EP ''Mr. Tripper'' (June 2002) Grossman left the band, with Shepherd then recommending bassist Kendall James as his replacement (ex Thurston Howlers, Crusaders). With the addition of James the Persian Rugs recorded their debut album ''Turkish Delight'', which was released in August 2003.
Hoodoo Gurus reformed
Persian Rugs provided the track "Be My Guru" for the Hoodoo Gurus' tribute album ''Stoneage Cameos'' (2005)
(see ''
Stoneage Romeos
''Stoneage Romeos'' is the debut album by Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus. Released in March 1984 by Big Time Records in Australia, the album's release saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live perf ...
'') but by that time Hoodoo Gurus had already reformed. They had released their come-back album, ''
Mach Schau'' (2004), then undertook a national tour followed by an international tour. Hoodoo Gurus iconic status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007
ARIA Hall of Fame
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
.
In August 2009 it was revealed that Shepherd had been battling cancer and was recovering from recent surgery.
It was his second brush with the disease, having had a
melanoma
Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...
removed five years ago.
Discography
*The Fun Things (1978–1980)
** ''The Fun Things'' (EP) – Independent (1980) re-release (2000)
*The 31st (1980–1981)
::no recorded output known
*
The Hitmen
The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run ...
(1981–1982)
** ''The Hitmen'' –
WEA
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami.
Today, the descendants of the ...
(1981)
** "Everybody Knows (I Didn't Like Love)" b/w "Dancin' Time" –
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
(7" single) (1982)
** "Bwana Devil" b/w "Didn't Wanna Love You" – WEA (7" single) (1982)
** ''It Is What It Is!'' – RCA (1982)
*Super K (1982)
** "Go Go" b/w "Recurring Nightmare" – Green (7" single) (1982) Citadel Records re-release (1985)
*
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, ha ...
(1981–1998) (2003–present)
*
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon were an Australian blues rock band formed in August 1983, with James Baker on drums (ex-Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists), Spencer P. Jones on guitar (The Johnnys), Tex Perkins on vocals (Dum Dums), Kim Salmon on guitar and Boris ...
** ''From the Belly of the Beasts'' –
WEA
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami.
Today, the descendants of the ...
(1984)
*The Monarchs (1998–1999)
** "2001" b/w "This Is All I Can Do" –
Ivy League Records
Ivy League Records is a record label based in Sydney, Australia.
History
Ivy League Records is an Australian-based record label established in 1997 by three ex-musician friends: Pete Lusty (John Reed Club) (RIP), Andy Cassell (Youth Group) an ...
(2000)
** ''Make Yer Own Fun'' –
Shock Records (2001)
*Persian Rugs (2001–2004)
** ''Mr Tripper'' – SOS/
Shock
Shock may refer to:
Common uses Collective noun
*Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names
* Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves
Healthcare
* Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emergen ...
(
EP) (2002)
**''Turkish Delight'' – Shock (2003)
**"Be My Guru" (recorded 2004) on ''Stoneage Cameos'' (2005) see ''
Stoneage Romeos
''Stoneage Romeos'' is the debut album by Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus. Released in March 1984 by Big Time Records in Australia, the album's release saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live perf ...
''
References
External links
Hoodoo Gurus' Official Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Brad
1961 births
Hoodoo Gurus members
Living people
People from New South Wales
Australian songwriters