Bill Sheppard, Orange YWCA, Summer 1968.

When and where were you born? Are you originally from Los Angeles, CA? What was growing up like for you? Do you have any siblings? When did you first become interested in music?

January 10, 1949, at Santa Ana General Hospital. No, Orange County, CA. Even though I was afflicted with rheumatic fever at age 6, I was a happy little guy. My folks were very conservative, my father was religious, so growing up in the middle of John Burch territory was interesting to say the least. No black people, Mexican gardeners, etc. Our neighborhood was flanked by orange groves and a cemetery, and we (kids) spent hours making forts, dugouts, etc. in the groves, unsupervised. I have a sister - Sally, who is 2 years my senior. She was an avid dancer to Dick Dale, and The Righteous Brothers at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Newport Beach, and Harmony Park, Anaheim, in their heydays. Our family (mother’s side - Collins) had sing-alongs at our gatherings. My mother (Virginia) was part of an informal vocal trio, with her sisters (Dorothy, ad Betty), and there was always wonderful harmony filling the room. I did my first solo vocal performance for the Collins clan with our Christmas tree as a backdrop at age 4 or 5. I rocked it! Following my bout with rheumatic fever and a year with a daily tutor, I became ultra interested in scholarly pursuits and mathematics. Entering Jr. High School, I needed to fill an elective to complete my class schedule. The only remaining classes were Music Appreciation or Beginning Band, I chose the latter. When choosing an instrument to play, I chose tenor sax, as most of the solos of that era (surf music) were on sax. In fact, my first Hollywood performance (The Hullabaloo Club) was as a sax player/vocalist.

LA had an immense music scene throughout the 60s! Where would you go to see bands perform and who were among some of the first groups you saw live that left a heavy impression on you?

Being in Orange County, where ultra-conservatives were in control of most cities’ nightclub regulations, there were only a few venues allowed to have live entertainment. Harmony Park Ballroom (owned by an Anaheim PD sergeant), The Rendezvous Ballroom in Newport Beach, and Harvey’s Gold Street in Stanton were the dance-oriented rooms. The Paradox in Orange, the Mon Ami in Buena Park, and the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach were folk/beatnik joints where you could find good, solid, up-and-coming artists. Our band, “The Crispy Critters”, started playing at the Paradox on Friday and Saturday nights, splitting the bill with a hypnotist, George Sharp. There was also The Retail Clerks Union Hall in Buena Park, near Knott’s Berry Farm, that was frequently rented out for concerts/dances. It was there where I saw my first big show. The Righteous Brothers with their backup band, “Eddie and the Showmen”. The stage was littered with Fender Dual Showmen amplifiers and for that date in time, the volume was deafening. I remember Bobby (Hatfield) and Bill (Medley) leaning in close together while singing, “Little Latin Lupe Lou”, straining to hear one another over the roar of the stage volume. Stage monitors hadn’t been included yet.

Sheppard holding his Boosey Hawkes tenor sax 1965.

When did it dawn on you that music was something you wanted to pursue? Prior to Stack you participated in a band called The Wabash Spencer Band. Can you tell me about that?

Strange as it may seem, I fell into it as opportunity merged with budding talent. There was never any real decision! Doors opened and I entered. Absolutely! A few members of the hit, cult-rock band, “The Fabs” (Cotton Ball Records, “Dinah Wants Religion”/“That’s The Bag I’m In”), had scouted me at The Paradox as they were losing their singer, Bob Burton. When that split became a reality, I was asked to audition with the full band. The timing was perfect, as there had been an accident involving a hypnotized audience member attempting to fly! The ensuing lawsuit and scrutiny shut the club down, at first temporarily, and then finally. I was a free agent! The audition went well and I became a “Fabs” member. However, with the change at “frontman”, the group decided to change the band name too. “The Wabash Spencer Band”, was chosen.

1966 - Crispy Critters was Dennis Taylor, Russ Winstead, Bill Sheppard, Frank Moore, and Darryl Duey. Hoot nights on Thursdays featured Bonnie Raight, Jackson Brown, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Pat Paulson and many many others. Frequented by Roger Dutton.

How did you initially meet your bandmates, Bob Ellis and Buddy Clark? What were your first impressions of them and what led to starting this group together? Can you tell me about the single you guys released with Buffalo Springfield’s Jim Messina?

