Jesse Shepard was born in Birkenhead, England in 1848. His family moved to the United States when he was a baby and he grew up in Illinois. His musical training began at the age of twelve when he learned to play the piano. Singing was added to his repertoire nine years later when a spirit named Rachel came to him and advised him to develop his voice.
Shepard traveled to Paris when he was 21 years old. Wealthy patrons were impressed by his talent and in a short time he became one of the most famous mediums in Europe. He was known for his demonstrations in psychometry, clairvoyance, prediction, and diagnosing disease. Without extensive formal musical training, he claimed his abilities came from the spirits of many famous composers, including Mozart and Chopin. He performed for the duchess of Cumberland, the Queen of Hanover, the reigning duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and the Queen of Denmark. He even traveled to St. Petersburg and played for the Czar.
Shepard returned to the United States in 1874. After performing at an old mission in San Diego, he built a mansion, the Villa Montezuma, in the area. But he did not settle down. In the early 1880s, he sailed to Europe and Australia. He amazed audiences by singing soprano and bass parts simultaneously during his seances. He claimed to speak only English and French, but while in trance he was also able to communicate in German, Latin, Greek, Chaldean and Arabic. He sang in Saint-Eustache and the basilica of Montmartre and was invited by composer Leon Gasinelle to sing the leading parts in a Mass during the festival of the Annunciation at the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
In 1885, Shepard met Lawrence W. Tonner who became Shepard’s secretary and close friend for the next 40 years. Tonner worked with Shepard during his next European tour, after which Shepard ended his career as a medium and settled in London for a time. When they returned to Villa Montezuma, Shepard became more involved in Spiritualism, Theosophy and the Catholic Church. He began his writing career and used the house as a center for grand receptions.
Under the pen name Francis Grierson, he published philosophical essays in The Golden Era, a west coast journal. Their success encouraged him to move to France in 1888 to pursue a literary career. By the time he reached fifty, he had published his book Modern Mysticism and Other Essays (1899), The Celtic Temperament and Other Essays (1901), and other works.
Shepard eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1920. Destitute, he depended on Tonner for financial support while he occasionally demonstrated as a direct voice medium, continued writing and gave piano recitals. He died at the keyboard while playing at a benefit dinner given for him on the 29th of May 1927.
Additional Reading:
Fodor, N. (1964). Between Two Worlds: Amazing True Case-Histories of the Occult, the Mysterious, the Marvellous and the Supernatural. West Nyack, NY: Parker.
Gaddis, V. H. (1994). ‘Mystery of the Musical Medium’. Borderlands 50/3.
Grierson, F. (1899). Modern Mysticism and Other Essays. London: George Allen.
Grierson, F. (1901) The Celtic Temperament and Other Essays. London: George Allen.
Marble, Matt. The Illusioned Ear: Disembodied Sound & The Musical Séances Of Francis Grierson. https://earwaveevent.org/article/the-illusioned-ear-disembodied-sound-the…
Simonson, H. P. (1966). Francis Grierson: A Biographical and Critical Study. New York: Twayne Publishers.