Thursday, 27 July 2006                           

Jean Sheppard - Grand Ole Opry Star

Born in Oklahoma, Jean grew up in Visalia, California—one of 10 children in a musically inclined family that listened to the Opry on the radio but had to save pennies to buy a Jimmie Rodgers record once a year. Hank Thompson spotted her when she was just 14, singing and playing bass in an all-girl band she’d formed, the Melody Ranch Girls; he quickly brought her to the attention of Capitol. She was an early star, along with Porter Wagoner, of Red Foley’s Ozark Jubilee broadcasts out of Springfield, Missouri, and relocated to Nashville in 1958.

She married Opry great Hawkshaw Hawkins, with whom she had two sons, Don and Harold—the latter born and named for Hawkshaw after his death in the tragic plane crash that also took the life of Patsy Cline. Jean today is happily married to Benny Birchfield, a musician, singer, and member of Nashville’s music community.

Jean has been, over her 50 years at the Opry, a vocal proponent of undiluted, hard honky-tonk sounds on-stage and on the air. We can all hear what she has in mind directly—every time she sings.

She is available for corporate events, fairs, festivals, concerts, television appearances and other venues.