The teens played with or for such personalities as Leonard Bernstein,[5] Sammy Davis Jr.,[6] Andy Warhol,[7] and The Rolling Stones,[8] and in concerts and at clubs such as Steve Paul's The Scene,[7] Arthur, and Westhampton's The Barge[9] (where The Rascals were discovered in 1965.

He worked club dates with Steven Scott Music, played the Catskills circuit, and backed up oldies acts such as Bo Diddley, The Shirelles, and Gary U.S. Bonds.

In 1971 at the age of 19, Shutter began playing drums and percussion in the original four-piece band of the New York production of Godspell, whose score was created by Stephen Schwartz.

[13][14] While doing eight performances a week for the show, Shutter also did extensive session work that included demos, spec deals for record labels, and projects by singer-songwriters.

[16] Paul Shaffer, music director of David Letterman's late-night talk shows, described Shutter's "big drums" as being "the defining sound" of the cast album.

[27][32][33][34] In 2018, Shutter joined Shaffer, Alice Ripley, Ben Vereen, and Don Scardino in a Godspell tribute at The Cutting Room music venue in New York City.

The band, led by Shaffer with Doug Quinn on guitar and Steve Manes on bass, accompanied Broadway vocalists including DeMarius R. Copes, Paul Kreppel, Dale Soules, Carrie St. Louis, Alysia Velez, and Teal Wicks.