Some Paul is Dead researchers think that Bill Shepherd of Billy Pepper and the Pepperpots may have served as a Faul McCartney. However, Gary Shepherd, his son, denies that his father ever stood in for Paul McCartney. He posted this publicly:
"Billy Pepper and the Pepperpots was the exploitation album by my father to cash in on Merseymania - the band never existed outside of a studio and the songs credited to my father Bill Shepherd were pastiche Beatles copies. My father went on to produce early Bee Gees songs in Australia, and then back in England became their main arranger and orchestrator for their early big hits. He was about 5 foot 8 inches tall and was not Paul McCartney's replacement. When people keep producing the Billy Pepper and the Pepperpots albums (there were 2 and they are pretty awful) as if this is evidence of a replacement for Paul it clearly shows up the lack of any proof as you have to question all the other "evidence" stated as "facts" - I know Bill Shepherd was not the replacement Beatle so don't keep bringing these very poor cash in albums and a non existent band as part of the "evidence." ... Bill Shepherd and Billy Pepper and the Pepperpots not being part of the Paul conspiracy is a fact as his family all know. Whether the Beatles knew about Billy Pepper and the Pepperpots and used it for the Sgt Pepper name as an ironic joke we don't know..."
~ Gary Shepherd
If this is true, then we can rule out Bill Shepherd as a Paul replacement. Of course, someone stood in for Paul after he was disappeared. I think there is good evidence that Denny Laine was at least an early, temporary Faul, if not a permanent replacement.
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Tina Foster is the author of
Email Tina at faulconandsnowjob at hotmail dot com.
