Raised in Reno, Shannon moved to Pomona, California in the late 1950s, where he attended Ganesha High School.
[5] Shannon signed with ATV Music Group[6] in 1975 and eventually became executive director of the company.
He co-wrote a number of songs recorded by artists such as Eddy Arnold ("Cowboy"), Reba McEntire ("Small Two Bedroom Starter"), Engelbert Humperdinck ("Love You Back To Sleep"), and Glen Campbell ("Why Don't We Just Sleep On It Tonight").
[8] Shannon and Klee recorded six duet albums and performed at a number of concerts and on television shows in Switzerland from 1979 through 1995.
[9] After leaving Carolco, he was Music Supervisor on the hit films Basic Instinct and Universal Soldier.