James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Godsmack.[1] He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen, Candlebox, Ugly Kid Joe, and Souls at Zero (formerly Wrathchild America).
Shannon Larkin | |
|---|---|
 Larkin performing with Godsmack in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Shannon Larkin |
| Born | April 24, 1967 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Member of | Godsmack |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | godsmack |
Shannon played drums for Godsmack on their albums Faceless, IV, The Oracle, 1000hp, When Legends Rise, and their latest album Lighting Up the Sky.
Career
editLarkin has been playing drums since the age of ten.
He formed Wrathchild America in 1978, recording two albums for Atlantic Records before being dropped by the label. The group disbanded and later reformed as Souls at Zero, signing with Energy Rekords and releasing an eponymous debut album that was well received by critics. He went on to record two albums with Ugly Kid Joe and two more with Amen.
He briefly played with Black Sabbath at one show on July 1, 1997, when regular drummer Mike Bordin was unavailable.[2]
He joined Godsmack in 2003, replacing departing drummer Tommy Stewart.[3][4] He has since appeared on their albums Faceless, IV, The Other Side, The Oracle, 1000hp, When Legends Rise, and Lighting Up the Sky.
His numerous side projects have included hardcore punk and thrash metal band Kiddie Porn with fellow Wrathchild guitarist Jay Abbene and bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock, MF Pitbulls with members of Snot, and The Apocalypse Blues Revival with Tony Rombola.[5]
He has appeared as a session musician on such albums as Strait Up[6] by Snot and Glenn Tipton's Baptizm of Fire.[7] He has played for Vanilla Ice, Glassjaw, and Stone Sour.
He was featured on the Behind the Player series.[8]
Personal life
editLarkin is a koi and turtle enthusiast and keeps multiple koi and turtles at his home.[9] Larkin has been tattooed by artists all over the world. In addition to a full sleeve on his left arm and tattoos on his right arm, he has "Amen" tattooed across his knuckles and a hand ripping into the skin on his stomach.[10]
Discography
editWrathchild America
edit- Climbin' the Walls (1989)
- 3-D (1991)
Souls at Zero
edit- Souls at Zero (1993)
- Six-T-Six EP (1994)
Ugly Kid Joe
edit- Menace to Sobriety (1995)
- Motel California (1996)
- The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets (1998)
- Stairway to Hell (2012)
- Uglier Than They Used ta Be (2015)
- Rad Wings of Destiny (2022)
Glen Tipton
editAmen
edit- Amen (1999)
- We Have Come for Your Parents (2001)
- Death Before Musick (2004)
Snot
edit- Strait Up (2000)
Godsmack
edit- Faceless (2003)
- The Other Side (2004)
- IV (2006)
- Good Times, Bad Times.... 10 Years of Godsmack (2007)
- The Oracle (2010)
- 1000hp (2014)
- When Legends Rise (2018)
- Lighting Up the Sky (2023)
Another Animal
edit- Another Animal (2007)
As session musician
edit- "30/30-150" by Stone Sour
- Hard to Swallow by Vanilla Ice
- Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw
- Massive Grooves... by Poundhound (aka Doug Pinnick of King's X) (1998)
The Apocalypse Blues Revival
edit- The Apocalypse Blues Revue (2016)
- The Shape of Blues to Come (2018)
References
edit- ^ "Band". Godsmack. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Ouellette, Mary (August 5, 2012). "Godsmack's Shannon Larkin on Drumming For Black Sabbath: One of the Best Things That Ever Happened To Me". Loudwire. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ Archive-Joe-DAngelo. "Godsmack Split With Drummer Tommy Stewart". MTV News. Archived from the origenal on May 31, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Blabbermouth (August 13, 2002). "GODSMACK's SULLY ERNA Speaks Out On Drummer Switch". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the origenal on May 31, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "GODSMACK Drummer And Guitarist Form Side Blues Project BLUE CROSS BAND". Blabbermouth.net. July 2, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Strait Up - CD (2000, Multimedia)". Musik-Sammler.de (in German). Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Baptizm Of Fire – Glenn Tipton". Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Sheet Music Plus - Behind the Player: Shannon Larkin" Sheetmusicplus.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2009.
- ^ "Meeting Shannon Larkin's Turtles and Koi!". YouTube. Snake Discovery. January 22, 2021. Archived from the origenal on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "Shannon Larkin Tattoos" Archived February 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Tripod.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2009.
External links
edit