Biography
Born in 1921 in De Soto, Missouri, USA, and passing away in 1982 in New York City, New York, USA, Shannon came from Irish roots. Following the death of his mother in childbirth and his teenage father’s inability to manage, his grandparents brought him up. From early childhood he studied both singing and piano. While enrolled at the University of Southern California he performed in a campus club. After completing service in the US Navy during World War II he settled in New York City, where Billie Holiday urged him to pursue singing professionally. Heeding that advice, he started performing in bars and steadily refined his craft until he secured engagements at prominent New York venues such as the 22 Club and Le Perroquet. He then moved to Europe for a position in Capri, later shifting to the south of France and on to Paris, where he appeared at a club belonging to Ada ‘Bricktop’ Smith.
From the late 1940s through the 1950s he drew an ardent following among the smart set that included millionaires, film stars and royalty. He became a fixture in Virgin Islands clubs, interspersing those dates with returns to Capri and sporadic New York appearances. For the remainder of his career he played fashionable resorts before audiences of the wealthy and celebrated. An engaging and idiosyncratic vocal approach, together with an encyclopaedic command of songs, established him among the foremost cabaret performers of his era.
From the late 1940s through the 1950s he drew an ardent following among the smart set that included millionaires, film stars and royalty. He became a fixture in Virgin Islands clubs, interspersing those dates with returns to Capri and sporadic New York appearances. For the remainder of his career he played fashionable resorts before audiences of the wealthy and celebrated. An engaging and idiosyncratic vocal approach, together with an encyclopaedic command of songs, established him among the foremost cabaret performers of his era.
Albums