They were both original “Fabs” members along with John Skelton (vocals, rhythm guitar, and Dennis Yarema, (lead guitar). “The Fabs” had recently won the Pepsi Battle of the Bands contest in Hollywood and had a record that was already getting radio airplay. It was a no-brainer for me to join, plus the players were all very “high-caliber”. Glad to! Because “The Fabs” were already a known recording act, it was appropriate for Wabash Spencer to jump right into the studio with new material. Bob Ellis’ mother had a friend, John Taylor, who was an aspiring songwriter, and he had a number of tunes (non of us had written anything yet), we chose 2 to be our initial recordings. “Somewhere Between Time and Space”, which I was chosen to sing, and “French Champagne and Caviar” which John Skelton sang. We were booked into Gold Star Recorders for the sessions (pictures included) and finished quickly and efficiently. The engineer “Doc” commented about how accomplished we all were for our ages (17-19 years). We were introduced to a gentleman named Earl Deon who later became the band manager.

Earl had an associate, (Jim Messina) who'd been shopping around local studios looking for projects to get involved with. Jim wasn’t anywhere near the legend he’d later become, but he had great engineering and recording skills and was an excellent guitarist. He had a song he’d written that he’d almost finished recording called, “Part-Time Woman”, that he was looking to market. A week or so went by and we were informed that Messina and Earl had formed a new record label, Bel Air Records and that we would release a single on that label. PTW was an uptempo “A” side number, that would be partnered with, “French Champagne and Caviar” as the “B” side. John Skelton, Buddy Clark, and I were then booked to overdub background harmonies on PTW, Earl and Jim messed with the compression, EQ, and reverb settings on the 2 songs to match them as closely as they possibly could, and voila, we had our first single as Wabash Spencer. We were told they’d been released for test marketing, but never heard any more about it! I’d love to have a copy, but alas!

What was the process of writing and recording those songs and how did that all work with him initially? When and where did recording begin and what was that experience like for you and to have also, worked with a legend such as Messina?

As I’ve mentioned we weren't writers yet, so our process was merely selecting from a group of songs that had been proposed to us. Jim’s tune was already written, we just went in and “dressed it” vocally. Our recording began at Gold Star. After the decision had been made to release the single, a more compact studio was used. Messina was a whiz in the studio and commanded the controls like a seasoned veteran. He directed us for timing and harmonies on the backing vocals and was very adept. Also as mentioned previously, he had yet to join Buffalo Springfield or Pogo.

What did you guys want to express, or get across with that single?

I’m sorry to say we were not yet mature enough, or writing our own material to function as visionaries. Messina’s message was as a wounded man scorned,

“You follow me every place in town.

Everywhere I go, you’re tryin’ to put me down

You’ve got it wrong from the top on down

You’re a part-time woman and you better stop messin’ round

You’re a part-time woman and you’re messin’ with a full-time man!”

Our sole purpose was to establish ourselves as a viable act!

Did you guys play any gigs before, or even after the single was released? Tell me about the transition from TWSB to Stack. What led to you guys making that change?

Because the single wasn’t released locally, (test marketing was done in the southern US we were told), we did no support of that record, live. We were a hard-working local band who played most if not all weekends at teen night spots, occasional concerts, and special events. Wabash Spencer had landed the ultimate local teen-spot “house” gig, Monday nights at the Anaheim Bowl. That gig lasted about 6 months. The manager of the Anaheim Bowl Monday night gigs was Michael (Mike) Pinizotto. He was also the manager of a new teen night spot, “Merlin’s” in Orange, CA. “Merlin’s” was the revitalized, re-organized, “Paradox”. Mike P also managed the all-female rock group, “Birtha”. The new club (Merlin’s) hired a “house” band from East LA called “Stack”. The Stack boys were fans of British rock as were we and copied the sound, attitudes, and guitar styles nicely. At the Anaheim Bowl, the schedule was always, the house band played a set, an “audition” group would play a middle set, and the evening would finish with another set from the house band.

The “audition” moniker was used by Pinizotto to get an hour’s free entertainment out of a group, with the promise of a possible future gig. On this particular night, the audition band was “Stack”. They were pseudo-polished, entertaining, and animated during their show. it was pretty obvious that some of their mimicked body movements were not of their own design, but two of them had “star quality” personas, The lead guitarist (Rick Gould), and rhythm guitarist (Kurt Feierabend) both had excellent stage presence. I’m not sure if Pinizotto had already had something in mind, or it occurred to him by seeing both groups performing on the same night, but following that gig, he approached Bob Ellis and me with an idea. What would you guys think about joining forces with the 2 aforementioned Stack guys to form a local “supergroup?”. I was surprised that Buddy wasn’t initially considered, but Bob and I were impressed enough with Rick and Kurt that we agreed to give it a shot.

