BATON ROUGE — Mike Shepherd, the driving force behind The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame since 2003, passed away in Baton Rouge on June 13 at the age of 77, his family said.
“The world knew Mike Shepherd as a champion of Louisiana music, but I knew him simply as Grandpa. He taught me the importance of preserving history, standing up for what you believe in, and loving people fiercely,” Shepherd’s granddaughter Blyss Winters told UWK.
The Shreveport native was raised in Baton Rouge and had a long history in the music and audio/visual industries. His journey began playing clarinet and saxophone in local bands, but he was eager to get more involved in the growing live music scene around him.
Shepherd was active in booking, promoting and staging many concerts, festivals and large club shows regionally in the ‘60s and ‘70s, with many memorable shows at Baton Rouge’s Independence Hall as a partner in Montel Productions with Mickey and S.J. Montalbano.
Shepherd also had a brilliant technical mind and taught himself the workings of audio equipment, lighting systems, marketing graphics and recording. After the era of the local independent promoter faded, his talent led to a decade staging sound and lights with Concerts West and other national promoters.
He subsequently returned to form his own audio-visual service in Baton Rouge and enjoyed working with clients such as the State of Louisiana, City of Baton Rouge and Exxon USA.
But after the turn of the century, Shepherd had an epiphany to revive The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF), a nonprofit project first founded in 1982 by Baton Rouge print and television entertainment reporter Del Moon, that was suspended in 1988 due to lack of funding.
Shepherd often related the story of grieving at the passing of his longtime friend and music legend John Fred Gourrier (“Judy in Disguise”) and feeling that Louisiana’s artists were not getting their proper recognition from the state.
Shepherd, who had been in early discussions about the project and mission, gained Moon’s support to bring LMHOF back to life. Through 2025, Shepherd inducted nearly 250 of the state’s most iconic international music legends and high profile regionally popular artists.
While most recognition programs host black tie award dinners, Shepherd opted as often as possible to induct the artists onstage, either at their concert or setting up live shows with a backup band and inducting multiple retired artists.
One notable exception was a bedside presentation to Benny Spellman (“Fortune Teller”) who was at a senior care facility in Mobile, Alabama where no one knew who he was. Shepherd brought New Orleans legend Deacon John Moore along to play guitar and sing hits as Benny clutched his award plaque.
Shepherd was proud that many Louisiana inductees, from New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint to country star Tim McGraw, stated that induction into the LMHOF meant more to them than other awards. As Toussaint said onstage, “This is the best…it’s from home!”
Like his predecessor, Shepherd faced stiff challenges trying to bring together the state’s music industry for the greater good, and was criticized for his vision to base the first brick and mortar museum in or near the state capital of Baton Rouge. While this vision was long endorsed by state tourism leaders, few understood or appreciated the statewide scope of the project.
While Shepherd obtained some small grants, sponsorships and donations over the years, he was frustrated that many attempts to gain state funding were unsuccessful. However, LMHOF received a major boost from the Louisiana Legislature in 2010 when it designated it as the “Official honors and recognition organization & information resource, for and about Louisiana’s music, musicians and musical heritage.” (ACT SCR 112). All subsequent induction plaques (designed and produced by Shepherd) have carried the signature of the sitting Governor.
A museum and regional exhibits have always been in the LMHOF vision, but Shepherd recognized the power of the Internet and created a “virtual museum.” The website has since attracted over 3 million visitors and boasts thousands of images and hundreds of video resources. There is also a current LMHOF multimedia display in the lobby of Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.
For the future, a core committee has been formed to move LMHOF forward, including discussions to partner with the state to continue inductions and build on the legacy that has already been accomplished. The organization hopes to have Shepherd’s colorful and insightful 2021 book “Shepherding the Music” digitized and made available online to educate everyone about what he famously called “Louisiana’s greatest renewable natural resource.”
“It has been an honor to care for him and walk beside him through his final chapter. His legacy isn’t just in the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame; it’s in the countless lives he touched, the artists he supported, and the family who loved him deeply. I will miss him every day,” Winters added.
A celebration of Mike Shepherd’s live is being planned with details to be announced in the near future.
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