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John M. Shanks is a well known rock music guitarist, writer and producer.

Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17.

He began playing in Melissa Etheridge’s band in 1988 and toured with her for several years. Shanks enjoyed his first writing success in the early 1990s by getting cuts with Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker and Tuck & Patti. He also landed his first publishing deal.

He reunited with Etheridge in 1995 when he collaborated with her on songs for Your Little Secret. He worked with her for several years and co-produced her subsequent album, Breakdown, in 1999. Breakdown received four Grammy nominations, including Best Rock Song and Best Rock Album.

In January 2001, Shanks began working with Michelle Branch. Together, they wrote four songs for the hit album The Spirit Room, including the first single, "Everywhere". He also produced the album. In the fall of the same year, Shanks co-wrote Sheryl Crow’s single, "Steve McQueen".

He has also produced or written for other projects with Carlos Santana, Sting, The Corrs, Chris Isaak, Vertical Horizon, Unwritten Law, Will Hoge, Stroke 9, Hilary Duff and Alanis Morissette. He produced Ashlee Simpson's hit 2004 album Autobiography and is credited with co-writing ten of the album's 12 songs with Simpson. On seven of those, Kara DioGuardi is also credited. That same year Shanks produced three songs for Kelly Clarkson's hit album Breakaway, including the title track "Breakaway", and worked with Anastacia on two songs for her self-titled album, including the single "Welcome To My Truth". Shanks won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2005 for his work on Autobiography, the Kelly Clarkson song "Breakaway", Hilary Duff's "Fly", Robbie Robertson's "Shine Your Light" and Alanis Morissette's album So-Called Chaos. [1] In 2005 Shanks regrouped with Ashlee Simpson, producing her second album, I Am Me, and co-writing all of its 11 songs with Simpson and DioGuardi. Shanks also worked in 2 major albums of 2005, the Backstreet Boys' Never Gone and Bon Jovi's Have a Nice Day.

Contents 1 Selected discography 1.1 Production 1.2 Songwriting 2 External links

• Breakdown, Melissa Etheridge (1999)
• If These Walls Could Talk 2, Various Artists (2000, soundtrack)
• Sooner or Later, BBMak (2000)
• Bounce, Various Artists (2000, soundtrack)
• Now You See Inside, SR-71 (2000)
• Sweet November, Various Artists (2001, soundtrack)
• Trouble in Shangri-La, Stevie Nicks (2001)
• The Spirit Room, Michelle Branch (2001)
• Surrender, Laura Pausini (2002)
• Elva, Unwritten Law (2002)
• Always Got Tonight, Chris Isaak (2002)
• C'mon C'mon, Sheryl Crow (2002)
• Rip It Off, Stroke 9 (2002)
• Say You Will, Fleetwood Mac (2003)
• Hotel Paper, Michelle Branch (2003)
• Falling Uphill, Lillix (2003)
• Go, Vertical Horizon (2003)
• Strays, Jane's Addiction (2003)
• Metamorphosis, Hilary Duff (2003)
• The Very Best of Sheryl Crow, Sheryl Crow (2003, greatest hits)
• Lucky, Melissa Etheridge (2004)
• Anastacia, Anastacia (2004)
• So-Called Chaos, Alanis Morissette (2004)
• Autobiography, Ashlee Simpson (2004)
• Hilary Duff, Hilary Duff (2004)
• Breakaway, Kelly Clarkson (2004)
• Be here , Keith Urban (2004)
• Speak, Lindsay Lohan (2004)
• Never Gone, Backstreet Boys (2005)
• Most Wanted, Hilary Duff (2005, greatest hits)
• Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi (2005)
• Wildflower, Sheryl Crow (2005)
• I Am Me, Ashlee Simpson (2005)
• Somebody's Miracle, Liz Phair (2005)
• Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled, Melissa Etheridge (2005, greatest hits)
• The Collection, Alanis Morissette (2005, greatest hits)
• Pieces of a Dream, Anastacia (2005)
• The Real Thing, Bo Bice (2005)
• Fortuneteller's Melody, SHeDAISY (2006)
• Stand Still, Look Pretty, The Wreckers (2006)
• Beautiful World, Take That (2006)

• "Only When I Sleep", The Corrs (1998)
• "Angels Would Fall", Melissa Etheridge (1999, U.S. #51)
• "Empty Spaces", "Fame", Sr-71 (2000)
• "Everywhere", Michelle Branch (2001, U.S. #12 UK #18)
• "Steve McQueen", Sheryl Crow (2002)
• "Somebody like You", Keith Urban (2002, U.S. #23)
• "Are You Happy Now?", Michelle Branch (2003, U.S. #16 UK #31)
• "Breathe", Michelle Branch (2003, U.S. #36)
• "Light in Your Eyes", Sheryl Crow (2004)
• "Pieces of Me", Ashlee Simpson (2004, U.S. #5 UK #4)
• "Shadow", Ashlee Simpson (2004, U.S. #57)
• "La La", Ashlee Simpson (2004, U.S. #86 UK #11)
• "Have A Nice Day", Bon Jovi (2005, U.S. #53 UK #6)
• "Welcome To Wherever You Are", Bon Jovi (2005, UK #19)
• "I'm Feeling You", Santana and The Wreckers (2005, U.S. #55)
• "Boyfriend", Ashlee Simpson (2005, U.S. #19 UK #12)
• "L.O.V.E.", Ashlee Simpson (2005, U.S. #22)
• "I'm Taking the Wheel", SHEdaisy (2006)
• "Again and Again", Jewel (2006, U.S. #80)
• "Patience", Take That (2006, UK #1)
• "Lost highway", Bon Jovi (2007, to be released)

• Official webside of John Shanks
• List of John Shanks' work with various artists