This occurred around ‘67, correct? Before you guys hooked up with Mike Curb, what was the vision for this group? What did you guys want to express, achieve and experience with this group? How did Kurt end up joining the group making you guys a 5 piece band?

Hmmm - Late 67- early ‘68. I (barely) graduated High Scool in ‘67 after having been kicked out of school several times for long hair. I was also eliminated from Mozart Choir for missing performances because my band had gigs the same nights. Hmmm - we didn't hook up with Mike Curb directly. Clancy B Grass III had a talent scout, Steven Hoffman, that caught us at “Marina Palace” in Seal Beach. We played there frequently with the Alice Cooper Band and wowed audiences with our shows. We were still young and just trying to impress anyone we could. Clancy hooked us up with Curb! Even though we were in an “era of social awareness”, we weren’t very socially conscious, we were just out of our teens. We were in it for the fame and money, and came damn close to achieving both of those goals! Stack was always a 5 piece group, 2 guitars, bass, drums, and me up front. Kurt was always a member. Initially, Rick and Kurt selected a friend named Chuck Berry (no, not “the” Chuck Berry) to play bass. My most vivid memory of Chuck’s tenure was the night we played with “The New Yardbirds” in Riverside, CA. a few months before they became “Led Zeppelin”. One of their roadies pulled a knife on us in the parking lot following the gig, Chuck quickly disarmed the guy using a mic stand boom arm. Very Impressive! Chuck was only with us for about 6 months and was replaced by Buddy Clark, who stayed til the end.

Stack #1, March 1968 - from left: Rick Gould, Bob Ellis, Bill Sheppard, Chuck Berry, and Kurt Feierabend.

What were the band’s activities between ‘67 and ‘69 when you guys released your lone, S/T LP?

The band was put together in the spring of 1968. Initially, Mike Pinzotto took us together on trips to Tiajuana, and Parker, AZ so we could hang out and get to know one another. We got drunk together in Tijuana and spent the night back at “Merlin’s” sleeping on the stage. Rick and Kurt snuck out and rearranged the letters on the Marquis to read - Fried Shit, Self Blow, and Rhinocerous Cunt Hairs using letters from the bands already listed on the marquis! Churchgoers on Sunday morning driving by called the cops and we were awakened early for questioning. No arrests were made! Pinizottos house on Marshall Street in Buena Park was also the home of the girls in ”Birtha”. I was seeing keyboardist Sherry Hagler, Rick was hanging out with Rosemary Butler. We hung out with them frequently!

Stack #1 : across from Merlin's, 1968 - from left: Rick Gould, Bob Ellis, Chuck Berry, Kurt Feierabend, and Bill Sheppard.

Where would you guys rehearse and can you walk me through the band’s process and approach to writing music? What did you guys want to do that was maybe different from a lot of the other groups coming out of that scene during that time?

When we were brand new, Pinizotto allowed us to practice at Merlin’s. After our management changed, we rehearsed through the summer of ‘68 at Marina Palace in Seal Beach. On a few occasions, we rehearsed in Kurt’s parent’s garage or my parents’ house. Rick was fairly prolific, and once he’d present a riff or an idea for a song, we’d all throw in our 2 cents. On “Valleys” from the LP, Rick brought in the riff, and had the vocal line following that riff. I suggested having the vocal at halftime counterpoint, Rick still took the writer’s credit. That session was in my parents’ living room. The Stack members all excelled and stood out as individuals in their earlier groups and had great self-confidence and stage presence. Our live shows blew everyone we played with away! 20 years after the fact at a music store in Tucson, I overheard a conversation between an employee and a customer. The employee asked, “What was the best group you ever saw at a live show?” The customer quickly replied, “That’s easy, Stack opening for “3 Dog Night” at the Ice Palace, Las Vegas in ‘68! They were stars that never made it!” We did many shows with the Alice Cooper band and shared great respect. I remember during shows with “Illinois Speed Press”, Kal David and Paul Cotton, rushing out from the dressing room to watch/hear Rick Gould take a solo. He was that good! So to better answer your question, we intended to outshine all the rest!

Stack #1, across from Merlin's, 1968 - from left: Kurt Feierabend, Chuck Berry, Bob Ellis, Rick Gould, and Bill Sheppard.

When and where was the first Stack gig and what was that experience like for you? How did you guys eventually hook up with Mike Curb of Sidewalk Productions?

