TG Sheppard

William Neal Browder, known professionally as T.G. Sheppard, was born on July 20, 1944, in Humboldt, Tennessee. He began his journey in the music industry at an early age, dropping out of high school at 15 to pursue opportunities in Memphis, Tennessee. His initial recording efforts were under the name Brian Stacy with Atco Records in 1966. Throughout the early 1970s, Browder held an executive position at RCA. In 1974, he signed with Melodyland Records, a country label under Motown Records, adopting the stage name T.G. Sheppard to differentiate his recording career from his executive role at RCA. He achieved his first number-one hit with “Devil in the Bottle” in 1974, which also charted on the pop charts, followed by another chart-topper, “Tryin’ to Beat the Morning Home,” in 1975.

Sheppard’s career advanced significantly when he signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1977. This period marked a peak in his success, yielding fifteen consecutive top 10 releases, including ten number-one songs. Notable hits from this era include “Last Cheater’s Waltz” (1979), “I’ll Be Coming Back for More” and “Do You Wanna Go to Heaven” (1980), “I Loved ‘Em Every One” and “Party Time” (1981), and “Only One You,” “Finally,” and “War Is Hell (On the Homefront Too)” (1982). “I Loved ‘Em Every One” also made an impact on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1984, he collaborated with Judy Collins on the title track for her album “Home Again.” His move to Columbia Records in 1985 led to further success, including his last number-one hit, “Strong Heart,” in 1986. He continued to achieve top 10 positions with songs like “Half Past Forever (Till I’m Blue in the Heart),” “You’re My First Lady,” and “One for the Money” in 1987.

After a period of touring and performing throughout the 1990s without new record releases, Sheppard took a two-year break from extensive touring in 1995 to perform at T.G. Sheppard’s Theater in the Smokies. Following the theater’s sale in 1997, he resumed touring. He released a live album, “T.G. Sheppard: Live at Billy Bob’s,” in 2002, and “Timeless,” an album of big band era songs, in 2004. Sheppard also held an associate sponsorship role in NASCAR throughout the mid to late 1980s. In 2019, he released a new single, “I Wanna Live Like Elvis,” and hosts a show on Sirius XM’s Elvis Radio, reflecting his personal friendship with Elvis Presley and his ongoing presence in country music.