Godsmack’s man behind the kit has come a long way from his first days as a drummer. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1967, Shannon’s drumming career began nearly thirty years ago and includes numerous bands and tours. Throughout his career he has played with Wrathchild America, Souls At Zero, Amen, Snot, and most recently, Godsmack.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Shannon played with numerous bands and reached a moderate level of success. After slaving away behind the drum set for over a decade, he was finally given his shot at playing with a multi-platinum selling artist. Just as Shannon had nearly given up on his dream of becoming a rock star to enroll in community college and become a hairdresser, he got a call from old friend and vocalist of Godsmack, Sully Erna in 2002. Within minutes Shannon was offered a chance to play drums for Godsmack, one of the most popular American rock bands. Not having to audition, Shannon joined the band almost instantly and began working with the Godsmack on their upcoming album.
Performing on Godsmack’s 2002 album, Faceless, Shannon had to earn his way as the newest member of the band. While Shannon performed the drum tracks on Faceless, it was Erna, a former drummer himself, who wrote the majority of the drum parts. The album proved to be Godsmack’s most successful work and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. It wasn’t until four years later that Godsmack released their next album, IV. This time around, the recording of the album proved to be a more rewarding experience for Larkin, as he wrote the majority of the drum parts for each song. Now Larkin is a full-fledged member of Godsmack, not only respected for his ability and talent, but also for his creativity. Both full-length albums Shannon has performed on, Faceless and IV, have reached the number one spot on the Billboard 200 and have sold millions of copies to date.