1. Tommy Shannon was born on Thomas Lafitte Smedley; April 18,1946 and is an American bass guitarist, who is best known as a member of Double Trouble, a blues rock band led by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
22 Facts About Tommy Shannon
1. 2.
Tommy Shannon appeared with Johnny Winter at Woodstock in 1969.
3.
Tommy Shannon later joined Double Trouble in 1981 and became a permanent member of Double Trouble until Vaughan's death in 1990.
4.
Tommy Shannon was born in Tucson, Arizona, and moved to the Texas Panhandle when he was nine.
5.
Tommy Shannon grew up mainly in Dumas, Texas, north of Amarillo on Highway 287.
6.
Tommy Shannon joined his first band, The Avengers, around age 13.
7.
Tommy Shannon recorded two 45s with this band, which featured Tim Easly on vocals and Uncle John Turner on drums.
8.
Tommy Shannon had the first of two important meetings at The Fog in Dallas in the late 1960s.
9.
Tommy Shannon ended up backing Winter, and with "Uncle" John Turner the three musicians formed a project known as The Progressive Blues Experiment in 1968.
10.
Tommy Shannon appeared on both of these Columbia LPs, each released 1969; Johnny Winter, and Second Winter.
11.
Tommy Shannon played with the Austin band The Fools briefly.
12.
Tommy Shannon became a bricklayer for a few years until he was eventually able to return to music in 1977.
13.
Tommy Shannon played in a few unknown bands, then received a call from Rocky Hill, brother of ZZ Top's Dusty Hill.
14.
Tommy Shannon moved to Houston to play with Hill and Uncle John, and in the late 1970s went on to play with Alan Haynes in the "Texas Boogie Band".
15.
Tommy Shannon moved between Dallas and Austin, and saw Stevie Ray Vaughan at The Fog with Vaughan's group Blackbird.
16.
Tommy Shannon's drug-use returned, and in increasing volumes, often with the band leader, Vaughan.
17.
Tommy Shannon played with Doyle Bramhall, Denny Freeman and Chris Layton in The Mighty Zor.
18.
Tommy Shannon was asked by The Rolling Stones to audition to replace Bill Wyman, but did not get the role.
19.
Tommy Shannon toured with Susan Tedeschi and, along with Chris Layton, toured and recorded with Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
20.
Tommy Shannon's primary bass was a battered Arctic White 1962 Fender Jazz Bass with a red tortoise shell pickguard.
21.
Tommy Shannon has been seen playing Yamaha BBs, Music Man StingRays, other Fender Precision and Jazz basses and custom Fodera basses.
22.
Tommy Shannon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Double Trouble in 2015.