T.G. Sheppard

Kurt L Moore

T. G. Sheppard appeared recently at the Branson Mall Theater performing a concert of his greatest hits. That was the first half of the show. The second half was devoted to some of T.G.’s all-time favorite music of the forties and the fifties. What atreat it was, and how different it was to hear a 30 year veteran of the Pop-Country music circuit do something so seemingly on the edge of his character.

Whoa! Did I say out of character? Let’s re-think that for a minute. Perhaps it was not out of character for him. Sure sounded good and T.G. has charisma, plus stage presence, to burn. Tell you more about that later.

Bill Browder is the nephew of the late great Rod Brasfield of the Grand Ole Opry. Bill took piano lessons until he was in his mid-teens, then he ran away from home and settled in Memphis. He struggled through many years of playing for the big dogs in the business and opened for many others. Bill became a friend of Elvis Presley and that eventually led to Elvis buying Bill a tour bus and encouraging him to step out on his own.

While in Memphis, Bill came across a song written by Bobby David and tried to market it to several labels. None of the labels, in a year and a half wanted it, so Bill, being the kind of guy that he is, decided to cut a demo of it himself. He went to Nashville, after hearing some sage advice, and recorded it with Motown, who was trying at that time to establish themselves into the country music field. In 1974, Motown released it on their newest label, Melodyland, and the darned thing took off and by the beginning of the following year, was number one on the charts. That was the beginning of the star rising for Bill Browder, who then changed his name to T. G. Sheppard.

The T.G. actually stands for whatever you want it to. In the beginning, T.G. said that it stood for “The Good.” Get it? The Good Sheppard.

Well, back to the ranch. The music that T.G. recorded was “Devil in a Bottle.” That song took off to not only top the country charts but went on to make the Pop charts as well. T.G. had his tour bus, compliments of Presley and was off and running as a Pop-Country star.

Over the following 30 years, T.G. Sheppard amassed a collection of hits that would make even the biggest crooner in the business envious. When talking to T.G. it is noted that he does not like the way some of the cross-over music has turned out, because a lot of it in recent years, has lost any identity of country. Some of it is unidentifiable, some of it cannot be understood.

When T.G. sings Pop-Country cross-over, you know without a shadow of a doubt exactly what you are listening to. The familiar country chords are there, the staggered country runs and the music just plain sounds country with a simple touch of modern chording. Also I would like to mention that the words he sings can be understood. Anymore, that is saying something. The music he sings has a message, and that too can be understood. My kind of music.

Just because his music is classified as Pop-Country cross-over, does not mean that it is necessarily bastardized music. It simply means, in his particular case, that the song had such an appeal that it was picked up by the pop-cultists as well as the hard core and middle-of-the-road country enthusiasts. Therefore, it is called Pop-Country. I suppose we could call it Country-Pop or for that matter, Pop goes the Country. Catchy, huh?

Now, let’s go back to the Branson Mall Theater and pick up T.G.s concert. The house lights dimmed, the curtain rose, the band started playing and then T.G. entered from house left. His appearance, call it stage presence, if you will, literally filled the performance area to over-flowing and could almost be bodily felt. The man has a smile and a way about him that draws people to him. The entire audience, which by the way was a filled-to-the-rafters group, was drawn to him from the moment he entered the stage until his exit. The essence, the memory and the ghost of Bill Browder, from long, long ago was guiding T.G. Sheppard and the audience loved every minute of it. After the concert, T.G. was in the mall atria signing autographs and the line was nearly out the door, of people waiting to meet and greet the man himself. T.G. Sheppard was in his element, loving it and loving the people too.

Before, I said that the first half of his concert was filled with his hits and the second half was forties and fifties music. That is true. Many times I heard the remark, after his performance, that he could have filled the entire concert with his hits. That too is true. What T.G. Sheppard did was so different and so visionary, that many did not understand the second half of the show with him performing older songs, made famous by other recording artists. To be quite truthful and frank, had I not spoken to him earlier about it, I would not have understood it either.

Well it is like this. I spoke to TG prior to his concert. Actually, I spoke to him earlier that same morning. He and Kelly Lang, his long time girlfriend, were in his dressing room and we had a very good talk. T.G. grew up listening to the music his folks listened to and has always had the desire to sing the old songs that he grew up with. His folks, it seems, not only listened to the music, but danced to it as well. The man is a true romantic at heart. He picked only the classic love songs of his parents era and with his self-described, “labor of love,” gave us a performance filled with the passion he must have surely felt when he heard the same music as a young man watching the way it affected his parent’s lives.

Well, T.G. has paid his dues, earned his stripes and is in a position where he can do pretty well what he wants to do. So, to make a long story bearable, he not only performed half of his concert doing the old love songs he grew up with, but he recorded an album for Destiny Row, called “Timeless,” that has those same songs on it. Incidentally, that album goes in the record stores this month.

OK, let me put into perspective what I have said thus far. T.G. Sheppard is a 30 year veteran of the stage and recording studio. He is an astute businessman, having learned a lesson or two along the way. He puts on a heck of a show and is one great showman. Next time he is in town you will want to catch his act. It is well worth it.