The Shepherd Sisters were a female vocal group from the mid-'50s featuring four real-life sisters, Martha, Gayle, Judy, and Mary Lou Shepherd, who enjoyed one brief taste of chart success when their signature song, "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)," hit the Top 20 in 1957. Originally from the town of Middletown, Ohio, they had appeared on the TV shows Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Initially performing as a trio with Martha, Gayle, and Mary Lou, they later added sister Judy to their lineup. Record producer and Lance label owner Morty Craft introduced them to the song "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" and they found themselves in the charts alongside competing versions by Petula Clark, the Southlanders, and the Kaye Sisters. It was their only chart entry both in the U.K. and the U.S. He also introduced them to the DJ Alan Freed and they toured with his America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars; the sisters later concentrated on cabaret work rather than recording. ~ Sharon Mawer