He was born on 25 November 1936 in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, the son of James, a coal miner and cornet player, and Elizabeth, née Wood.
[1][2] He left school at 15 to work at the local Co-op store, then did national service in the Royal Army Medical Corps, where he also developed his musical skills.
[3] In 1962, he won the Championship Soloist of Great Britain prize, and in June was announced as principal cornet in the Black Dyke Band, replacing Maurice Murphy.
[3] At first regarded with some suspicion by the brass band world, the ensemble gained a following after being featured in the Royal Albert Hall gala concert following the 1973 Brass Band National Championships, where it premiered Elgar Howarth's "Red Skye at Night", the first of many pieces written by various composers and arrangers for them.
[3] The band continued, with Shepherd making occasional guest appearances, until they played for the last time at the Millgate Arts Centre in Delph on 16 December 2015.
[12][1] In 1989 he was awarded the John Henry Iles Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, recognising his contributions to the brass band movement.