TM Stevens

Flamboyant bassist T.M. Stevens played with some of the biggest names of the pop/rock world, in addition to sporadically issuing solo albums on his own. Stevens first burst onto the scene in the 1980s, playing on releases by <a href="spotify:artist:3pFCERyEiP5xeN2EsPXhjI">Joe Cocker</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7GaxyUddsPok8BuhxN6OUW">James Brown</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5pTDagkiVMJC5DJtSAdbXg">Nona Hendryx</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:32lVGr0fSRGT6okLKHiP68">Taylor Dayne</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2BTZIqw0ntH9MvilQ3ewNY">Cyndi Lauper</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0GByy3DcfbQwDvXGCWmzv9">the Pretenders</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3Fz2GbraVXhcpXnoi2Oe1r">Billy Squier</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1zuJe6b1roixEKMOtyrEak">Tina Turner</a>. Stevens continued to serve as one of rock's most in-demand and versatile session bassists throughout the '90s, as he guested on further recordings by others, including <a href="spotify:artist:6zFYqv1mOsgBRQbae3JJ9e">Billy Joel</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:32Jb1X3wSmmoHj2epZReZA">Steve Vai</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6fb78HXq6cKqNjjwZP9dax">Stevie Salas</a>. Stevens also served as producer and arranger for the 1997 tribute album Black Night: Deep Purple Tribute, which included such guests as <a href="spotify:artist:2RRsSauHi9EYx8AUmJMwkL">Joe Lynn Turner</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1q43UYqmrt3prvsBUfuRdr">Corey Glover</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:03Fr2b89fbLWKq5skHknPV">Will Calhoun</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3vB7T6czx1Jh89YEnzM0UF">Bernie Worrell</a>, among others. The '90s also saw Stevens find time to launch a solo career, issuing such albums as 1995's Boom, 1997's Sticky Wicked, and 1999's Radioactive. Stevens continued to do a healthy amount of session work during the early 21st century (a posthumous album by rapper Tupac Shakur, <a href="spotify:artist:1lE6SEy8f84Zhjvp7r8yTD">Syleena Johnson</a>, etc.), and issued his fourth solo release overall, Shocka Zooloo, in 2001. The same year, Stevens also fulfilled aspirations of becoming an actor, when he appeared in director Masashi Yamamoto's movie Limousine Driver. T.M. Stevens died on March 10, 2024, at the age of 72. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi