T. M. Stevens

Thomas Michael "T. M." Stevens (born July 28, 1951) is an American bass guitarist from New York City. Stevens has worked with an array of rock, R&B, and pop acts as a session musician, and also leads his own groups and works as a solo performer.

T.M. Stevens with Stevie Salas in Berlin at Garbaty 2010

Life

Stevens recorded with his band Shocka Zooloo, a power trio that features Michael Barnes "Master Blaster" on guitar and Garry "G-Man" Sullivan on drums. Stevens, with the band Shocka Zooloo and earlier the band Out Of Control, has released seven albums, the most recent being Africans in the Snow for the SPV Steamhammer label.

Along with his work as both songwriter and producer, Stevens worked with other artists. Scheduling at least two European Shocka Zooloo tours each year, he also toured in 2004 with Jean Paul Bourelly and drummer John Blackwell, ex-drummer for Prince. In Autumn 2005 he completed an Asian tour with Neil Zaza going directly into a lengthy European tour with Shocka Zooloo. Stevens finished 2005 with a collaboration with Carl Palmer and Andrea Braido in Italy and Russia which was followed by a European ELP tour in February 2006. In 2007, he was the touring bassist for The Headhunters. In March 2008 while on his solo tour his bus was attacked by fireworks thrown by a young fan, the young fan who could only be called JO due to legal reasons was charged with vandalism and given community work. In summer 2011 he joined the Bootsy Collins Funk Unity Tour.

Steven's vocals came about through James Brown's insistence that he not only play bass but sing on "Living in America" and on Brown's album, Gravity.

Stevens has recorded with many artists including Steve Vai, Neil Zaza, Cyndi Lauper, Little Steven, Tina Turner, Dan Hartman and Billy Joel. He was a member of The Pretenders 1986-87, and recorded on the platinum-selling album Get Close. He produced and arranged the album Tribute to Deep Purple According to New York, collaborating with Vinnie Moore, members of Living Colour and Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic. Stevens performed on Joe Cocker's album, Unchain My Heart. Together with Narada Michael Walden he penned the Billboard hit "I Should Have Loved Ya".

His early jazz years brought him to play with the jazz trumpeter, songwriter and bandleader Miles Davis.

Stevens has been a resident of West Long Branch, New Jersey. From around 2017 on T.M. has been battling with dementia and has not played live since.[1]</nowiki></ref>

  • 1993 - Steve Vai - Sex & Religion
  • 1993 - Taylor Dayne - Send Me a Lover
  • 1993 - Billy Joel - River of Dreams
  • 1993 - Gabrielle Roth - Trance
  • 1993 - Joe Cocker - Best of Joe Cocker
  • 1992 - Taylor Dayne - Soul Dancing
  • 1992 - Joe Cocker - Night Calls
  • 1991 - Two Rooms - Celebrating the Songs of
  • 1991 - Tina Turner - Simply the Best
  • 1991 - Curtis Stigers - Curtis Stigers
  • 1990 - Joe Cocker - Live!
  • 1990 - Darlene Love - Paint Another Picture
  • 1990 - Riot - The Privilege of Power
  • 1989 - Very Special Christmas - Very Special Christmas
  • 1989 - Tina Turner - Foreign Affair
  • 1989 - Cyndi Lauper - Night to Remember
  • 1989 - Taylor Dayne - Can't Fight Fate
  • 1989 - Joe Cocker - One Night of Sin
  • 1987 - Little Steven and the Disciples of soul - Freedom - no compromise
  • 1987 - Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart
  • 1987 - Nona Hendryx - Female Trouble (Co wrote "Funky Land" B-side single)
  • 1986 - Pretenders - Get Close
  • 1986 - James Brown - Gravity
  • 1986 - Gregory Abbott - Shake You Down
  • 1986 - Billy Squier - Enough Is Enough
  • 1986 - Lovebug Starski - House Rocker
  • 1983 - Tramaine - Search Is Over
  • 1983 - Gary Private - Secret Love
  • 1982 - Yoshiaki Masuo - Mellow Focus
  • 1980 - David Sancious - Just As I Thought
  • 1980 - Yoshiaki Masuo - Masuo Live
  • 1980 - Yoshiaki MASUO - Song is You and Me
  • 1979 - Narada Michael Walden - Dance of Life (co-wrote the hit single "I shoulda loved ya")
  • 1979 - Yoshiaki Masuo - Good Morning
  • 1979 - Yoshiaki Masuo - Sunshine Avenue
  • 1978 - Yoshiaki Masuo - Sailing Wonder

References
  1. p. 40. Arcadia Publishing, 2007. ISBN 9780738549033. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Its new owners are Taka and T. M. Stevens. The latter is a heavy metal funk bassist, well known as a sessions musician who has also produced his own solo albums."

    Equipment

    T.M. Stevens with Bernie Worrell and DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight (SocialLybrium, Vienna 2009)
    Stevens is often seen with Warwick basses, most notably 4-string neck-through Streamers. He has his own signature model, the Zooloo Warrior, which features images of African motifs on a bright colored background. His signature model also sports African styled "Mask" abalone inlays and a painted wenge neck. Previously, he was using Cort bass guitars, his own signature model called Funkmachine and the A5 model. TM is a user of Dean Markley strings which he has endorsed since 1984. Morley pedals has also given him a signature bass Wah Wah pedal with a painted picture of himself playing a bass and a text saying "fonk wah".

    Discography

    • Africans In The Snow (2007)
    • Shocka Zooloo (2001)
    • Limousine Drive (2001)
    • Radioactive (1999)
    • Black Night - Deep Purple Tribute According to New York (1997)
    • Ground Zero Maxi Single (1996)
    • Only You Maxi Single (1996)
    • Sticky Wicked (1996)
    • Boom (1995)

    Recordings with other artists

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