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June 23, 1952 - November 20, 2025
By Rebecca Rose
Chris Shepherd made people dance.
The DJ for Halifax’s cherished gay bar, The Turret, Chris passed away on November 21.
Though I only met Chris in person once, what he shared with me via phone back in 2016 was crucial to writing Before the Parade, just as Chris himself was crucial to the LGB community in 1970s and '80s Halifax.
Chris first got acquainted with the gay community in 1974, going to David Gray’s gay club, Thee Klub, in the Green Lantern building. A "late night sneak about" Chris did what many people did. "You walked up and down the street until you saw a break in the traffic and no one on the sidewalk and then you dashed in," he told me.
Previous to 1976, Chris described himself as being "deep in the closet".
That changed, he told me, when we moved back to Halifax from out west. Having grown up in the African Nova Scotian Community the Crichton Avenue Extension (or “the Avenue”) Chris first settled back in Dartmouth, and then across the harbour in Halifax.
Then it was "kick down the doors, make my moves and say to heck with everything, here I am."
This coincided with the opening of the city's first Gay Alliance for Equality (GAE) disco club, The Turret. The bar and community space was housed on the third floor of the Church of England Institute building at 1588 Barrington Street, a gorgeous brick heritage building with… well… a Turret.
"Things expanded radically once the Turret club opened," Chris said. "That's when everything in Halifax really started to ramp up and gain speed."
As the Turret's DJ, Chris was a big part of making the club "the centre of gay life and gay activity in Halifax in the 70's." I have not found another place in Halifax that unites that generation of 2SLGBQ+ folks in enthusiasm and nostalgia in the way that The Turret does.
A lover of music, Chris would spin a diverse swath of tracks from disco to bluegrass. "I don't think it could've happened anywhere else in the world," he said. "Because everybody went there. I was allowed to do all of these oddities."
His personal favourite tunes were I will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, The Boss by Diana Ross, and Heaven Must've Sent You by Bonnie Pointer.
Circa 1980
It was around the same time that he - at the suggestion of one of his roomates - started to attend GAE meetings. Chris described himself as being one of a "handful" of Black folks active within the GAE. He would later be elected to the group's executive as Treasurer in 1980.
In 1977 Chris was one of the gay men enjoying a beverage at the Jury Room bar, when staff attempted to throw them out simply for being gay. Staff and management called the men "people of your kind", "queens", and "undesirables" both on the night and in the media that followed. Chris refused to leave, was arrested, and spent the night in jail. The incident prompted a push back from the GAE in the form of a picket outside of the bar, the second gay, lesbian, and bisexual picket in the city's history.
But that wasn't his only act of resistance. Chris, who described himself as six-foot-five with "a big mouth to match", coordinated a group of community members willing to to fight off gay bashers.
During Chris's time in Halifax he was also a tenant in a largly gay apartment building on Morris Street.
"Ah yes," he said of the space. "My apartment in particular on the ground floor was like a revolving door. There were people stopping by for coffee and a chat all day long. Same upstairs." It was almost like a community centre, he added.
On Good Friday of 1981 Chris and his housemates decided to throw an absolute rager of a party. Bars couldn't be open on Good Friday so "we'll be the club", he said. They set up bars and played tapes. Chris remembers 400 people "rockin' the party".
"I think that was the last time that Halifax saw a gay house party like that," he recalled.
Chris moved to Toronto in 1982, where he remained until his passing in 2025.
But for Chris, 1970s Halifax is where his heart remained.
"If I could time warp drop me off in the 70s and don't bother coming back to pick me up," he told me. "It was such a fun time, once you got to club age. You got dressed up, you wanted to feel good, you wanted to look good."
"People should know that it could and can be again," Chris said of a community space like The Turret.
Chris is mentioned on pages 5, 27, 33, 60, 67, 77, 88+3 (photo),104-105, 110-112, 121, 136, 169, 175 of Before the Parade.
Chris passed away in St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto. Born in Halifax, Chris graduated from Prince Andrew High School, recently renamed Woodlawn Road.
Interment will take place at a later date in Truro, NS. If desired, donations may be made to St. Michaels Hospital, Toronto; Bridgeport Rehab Center, Toronto; the Canadian Cancer Society, Or a charity of choice.1
Chris acquired many strong friendships over his lifetime, loved music and held DJ jobs for many years in Halifax and Toronto. Chris worked with young people in Halifax with Parks and Recreation. In Toronto he held numerous jobs, including working in heating and air conditioning for nine years and also in laundries. Chris was an active pool player and thoroughly enjoyed a good game of cribbage and bringing the heat to somebody.
Chris was passionate about social gatherings that included home cooking, good conversation, and a bit of dancing, choosing to arrive fashionably late and looking great.
In 2015 Chris began a lengthy and valiant battle with blood cancer.
RegGiles writes: I would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts. Even though I had the feeling that Chris would not be with us much longer his leaving left an empty spot in my world.
Damon H. Buffett writs: he was with us when he passed, he wasn't alone. I hope that brings you some comfort...2
DrBobFredrickson writes: actually is truly our loss. He was one of the very dynamic influences in the early coming out days of Halifax. After he went away he was still kind of with us. Let’s all slow down for a couple breaths and be happy for the moments we had with him.3
LorneIzzard: OH MY SWEET LORD.......I just cut imagine the world we live in with out Chris. When he came home to Halifax, we would always visit...I met Chris through family when I was 12 years old....he was bigger than life and embraced me into his life making me a better person.... rest in peace power my brother. turn up the music and spin baby spin4
RandyKennedy writes:
JimDeYoung writes:
RIP Chris. Edward Langille
There's a bit of a story about this wig in PeanutButterAndJamSandwichSevena
About the spelling of his name: Chris has corrected the spelling of his name personally.
Someone asks: Is this the same fellow known for "Dance Party" CDs and the "Pirate Radio" series of recordings that were heavily marketed on TV a few years ago? DanielMacKay answers: No - that Chris is a whiteboy, and his name is spelled Chris Sheppard. It is confusing though. To add to the confusion you can find works by Chris on the net and in select stores under the name of groovemaster-k