Ivy and David Sheppard are the founding members of the South Carolina Broadcasters, which has become one of the most renowned traditional bluegrass bands in North Carolina. The Sheppards have played R.A. Fountain with the South Carolina Broadcasters three times, in May of 2011 and in both February and October of 2013.
Ivy Sheppard hosts a bluegrass radio show for WAMU that streams live five mornings a week [listen] and “Born in the Mountain” which airs on Mt. Airy’s WPAQ and on Radio Bristol two days a week [listen].
David Sheppard was the owner of David Sheppard Instruments and Repairs for more than 30 years. “A home away from home for anybody who could or wanted to play anything with strings on it,” is how Grant Britt of the Greensboro News and Record described the shop. The shop was frequented by Greensboro locals and big names in music who were often nearby performing at the Greensboro Coliseum. After Sheppard closed the repair shop, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where he reconnected with Ivy, whom he later married.
The two now live in Mount Airy, North Carolina where Ivy hosts her radio shows and David runs a little repair shop out of their home. They have released seven albums as the South Carolina Broadcasters: A Thousand Miles Away from Home (2011), Short Time to Stay Here (2013), Diamonds in the Rough (2014), Tell Me Truly (2015), We’ll Sing Once More (2017), and Home to Stay (2019).
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Sources
Britt, Grant. “David Sheppard Instruments and Repairs Leaves Long Legacy of Musical Community.” Greensboro News and Record, Greensboro News and Record, 19 Nov. 2020. Read it.
Zimmerman, Lee. “Home To Stay – South Carolina Broadcasters.” Bluegrass Today, 9 Jan. 2020. Web. Read it.
–Charlotte Grimes
March 2021