"Southern Wildcats" 1930s Kentucky Bluegrass Band

"Southern Wildcats" Kentucky Bluegrass Band circa 1930

This 8 x 10 photo came to me from the collection of my husband's mother, Florence Shepherd. The young man on the bottom right, in the hat, is Roy Browne Shepherd, son of Arthur and Emma (McCreary) Shepherd. Roy became Florence's fourth husband in 1969.

At the bottom left is the handsome Henry W. Smith, son of Milton and Mary J. (Shepherd) Smith and husband of Myrtle Melvin. Henry's mother Mary, was Roy's paternal aunt; his wife Myrtle, was Florence's maternal aunt. While Myrtle is not in the above photo, I am told she often sang for the Southern Wildcats. Henry and Myrtle's relationship is how Florence came to know Roy, however they didn't marry until almost 40 years later. 

Myrtle and Henry married in 1930 and later divorced. A really neat old picture of Henry and Myrtle can be seen at this link:

Wordless Wednesday: 40 Acres And A Mule

I have never been able to find any information on the Southern Wildcats bluegrass band other than what I've learned through my husband's family. I am hoping that someone will land on this page and help me identify more of the band's members. This photo may have been taken as early as 1927. Henry and Roy were both born in Welchburg, Jackson Co., Kentucky, while Myrtle and Florence were from Louisville, so I'm not sure exactly where in Kentucky the Southern Wildcats performed or, for how long.

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