James Shepherd (25 November 1936 – 22 June 2023) was an English cornet player from Northumbria, described as one of the world's most respected players of the instrument, having won the Championship Soloist of Great Britain Prize in three consecutive years (1962-4). He was principal cornet of

Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band {{unreferenced, date=October 2013 The Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band is a brass band based in West Yorkshire, England, and close to South Yorkshire. History The South Elmsall Village Brass Band can be traced back to 1884. In 1905, the band w ...

from 1960 to 1963, then the

Black Dyke Band Black Dyke Band, formerly John Foster & Son Black Dyke Mills Band, is one of the oldest and best-known brass bands in the world. It originated as multiple community bands founded by John Foster at his family's textile mill in Queensbury, West ...

from 1963 to 1973, before forming a brass ensemble, James Shepherd Versatile Brass, which he led until 1989. He was also principal cornet of the Virtuosi Brass Band, a recording ensemble assembled by Eric Ball.

Biography

Early life

He was born on 25 November 1936 in

Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is a quaint seaside town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located on the North Sea coast. The town owes its proud heritage to having once flourished as an important trade route for shipping grain from its port, ...

, Northumberland, the son of James, a coal miner and cornet player, and Elizabeth, née Wood. He began playing at around age 8 and initially learned through his father and then the conductor at Newbiggin Colliery Band. He left school at 15 to work at the local

Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

store, then did national service in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

, where he also developed his musical skills.

Carlton Main and Black Dyke

In 1960, he joined

as principal cornet. In 1962, he won the Championship Soloist of Great Britain prize, and in June was announced as principal cornet in the

, replacing Maurice Murphy. Shortly afterwards he changed his mind, opting to remain at Carlton Main. However, in 1963, he reversed his decision and moved to take up the Black Dyke principal cornet seat. He went on to win the Championship Soloist of Great Britain prize again in both 1963 and 1964, a unique hat-trick achievement. During his time as principal cornet, Black Dyke won the British National Championships in 1967 and 1972, the British Open in 1968 and 1972 and the World Championship in 1970 and were BBC Band of the Year in 1967 and 1970. The band also recorded extensively during this time, frequently featuring Shepherd as soloist. In 1971 he was awarded the Insignia of Honour at the

National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain There are five main brass band sections in the United Kingdom: Championship, First, Second, Third, and Fourth. Sometimes, a Youth section is also used, but this is not graded. Championship section This is the section containing the very best ban ...

, recognising "conspicuous service to brass bands".

James Shepherd Versatile Brass and Virtuosi

In the early 1970s, he formed the James Shepherd Versatile Brass, a hand-picked 10-piece brass ensemble, and in 1973 he left Black Dyke to concentrate fully on the new ensemble. The ensemble recorded 17 albums, and contributed the theme music for the 1983 sitcom Hallelujah!. He continued to play regularly with the group until 1989. The band continued, with Shepherd making occasional guest appearances, until they played for the last time at the Millgate Arts Centre in Delph on the 16th of December, 2015. In 1972, he was selected as principal cornet of the Virtuosi Brass Band, a recording ensemble of top players assembled by Eric Ball, which would go on to record nine LPs for

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 ...

. In 1980 he won the Best Soloist prize at the Brass in Concert championships with the Ever Ready Band.

Recognition

In 1989 he was awarded the

John Henry Iles John Henry Iles (17 September 1871 – 29 May 1951) was an English entrepreneur, and cricketer. He played for Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswo ...

Medal by the

Worshipful Company of Musicians The Worshipful Company of Musicians is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Its history dates back to at least 1350. Originally a specialist guild for musicians, its role became an anachronism in the 18th century, when the centre of ...

, recognising his contributions to the brass band movement. A biography, entitled ''Legends in Brass: James Shepherd, The Famous Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Cornet Player'', was written by Christopher D. Helme and published by Mews Publishing in 1999. In 2009, Jayess Newbiggin brass band was founded, named in honour of Shepherd. In 2022, Brass Bands England presented Shepherd with a Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual conference.

Death

Shepherd died on 22 June 2023, at the age of 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, James 1936 births 2023 deaths 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century English musicians British brass bands English cornetists English bandleaders