At the age of ten and under the guidance of his father Jesse, Garry and his brothers played and sang behind many gospel artists of the time including legends such as Shirley Caesar, The Five Blind Boys, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and others.

Clinton made note of the young Shider's talents on guitar and his ability with gospel singing.

George Clinton was living in Toronto at the time and began hearing about United Soul from people in the local music business, and took the band under his wing upon learning that Shider was a member.

He was a prominent contributor to albums by both Parliament and Funkadelic until the dissolution of those two bands in the early 1980s, after which he continued to work regularly with Clinton's P-Funk All-Stars.

He co-wrote many noteworthy Parliament-Funkadelic songs, and he made important contributions to P-Funk spin-off acts including Bootsy Collins and Eddie Hazel.

On June 16, 2010, Shider died from complications of his cancer at his home in Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland.