Cannon was born in Grenada, learning to play the saxophone at age 10. He first came to prominence with the well-known Bill Black Combo in 1959, appearing on the popular television shows of the time, such as "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Merv Griffin Show", and "American Bandstand."
         He has recorded over 50 albums and has been nominated for Grammy awards for his instrumental recording of "Blues Eyes Crying In the Rain" and for his work with the Bill Black Combo on "Going Back to Memphis", which appeared on the 1997 Elvis tribute album "All the Kings Men".
         In 1986, Cannon was asked by Dick Clark to join the All Star Country Band for the "Country Music Academy TV Special". That year he recorded "The Class of '55" with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. He has recorded several albums that are sold on television, including one with trumpet legend Al Hirt, which is one of the biggest "TV albums" in history. Although he started as a Rockabilly performer, Cannon's repertoire contains everything from rock and roll to country, pop, blues and jazz, so there is something for everyone. Cannon was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000.