Shawn Pelton

"I grew up always banging on things," Pelton said describing his childhood. His first real musical instrument was a cello in 5th grade. But he "bailed as soon as possible to the drums," Pelton said. "I was running around doing gigs at 14, which was a great situation, to actually be in a band that young. The sooner you start making music with other people the better."

During his time as a student, Pelton taught for a brief period as well as conducted private drum lessons. One of his students was Pete Wilhoit, who would later become a member of Fiction Plane, the opening act for The Police on their 2007 reunion global tour.

Since 2007, Pelton has been regularly appearing as the drummer on Daryl Hall's internet concert series Live from Daryl's House.

Shawn was the touring drummer on Jon Bon Jovi's Destination Anywhere tour in 1997-1998.

He joined the Saturday Night Live band in 1992, saying "It’s a pretty mellow gig...It’s really only 20 days out of the year."

In 1985, Pelton earned a bachelor's degree and a Performer's Certificate after his studies at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, according to Drummerworld. While there, Pelton studied with Kenny Aronoff, who at the time was drummer for John Mellencamp, Drummerworld reported. Mellencamp lives just a short distance away from Bloomington. During summer break, Pelton sought out experts elsewhere. "I also had the privilege of hanging with Alan Dawson for a couple of summers," he told Edge. The Massachusetts-based Dawson, legendary in the jazz world, may best be known as an early teacher of Tony Williams—drummer for Miles Davis.

Shawn Pelton is an American drummer and percussionist. He has recorded with a wide range of artists and has been a first call player since moving to New York in the late 1980s.