Because we were working out of the gate at local teen clubs, our 1st gig was not that memorable. However, our first “concert” gig was, in the fall of ‘68! We were booked to open for “Iron Butterfly” at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, CA when “Inna Gadda Davida” was #1 on the national charts. We’d just added Buddy Clark as our bass player. I prepared my wardrobe by buying a beautiful wizard’s robe from a local head shop. I later found it had been previously owned and worn on stage by “Country Joe” Macdonald of “Fish” cheer fame. We opened with our “Who-ish” version of “Poison Ivy” off the “Above All” LP. The group exploded from the first note. The stage curtains opened and the crowd screamed with delight as they rushed toward the stage! Security and local cops lined the stage perimeters and kept the audience off of us, but it was happening, A STAGE RUSH! The experience was almost sexual! The sense of power and accomplishment was surreal! Our connection with Curb wasn’t direct. As I mentioned before, Steven Hoffman was a scout for Clancy Grass, and Clancy was a Curb associate. I don’t ever remember having met Curb in person.

When and where did recording start?

We were at Sunwest “Studio A” for our initial recordings. in the fall of ‘68. I remember the 2nd session had to be cut short because George Harrison was considering using the room for an artist he was recording for Apple Records, named Jackie Lomax. My sister had turned me on to a joint of Acapulco gold, and Kurt and I smoked it in the alley behind the studio before we went in. Rick, who was a drinker but not at all accepting of the new “hippy” influence weaving its way into our industry was disgusted with us. As I recorded the vocal for “Only Forever”, I felt a bit self-conscious and couldn’t let go because Rick was in my head. I feel the same lack of ease today listening back to it. We did our final recording of the LP, “Da Blues” at Doug Sax’s Producer’s Workshop located behind the Mastering Lab. We’d been selected by Pepsi Cola to do their first “rock band” TV commercial, and that was recorded there too with a multi-camera shoot and the tune to run as the bed for the commercial. The “live” LP cut of “Da Blues” was in that studio. The “audience* was a combination of our band members and roadies. Vince Basse, John English (RIP), Kevin Prewitt, and Rick Teel (RIP) all contributed to the raucous applause, overdubbed many times!

Who did the album art and shot the band’s photo that’s located on the back of the record? Can you tell me about working with engineers Bob Mahoney, Howard Steele and Gary Brandt? Was Charisma the label you guys were signed to? Because the band is the only artist signed to it as well as in the label’s catalog

Maxfield Parish is the cover artist. The photo on the back cover was taken in Gazarri’s parking lot across from the 9000 building on Sunset Blvd. It was shot by either Clancy or Steven Hoffman. The “out-of-left-field” liner notes on the rear jacket were done by a “hippy-before-hippies” friend of Rick and Kurt’s, Steve Beam. We were always either buzzed or high, hence, I have no recollection of interfacing with any of the engineers on the album, but I do recall meeting Roger Dollarhyde at Sunwest. Not really! The front page of “The Hollywood Reporter” read, “Stack signs with Columbia!” Clancy was offered $75,000.00 for our album by Columbia, equivalent in today’s dollars to about $500,000.00. We had just played “the Whisky” with Blues Image, “The Fig” with the Byrds, “The Swing” with Iron Butterfly, “Thee Experience” with Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles, “The Purple Haze” with the New Yardbirds (Zeppelin), “The Ice Palace”, Las Vegas with 3 Dog Night, and we were greeted into Hollywood by Rodney Bingenheimer and Screaming Lord Sutch. We were “hot”! Clancy decided to push the label execs for an additional $75K for a promotional idea.

His idea was to rent Alcatraz Island from the feds (it was unoccupied), fly all the teen magazine press writers and photographers to San Francisco, ferry them out to the island, introduce Stack to the press, and have a full production concert of the new album material. Clancy was convinced that all the hoopla would warrant more money. Unfortunately, $75K was as far as Columbia was willing to go. Clancy dug in and wouldn’t budge. We were dropped like a hot potato! Then, to make matters worse, Pepsi Cola decided not to release our national TV commercial as it was contingent on us signing with Columbia. Immediately Clancy began to scramble to find a new, “interested” label. A few labels were slightly interested, Tetragrammaton and Happy Tiger were a couple that I recall, but none to the level of the Columbia offer. We got stuck in an unending cycle of playing the same material for the same audiences, waiting for our record to release. After a few months of pressure from us and our fans, Clancy decided to create his own label, and he called it Charisma.

