James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its forma ...

. He replaced the previous drummer

Tommy Stewart Tommy Stewart is an American drummer, currently for the rock band Lo-Pro. He is probably best known for his stint with the band Godsmack. He has also toured and recorded with a number of other bands including Detroit based metal band Halloween, ...

in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of

Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jews, Jewish, Christia ...

Candlebox Candlebox is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since its formation in 1990, the group has released seven studio albums, several charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD. Candlebox found immediate success with the release of ...

Ugly Kid Joe Ugly Kid Joe is an American hard rock band from Isla Vista, California, formed in 1989. The band's name spoofs the glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd's name. To date, Ugly Kid Joe have released five full-length albums, two compilation albums and ...

, and

Souls at Zero ''Souls at Zero'' is the third studio album by the American avant-garde metal band Neurosis. It was released in 1992 by the Alternative Tentacles record label. It was reissued in 1999 with bonus tracks on the band's own Neurot Recordings label. ...

(formerly

Wrathchild America Wrathchild America was an American heavy metal band formed in Martinsburg, West Virginia, in 1978. Before settling on the Wrathchild America name in 1988, the band had performed under the names Atlantis, Tyrant, and Wrathchild. They released t ...

). Shannon played drums for Godsmack for their albums '' Faceless'', '' IV'', '' The Other Side EP'', '' The Oracle'', '' 1000hp'', and their latest album ''

When Legends Rise ''When Legends Rise'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Godsmack. It was released on April 27, 2018. It marks the band's first album away from heavy metal into a more hard rock sound. The album's first single, "Bulletproof", was ...

''.

Career

Larkin has been playing drums since the age of ten. He formed

in 1978, recording two albums for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

before being dropped by the label. The group disbanded and later reformed as

, signing with

Energy Rekords Energy Rekords is a record label formed in 1990 by the merging of the three labels: Front Music Production, Electronic Beat Association, and Energy - all small labels run from the Swedish town of Älmhult. By banding together these labels' fou ...

and releasing an eponymous debut album that was well received by critics. He went on to record two albums with

and two more with

. He joined

in 2003, replacing departing drummer

. He has since appeared on their albums '' Faceless'', '' IV'', '' The Other Side'', '' The Oracle'', '' 1000hp'', ''

''. upLarkin at a Sabian live show in 2008 His numerous side projects have included

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

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 Tony Rombola (born November 24, 1964) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the Boston-based rock band Godsmack since the mid-1990s. Rombola has been cited as "an extraodinaire" in the guitar world by ...

. He has appeared as a session musician on such albums as ''

Strait Up ''Strait Up'' is the second studio album by the American nu metal band Snot, released on November 7, 2000. The album features appearances by various alternative metal musicians. The album was released as a tribute to Snot's lead singer Lynn Stra ...

'' by Snot and

Glenn Tipton Glenn Raymond Tipton (born 25 October 1947) is an English guitarist. Often noted for his complex playing style and classically influenced solos, he is best known as one of the lead guitarists for heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and ...

's ''

Baptizm of Fire ''Baptizm of Fire'' is the debut solo album by Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton released in 1997. Atlantic released the album on February 17, 1997. Background It was recorded and mixed at Devonshire and Ocean Studios, U.S.A. and Monnow Va ...

''. He has played for

Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...

Glassjaw Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential i ...

, and

Stone Sour Stone Sour is an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000 and since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Rand ...

. He was featured on the '' Behind the Player'' series.

Personal life

Larkin is a koi and turtle enthusiast and keeps multiple

koi or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp ('' Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens. Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' ke ...

and

turtles Turtles are an order (biology), order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) an ...

at his home.

Tattoos

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, Larkin has Amen tattooed across his knuckles and a hand ripping into the skin on his stomach."Shannon Larkin Tattoos"
''Tripod.com''. Retrieved on July 10, 2009.

Discography

Wrathchild America

*''

Climbin' the Walls ''Climbin' the Walls'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Wrathchild America, released in 1989 by Atlantic Records. The album was moderately successful, becoming the band's only album to chart on the ''Billboard'' 200, where ...

'' (1989) *'' 3-D'' (1991)

Souls at Zero

*''

'' (1993) *''

Six-T-Six ''Six-T-Six'' is the first EP by American heavy metal band Souls at Zero. Track listing All songs written and composed by Souls at Zero, unless otherwise noted. Personnel * Brad Divens – lead vocals, bass * Jay Abbene – guitars * Terry ...

EP'' (1994)

Ugly Kid Joe

*'' Menace to Sobriety'' (1995) *''

Motel California ''Motel California'' is the third album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and released on October 22, 1996. ''Motel California'' was the last full-length studio album until 2015. The group disbanded in January 1997 and reformed in 13 yea ...

'' (1996) *'' The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets'' (1998) *'' Stairway to Hell'' (2012) *''

Uglier Than They Used ta Be ''Uglier Than They Used ta Be'' is the fourth album by the American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in Europe on September 18, 2015, and in North America on October 16. On February 4, 2015, Ugly Kid Joe started a crowdfunding effort through ...

'' (2015)

Glen Tipton

* ''

Amen

*''

'' (1999) *'' We Have Come for Your Parents'' (2001) *'' Death Before Musick'' (2004)

Candlebox

*'' Happy Pills'' (1998)

Snot

*''

'' (2000)

Godsmack

*'' Faceless'' (2003) *'' The Other Side'' (2004) *'' IV'' (2006) *'' Good Times, Bad Times.... 10 Years of Godsmack'' (2007) *'' The Oracle'' (2010) *'' 1000hp'' (2014) *''

'' (2018) *'' Lighting Up The Sky'' (2023)

Another Animal

*''

Another Animal Another Animal was a hard rock supergroup formed by members of Godsmack, Ugly Kid Joe, and Dropbox. History During the writing sessions of '' IV'' by Godsmack, lead singer Sully Erna encountered writer's block so Tony Rombola, Shannon Larki ...

'' (2007)

As session musician

*'' 30/30-150'' by

*''

Hard to Swallow ''Hard to Swallow'' is the third studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice. Released by Republic Records in 1998, the album was the first album Vanilla Ice recorded after a four-year hiatus following the 1994 release of '' Mind Blowin''. Vanill ...

'' by

*'' Worship and Tribute'' by

*'' Massive Grooves...'' by Poundhound (aka

Doug Pinnick Douglas Theodore Pinnick (born September 3, 1950), sometimes stylized as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg, is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and songwriter for the hard rock and progressive metal band King's ...

King's X King's X is an American rock band that originated in 1979 in Springfield, Missouri. They were first called The Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on its current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact for m ...

) 1998

The Apocalypse Blues Revival

*''The Apocalypse Blues Revue'' (2016) *''The Shape of Blues to Come'' (2018)

References

External links

Shannon Larkin
on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Shannon 1967 births Living people Candlebox members Godsmack members Ugly Kid Joe members American blues drummers American heavy metal drummers American rock drummers Musicians from Chicago People from Martinsburg, West Virginia 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Amen (American band) members Snot (band) members Wrathchild America members Souls at Zero (band) members Another Animal members