Shannon Forrest (born August 22, 1973, in Easley, South Carolina
Biography
Session work
Forrest began his career working with his father Otis Forrest at The Sounding Board Studio in Easley, SC. There he recorded many projects with traditional southern Gospel and local country artists. He moved on to work as a Nashville session musician, where Forrest has been involved in the recording of successful albums by Brooks & Dunn,
Taylor Swift,
Rascal Flatts,
Carrie Underwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter,
The Chieftains,
Willie Nelson,
Ricky Skaggs,
Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack,
Jerry Douglas,
Merle Haggard, Tim McGraw, Josh Turner, Toby Keith,
Alabama, Montgomery Gentry,
Kenny Rogers, Michael McDonald and many others.
Toto
Forrest has been a touring musician with Toto since 2014, taking the place of
Keith Carlock.
Forrest performed earlier with Toto in 2009, sitting in for Simon Phillips, when they were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville
and he cites
Jeff Porcaro and Lenny Castro as his biggest influences. After disbanding in 2019, Toto returned in 2020 with a new lineup which didn't include Forrest. However, it was announced on the band’s Facebook page that he and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes were returning ahead of the 2024 tour.
Dukes of September
From 2010 to 2012, Forrest played with
Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, and
Donald Fagen on their Dukes of September tours.
Equipment
Forrest currently plays
Pearl Drums,
Paiste ,
Remo , and Innovative Percussion. Previously, he was the sole exclusive artist for the Brady Drum Company. For his work with Toto, Forrest used a Brady Jarrah Ply drum kit with a red sparkle finish, which was mounted on a
Pearl Drums Icon rack.
Forrest also plays Gon Bops Mariano , Mariano Bongo drum, and Mariano .
Awards
-
Academy of Country Music Award for Drummer of the Year (seven times)
Discography
This section presents a partial list of albums to which Forrest has contributed.
1994–99
2000–04
2005–09
2010–present
External links