You guys signed an 8-year contract with Curb. That seems pretty extensive don't you think for a record that wasn’t marketed, or promoted much at all on the back end of things? Did you guys even have a chance to hit the road and play any shows, or go on any sort of tour to support the album?

The contract with Curb was offered to us during the “hot” run when everything was exploding with promise and good fortune. Because we were all minors, our parents had to appear in Superior Court in Los Angeles to have the contracts read for their approval, Once under contract, we were at the mercy of Sidewalk Productions and Mike Curb and we got shelved, much the same as Credence Clearwater did. We dug ourselves a rut at our regular venues as we needed to stay sharp on the “Above All” material. The audiences had all heard us many times. The final attempt by management to acquire different venues and add a twist, was played out when we were offered to play 4 nights a week, 5 hours per night at “Finnegan’s Rainbow” in Costa Mesa. The twist they tried to add was a harmonica player named Lee Oskar who’d just arrived in LA from Europe. Lee was an excellent player, but my qualms were much larger than adding another solo instrument to the mix. We had always been an all-out, hard-hitting power pop group. We were effective but physically drained performing a one-hour show, and they were asking us for 5 hours per night! I knew I couldn’t handle it physically. I told the group about my concerns. They seemed uninterested and pressed on to play that gig and acted like my concerns weren't valid. That was it, I quit!

Stack #2, January 1969 - from left: Bob Ellis, Kurt Feierabend, and Buddy Clark.

This contract and everything that came with eventually broke the band up. Did you guys try and work things out within each other, or was the damage done? What were Curb’s thoughts on everything? Are you still in contact with some of those guys?

I quickly moved north to Paso Robles and started a new life, I was done. There were no cell phones or internet in those days, and no methods to stay in touch. There was no communication between me and the others for a good year or two. We only had secondary contact through Clancy, so I have no idea. All but Kurt Feierabend have passed on. Bob Ellis died first - adult-onset asthma. Buddy Clark was next - cancerous mole removal. Rick died just a few years ago, falling while taking care of his invalid mother in Albequerque. Kurt and I haven’t spoken in years.

What are your thoughts on a whole new generation taking an interest and having an appreciation for the band after all these years? It's always bitter-sweet I’m sure. You and Rick Gould went on to form Ruby Wheeler together soon after. Can you tell me about that?

It’s humbling and invigorating. Stack made an indelible mark on the folks who were there when it happened, kind of folklore of a bygone era, and it’s great to realize that our strength has survived the test of time. The self-esteem and confidence that was experienced by all of us then has never left me. The experience pays off in remembering how to “sell it” to an audience when it comes to my time to, which is a plus. However, expecting those who’ve never experienced that level of performance response to be able to “pull something out of their hat” has lead to some bitterness and misunderstanding in the years that have followed. In today’s world of computer studios and video lessons, many students who can play lots of notes, or sing well, act like “rock stars” without any common knowledge of the fundamentals of music combined with their performance and/or interactivity with other players. When your group’s playing, has entered that “alive” mode, there’s no substitute. Many never experience it. That’s not quite accurate. Rick and I were invited to join a newly formed “funded” project by its founder, James “Clyde” Lutrell. “Clyde”, a fellow musician and Stack fan, had recently found an investor to fund his “dream band” concept which morphed into the Ruby Wheeler Band. Rick (lead guitar) and me (vocalist), were initially joined by drummer Leon Becker (El Chicano), guitarist Dennis Lapore (Blues Magoos), keyboardist William “David” Mohr (Davey Allen and the Arrows, and bassist John Durzo (JD Blackfoot, Money).

Clyde had secured a large 2 story ranchhouse in the city of Orange that we used as a home base for the group later to be named “Ruby Wheeler” at the suggestion of bassist John Durzo. All in the group who needed rooms were offered one. In the very middle of the house, we constructed a soundproof rehearsal space. It was fully suspended and structurally isolated. So rehearsals could be held anytime night or day. Rick Gould, myself, Clyde, David Mohr, and longtime friend, artist/musician, Tom Burnap formed the writer’s corp. We booked time at United Audio Studios in Santa Ana, CA with engineer Bob Stone (Zappa’s engineer for many years) and began working on a record. We began with David Mohr’s classic “Leon Russell-esque”. “Good Time Sally”, Clyde’s “Rainman” and 2 Burnap tunes, “Crippled When We Fight”, and “The Dream Maker”. We followed up with two of mine, “Noone In Your Way”, and the Nilssonish, “I Feel Better Today”. followed by a couple of Gould tunes, “Understand I’m a Man”, and, “I Think it’s Time We Get It Right”. It was the most creative group I’ve ever had the honor of being involved in. We lived and rehearsed in the house daily, sometimes as much as 8 hours a day doing nothing but original music, great original music! We had 2 major roadblocks to the group’s success:

1) Clyde had not planned the finances well and we were running out of money

2) Disco had hit during that space in time and all the local clubs were hiring “disco” bands.

