The Cowboy Philosopher: A Tale Of Obsession, Scams, And Family

By Shankar Vedantam,

Jennifer Schmidt, Parth Shah, Tara Boyle

Published March 2, 2020 at 7:19 PM EST

1 of 6 — Stacya Shepard Silverman thought she knew her dad. But that changed one day with a phone call from a stranger.

Stacya Shepard Silverman thought she knew her dad. But that changed one day with a phone call from a stranger.

2 of 6 — In the mid-1940s, Riley Shepard was a rising talent as a singer. But he bounced from one music label to another, and never achieved stardom.

In the mid-1940s, Riley Shepard was a rising talent as a singer. But he bounced from one music label to another, and never achieved stardom.

3 of 6 — Riley Shepard with his daughters Lisa (l) and Stacya.

Riley Shepard with his daughters Lisa (l) and Stacya.

4 of 6 — In the mid-1940s, Riley Shepard was putting out records at a frenzied pace. But he was also cultivating another persona — as an educational lecturer, complete with a fake PhD.

In the mid-1940s, Riley Shepard was putting out records at a frenzied pace. But he was also cultivating another persona — as an educational lecturer, complete with a fake PhD.

<em>Lesbianism Through The Ages </em>was one of the books Riley Shepard wrote under the pen name "Zachary Quill."

5 of 6 — Lesbianism Through The Ages was one of the books Riley Shepard wrote under the pen name "Zachary Quill."

Lesbianism Through The Ages was one of the books Riley Shepard wrote under the pen name "Zachary Quill."

Folklorist Steve Winick reads through a portion of Riley Shepard's <em>Encyclopedia: Traditional Music and Folk Songs of the United States, Vol. 1.</em>

6 of 6 — Folklorist Steve Winick reads through a portion of Riley Shepard's Encyclopedia: Traditional Music and Folk Songs of the United States, Vol. 1.

Folklorist Steve Winick reads through a portion of Riley Shepard's Encyclopedia: Traditional Music and Folk Songs of the United States, Vol. 1.

As a young girl, Stacya Shepard Silverman idolized her dad. He was handsome and smart and a great cook. He spent his days typing away in their small Hollywood apartment on a massive writing project: an encyclopedia that would cover the entire history of American vernacular music.

Richard Riley Shepard's interest in music stretched back to his childhood. He dropped out of school in the fifth grade and decided to try his luck as a "hillbilly" musician. In the 1940s, he cut country western records, including a few small hits. He also worked as a promoter for a variety of famous singers, including the Andrews Sisters and Red Foley.

But by the time his daughter Stacya was born, Riley had dropped out of the music business and begun work on his encyclopedia.

"I was told constantly that we were artists," recalls Stacya. "That there were artists, and there were ordinary people, and we were artists."

Stacya says her relationship with her dad changed when she was 12 years old. One day, the house phone rang, and she picked it up. It was an old man.

"His voice was shaking and I could tell he was elderly and he just sounded like a mean old man to me," Stacya recalls. "He scared me, and he told me that my father was a crook, that my father took his life savings. The phone is in my ear and he's saying, 'Your father is a crook, did you know that? Your father is a crook!'"

This week on Hidden Brain,we trace the life of Riley Shepard. He was a hillbilly musician, a music promoter, a porn writer, a man with an all-consuming obsession and, perhaps, a genius.

Additional Resources:

Read an excerpt of Stacya Shepard Silverman's essay about her father and the moment she received the phone call alleging he was a crook.

You can also learn more about Riley Shepard at a Facebook page that Stacya created, find a discography of his music here, and see Shepard's encyclopedia online on the Internet Archive.