Preston Shannon

Preston Shannon (October 23, 1947 – January 22, 2018) was an American electric blues and soul blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Among the songs he wrote are "Beale Street Boogaloo" and "Midnight in Memphis".

He was born in Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States. He relocated with his family to Memphis, Tennessee at the age of eight. Despite initial misgiving from his Pentecostal parents, Shannon developed an interest in the blues and played part-time with several local bands, whilst his daytime occupation was with a hardware firm. He began a full-time musical career when he secured a spot in Shirley Brown's backing ensemble.