Circus Girl Records

~ A division of Stephen Shepherd Creative ~

A recent review calls his music -

“Pure MAGIC! … Worthy of intense study and airplay.”

– Country Western Corner Magazine

“With his writing ability, Stephen Shepherd could write that next big hit!” - “A writer of scorching country songs.”

– Midwest Country News Alpha/Omega CD Review

Based in folk/country roots, Stephen Shepherd’s songwriting contains poignant lyrics that discuss his relationship with a myriad of characters. Described as “lyric-based folk-country with small town realism,” his songs have been likened to Jimmy Buffet, Bob Dylan, and Gordon Lightfoot. His well-crafted lyrics discuss a landscape of characters, ranging from an aging--yet still touring-- guitar picker to Henry Ford symbolically riding shotgun in a teenager’s hopped up Mustang.

Shepherd has been performing music professionally for thirty years in clubs, coffeehouses, college concerts, and festivals, and his first published song appeared in 1975. He now writes and publishes music for Circus Girl Records, is on the Iowa Arts Council’s roster of preferred artists, was a voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammy’s), and holds a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing.

Shepherd’s first CD, Einstein’s Hair, appeared on DJ Radio Playlists in fifteen countries: England, France, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Spain, Poland, Ireland, Germany, and Australia. In 2004, the CD charted a number of EUROPEAN HITS: “Einstein’s Hair” was #4 in France and #6 in Belgium. “Gentle Guitar Pickin” was #3 in Poland, #13 in Holland, #7 in Ireland, #15 in Scandinavia (Norway & Sweden), “Six Pack Syndrome” was #16 in Denmark. In 2005 “Going Down To Mexico” was #13 in Denmark, #20 in Scandinavia, #18 in Austria, #20 in Belgium, and #13 in Great Britain. In March-April 2005, “Big Truck” was #3 in Australia for five weeks. In May 2005, “Big Truck” was also #6 in Austria. His second CD Heartbreak Standard Time was recorded in October – December 2004, and the single “Ten Tall Women” quickly became #20 in Germany. His third CD, Love Heals All Things, was released in October –November of 2006. A single from that third CD, “In The Shade,” peaked at #21 on the US Roots Music Report, and the Album Love Heals All Things (In The Shade) was on the US Roots True Country Charts for 62 weeks, and was #11 in Italy. In 2007-2008, Shepherd was ranked as the #1 US Roots Music Artist in Iowa. Singer/songwriter Shepherd is a registered songwriter with BMI, and his fourth album, Daylight On the Rise, was released in September 2008.

The fifth album Escape Is Not A Place rose to #1 on the Roots Music True Country Chart in March 2013. Single hits on the album include: “In the Shade” charted at #12 in Norway, # 11 in Italy, and #21 on the US Roots Music True Country Chart. The single “Wake Me From this Nightmare” was #14 Norway and #31 Sweden. “Saturday Morning TV” was #21 in Ireland and #22 in the Netherlands. “Love Heals All Things” was #21 in the Netherlands. The title of the album explains that you can’t run away from yourself. (Source: The European Country Music Association Charts (ECMA).

The sixth album Livin’ On Borrowed Time was recorded at Catamount Studio, January to July 2014. The title song “Livin’ On Borrowed Time” emphasizes that earthy possessions cannot satisfy the human spirit and that we are all just temporary earthly travelers living on the limited time allotted to us by God. The album went to #1 on the US New Music Weekly Major Artist Chart in November 2014, and it is listed in the Top 40 Albums for the Year 2014 by the US Roots Music . It was also #1 on the New Music Weekly Indie Artist Chart, as well as listed in the Grammy Award entries in the Best Americana Album category for 2014.

ALBUMS:

Check us out at the links below!!

ALBUM CHARTS

DOMESTIC #1 & TOP TEN HITS:

#1 (United States) Livin on Borrowed Time: #1 NMW Indie Top 30 Chart, #1 NMW Country Main Chart, #1Roots Music Top 30 Chart

#1 (United States) Escape Is Not A Place, US Roots Music True Country Chart

 #7 (United States) Einstein’s Hair: #7 US Roots Music Pop Country Chart, #19 US Roots Music True Country Chart

 #36 (United States) Heartbreak Standard Time: US Roots Music True Country Chart.

INTERNATIONAL TOP TEN SINGLES:

#2 (France) Uzis in the Barn, ECMA (European Country Music Association)

#3 (Poland) Gentle Guitar Pickin, ECMA (European Country Music Association)

#3 (United States) Six Pack Syndrome, NMW (New Music Weekly) Top Indie Chart

#3 (Australia) Big Truck, IRL Australian Radio Chart

#4 (France) Einstein’s Hair, ECMA (European Country Music Association)

#4 (United States) Ten Tall Women, US Airplay Access

#5 (United States) Six Pack Syndrome, NMW (New Music Weekly) Main Artist Chart

#6 (Belgium) Einstein’s Hair, ECMA (European Country Music Association)

#6 (United States) Ten Tall Women, US Roots Music Indie Chart

#6 (United States) Ten Tall Women, US Roots Music Pop Chart

#6 (United States) Ten Tall Women, NMW Top Indie Chart

#6 (United States) Lazy Hazy, US Airplay Access

#7 (Italy) Ten Tall Women, ECMA (European Country Music Association)

#7 (Ireland) Gentle Guitar Pickin, ECMA (European Country Music Association)

#7 (United States) Six Pack Syndrome, US Roots Music Pop Country Chart

#10 (United States) Ten Tall Women, NMW Main Artist Chart

INTERNATIONAL TOP TWENTY SINGLES

#11 (Italy) In the Shade, ECMA (European Country Music Association)

#12 (United States) Ten Tall Women, NMW Major Artist Chart

#13 (Holland) Gentle Guitar Pickin, ECMA

#13 (England) Goin Down to Mexico, ECMA

#13 (Denmark) Goin Down to Mexico, ECMA

#14 (Norway)In the Shade, ECMA

#14 (United States) Livin On Borrowed Time, International Mainstream Country Music

#15 (Norway) Gentle Guitar Pickin), ECMA

#15 (United States)100 Proof Woman, US Airplay Direct

#15 (Sweden)In the Shade, ECMA

#16 (Belgium) Road Cowboy, ECMA

#17 (United States) Hello Country Music, US Airplay Direct

#17 (United States) Lazy Hazy, NMW Top Indie Chart

#18 (Austria) Goin Down to Mexico, ECMA

#19 (United States) Six Pack Syndrome, US Roots Music Report True Country

#20 (Germany) Ten Tall Women, ECMA

#20 (Norway) Goin Down to Mexico, ECMA

#20 (Belgium) Goin Down to Mexico, ECMA

#21 (Netherlands)Love Heals All Things, ECMA

#22 (Spain) Six Pack Syndrome, ECMA

#23 (United States) Lazy Hazy, NMW Main Artist Chart

#25 (United States) Lazy Hazy, US Airplay Direct

#26 (Norway) Wake Me from This Nightmare, ECMA

#29 (Germany)Uzis in the Barn, EMCA

#30 (United States) Ten Tall Women, US Indie World Chart

#31 (Sweden) Wake Me from this Nightmare, ECMA

#34 (United States) In the Shade, Roots Music True Country Chart

#34 (England) Road Cowboy, ECMA