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Mem Shannon
Biography
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Mem Shannon is one of young lions of blues who believes in expanding the parameters of the music. His two albums for Rykodisc, A Cab Driver's Blues (his 1995 debut) and Mem Shannon's 2nd Blues Album (1997), are both worth seeking out in record stores. Shannon brilliantly combines elements of funk, jazz, and rock & roll into his guitar playing, and his soulful vocals are not your run-of-the-mill stylings. In fact, most things about Shannon are exceptional: the way he write songs, the way he sings them, and the way he presents them. He's a rock & roll kid who played in a variety of cover bands in high school in his native New Orleans, but he always had a healthy appreciation for blues and gospel music.

Shannon was born in New Orleans and began playing clarinet at age nine. By the time he was 15, he was playing guitar, inspired by his father's blues record collection, but it wasn't until he saw B.B. King that he got serious about it and began practicing in earnest. He began playing in Top 40 and wedding bands around the Crescent City. His first band after high school, the Ebony Brothers Hot Band, played dances, parties, and neighborhood bars.
Selected Discography