John Shenon is a founding member of The Sugar Beets and the composer of roughly half of The Sugar Beets’ original music. John grew up in Palo Alto, CA and moved to Eugene Oregon in the Fall of 1988 to attend the University of Oregon. In the University dormitories, John Shenon met Marty Chilla and the two of them began performing at open mics as "The John and Marty Experience". The Sugar Beets formed as Marty and John made more connections and invited others to join their music jams. The Sugar Beets played their first public concert on March 30th, 1990. In 1993 John transitioned from a performing role to being a behind-the-scenes songwriter and he continues to be a vital part of the band.