We didn’t write or play any disco-style material. We’d spent 8 months rehearsing great original material but only managed to play each local club once as the audiences were begging for disco stuff. We had to act fast. Rick took over and fired David and John, added Kurt from Stack, drummer Danny McBride, and Rich Ballou as 2nd guitarist. We quickly added 4 sets of British rock stuff and grabbed a “house” gig on our 1st audition. We then slowly submerged into the faceless, nameless abyss of club bands. A few months later, Kurt and I had a riff and I left the group and the nightclub scene for good.

Stack #2, Irvine Park, circa October 1968 - from left: Rick Gould, Bob Ellis, Buddy Clark, and Kurt Feierabend.

What have you been up to in more recent years?

When I’d finally hung up my mic, a longtime friend and former “roadie” for Stack, John English (RIP), (Fender Custom Shop Master builder), suggested that I take a job at a rock and roll music store, Whittier Music, in east LA County and I began working with the equipment that had supported me for all those years. I learned a trade and made a living that was not dependent on my musical talents. John had previously managed a small nightclub in Tustin and got me back to playing after my 1st break from playing music. During that spell, I met the girl (Debbie) who was to become my life partner and we’ve been married now for 40 years. in 2004, Rock Critic Jim Washburn, (LA/OC Weekly), hosted a 50-Year History of Orange County, CA Music at the Fender Museum in Fullerton, which included: The Righteous Brothers, Agent Orange, Dick Dale, No Doubt, Birtha, Honk, and many others including Stack. That’s right, after almost 40 years, we were being included with the best groups out of the OC over the past 50 years!

Bob Ellis, Foothill High School, December 7, 1968.

Washburn hosted a dinner for all of the groups that were on display and invited all of our family members too. The meal included fried chicken and boysenberry pie from Knott’s Berry Farm (how OC can you get?) Once fed, we attendees gathered on the floor of the museum and posted by our respective displays. The Stack display was in a nook with 2 other groups from the era, Birtha and Homk. Directly following our meal Jim Washburn had handed out booklets with a brief description of each group on display, band members names, etc. and while posting up by our display, others from the groups on display came by and asked for autographs in the booklet, it was a real honor! I hadn’t frequented that area for many years. Just prior to the forming of Ruby Wheeler I had been asked to join a group led by Steven Seagal called “Dr God”. We’d rehearsed a show named, “Popsicle Planet Suiite”, penned by pianist Stuart Paul (RIP), We did only one performance. The group was a blend of rock and orchestra concepts, much like “ELO” but about 2 years before they surfaced. We sold out the show at Fullerton College and split the bill with the all girl’s group, “Birtha”. There are live recordings of that show floating around somewhere, engineered by Steven Anderson (from Capital Records). Steven Seagal later went on to be an Aikido master and well-known actor.

When you reflect back on your career in music, what are some of the things you are most proud of?

During “Stack’s” brief run (about 18 months):

We shared the stage with many of the most successful acts in the world
We were the 1st rock band to film a Pepsi Cola television commercial
We played with Jimi Hendrix
Following our stage rush at the Swing Auditorium, I was met backstage by a pretty young hippy girl who asked me to come out into the crowd and meet her younger brother. He was in a wheelchair and not long for this world, he wanted to meet ME! it was a very humbling experience.
Following “Stack”, I wrote and produced a pair of radio commercials for American Dental. My righthand man and band leader for the ads was McCartney guitarist, Rusty Anderson. Years later Rusty contacted me and had weekend passes for me and my wife to attend Coachella. It was a real honor to be guests of McCarteny’s band. Thanks Rusty!

Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?

Yes! Thank each one of you for your interest/curiosity. I’ve been blessed by your continued support by buying our record or following these interviews. Hopefully there will be more unreleased records from the groups I’ve been involved with:

Ruby Wheeler (early 70s)
SAM (early 90s)
Max Gringo (mid 90s)
Family of Man (spiritual/AA)

I can be contacted @ - billsheppardmusic@gmail.com

A lot of these photos were sourced from the incredible archive of Bruno Ceriotti and his site:

http://brunoceriotti.weebly.com/stack.html

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