Shannon Forrest


Shannon Forrest is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. As a session drummer, he has contributed to the work of many well-known artists, and he is also a producer and engineer. Additionally, he has been the drummer of Toto since 2015.

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, and many others.

Toto

Forrest has been a member of Toto since 2015, taking the place of Keith Carlock. Forrest performed with Toto in 2009 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.

Dukes of September

From 2010 to 2012, Forrest supported Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, and Donald Fagen on their Dukes of September tours.

Equipment

Forrest currently plays Pearl Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Remo Drumheads, 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 Icon rack.
Forrest also plays Gon Bops Mariano Congas, Mariano bongos, and Mariano Djembes.

Awards

This section presents a partial list of albums to which Forrest has contributed.

1994–99