Biography
Mem Shannon, serving as guitarist, vocalist, and composer, counts among the rising figures in blues intent on widening the music's scope. Both of his Rykodisc outings, the 1995 debut A Cab Driver's Blues and Mem Shannon's 2nd Blues Album from 1997, deserve attention in shops. Shannon skillfully integrates funk, jazz, and rock & roll threads throughout his guitar lines, while his expressive singing departs from standard approaches. In numerous respects Shannon proves distinctive, from his methods of crafting material to his interpretive delivery and stage presentation. A rock & roll enthusiast during his New Orleans youth, he performed across assorted cover ensembles in high school yet sustained a strong regard for blues and gospel forms.
Born in New Orleans, Shannon took up clarinet at age nine. Guitar entered the picture by age 15, sparked by his father's blues collection, though only after witnessing B.B. King did he commit fully and practice with determination. He started performing in Top 40 and wedding bands across the Crescent City. The Ebony Brothers Hot Band, his initial post-high-school group, handled dances, parties, and local bars. Free Enterprize, his next ensemble, secured gigs playing covers. Unexpectedly, his father died in 1981; as the eldest son in a tight family, Shannon turned to cab driving to cover household expenses. He also performed guitar with the Dedicators, a gospel ensemble, yet that work yielded no income.
Music receded temporarily until 1990, when former Free Enterprize bassist Peter Carter urged Shannon to resume. Together they refined lyrics and song concepts. Several songs drew directly from Shannon's cab-driving observations and encounters. Steady club dates soon followed at French Quarter venues. Spotting a newspaper notice for a talent contest in 1991, Shannon and the Membership claimed victory, which secured a New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival appearance along with $1,000 and a television commercial. Later that year the same group entered the Long Beach Blues Festival contest yet fell short in the finals, missing the main stage.
A demo of original material attracted interest from London-based JSP, though local producer Mark Bingham proposed re-recording several tracks. Bingham then introduced the music to Hannibal Records' Joe Boyd in 1994. Boyd responded favorably, leading to the October 15, 1995 release of the debut A Cab Driver's Blues. Widespread critical acclaim followed, accompanied by notable media exposure. The album's distinctive format, interspersing passenger conversations with the songs, drew producers from PBS-TV and CBS-TV's Sunday Morning plus editors at the New York Times.
At the 1996 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Shannon declared from the stage his intention to abandon cab driving for full-time blues performance. He proceeded without hesitation; capable agents and personal diligence enabled extensive touring across the United States, Europe, and Canada. As the first significant new artist to emerge from New Orleans in years, and with thousands of international visitors attending JazzFest annually, Shannon readily established an international touring profile. His sound avoids strict jump-shuffle confines, instead embracing a wider palette that folds funk, jazz, swamp rock, and classic rock into the Membership's blues foundation. The ensemble achieves its groove through shifting shuffle drum patterns, pulsing bass, a prominent saxophone, and delicate keyboard textures. Shannon's conception of the bluesman role also accommodates political and social observations, evident in pieces such as "Wrong People in Charge," "Charity," and "Down Broke."
Beyond the two Ryko albums, Shannon issued Spend Some Time with Me in 1999 and Memphis in the Morning in 2001, both on Shanachie. Four years afterward, I'm from Phunkville appeared on Northern Blues Music.
Born in New Orleans, Shannon took up clarinet at age nine. Guitar entered the picture by age 15, sparked by his father's blues collection, though only after witnessing B.B. King did he commit fully and practice with determination. He started performing in Top 40 and wedding bands across the Crescent City. The Ebony Brothers Hot Band, his initial post-high-school group, handled dances, parties, and local bars. Free Enterprize, his next ensemble, secured gigs playing covers. Unexpectedly, his father died in 1981; as the eldest son in a tight family, Shannon turned to cab driving to cover household expenses. He also performed guitar with the Dedicators, a gospel ensemble, yet that work yielded no income.
Music receded temporarily until 1990, when former Free Enterprize bassist Peter Carter urged Shannon to resume. Together they refined lyrics and song concepts. Several songs drew directly from Shannon's cab-driving observations and encounters. Steady club dates soon followed at French Quarter venues. Spotting a newspaper notice for a talent contest in 1991, Shannon and the Membership claimed victory, which secured a New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival appearance along with $1,000 and a television commercial. Later that year the same group entered the Long Beach Blues Festival contest yet fell short in the finals, missing the main stage.
A demo of original material attracted interest from London-based JSP, though local producer Mark Bingham proposed re-recording several tracks. Bingham then introduced the music to Hannibal Records' Joe Boyd in 1994. Boyd responded favorably, leading to the October 15, 1995 release of the debut A Cab Driver's Blues. Widespread critical acclaim followed, accompanied by notable media exposure. The album's distinctive format, interspersing passenger conversations with the songs, drew producers from PBS-TV and CBS-TV's Sunday Morning plus editors at the New York Times.
At the 1996 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Shannon declared from the stage his intention to abandon cab driving for full-time blues performance. He proceeded without hesitation; capable agents and personal diligence enabled extensive touring across the United States, Europe, and Canada. As the first significant new artist to emerge from New Orleans in years, and with thousands of international visitors attending JazzFest annually, Shannon readily established an international touring profile. His sound avoids strict jump-shuffle confines, instead embracing a wider palette that folds funk, jazz, swamp rock, and classic rock into the Membership's blues foundation. The ensemble achieves its groove through shifting shuffle drum patterns, pulsing bass, a prominent saxophone, and delicate keyboard textures. Shannon's conception of the bluesman role also accommodates political and social observations, evident in pieces such as "Wrong People in Charge," "Charity," and "Down Broke."
Beyond the two Ryko albums, Shannon issued Spend Some Time with Me in 1999 and Memphis in the Morning in 2001, both on Shanachie. Four years afterward, I'm from Phunkville appeared on Northern Blues Music.
Albums
