TM Stevens

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TM Stevens with Stevie Salas in Berlin 2010
TM Stevens with the IMF's in Berlin 2010
TM Stevens, SocialLibrium (Vienna 2009)

TM Stevens (* 1951 in New York , real name Thomas Michael Stevens ) is an American bassist and inventor of the music style HMF ( Heavy Metal Funk ).

Live and act

Stevens was a studio musician with James Brown , Joe Cocker , Tina Turner and Steve Vai , Cyndi Lauper , Little Steven and Billy Joel , among others . He was a regular member of the Pretenders . He is best known to a larger audience for his bass riff at the beginning of the Bobby Sharp song Unchain My Heart (Joe Cocker). His real breakthrough as a musician came with James Brown. He sang with Living in America in 1985 and TM Stevens' voice can be heard on the entire Gravity album .

As a fusion musician, he worked with Miles Davis , with whom he also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival . In 2004 TM Stevens toured with Jean-Paul Bourelly and drummer John Blackwell (* 1973; † 2017). In 2007 he was on the road with the headhunters . At the beginning of 2009, Stevens was on a European tour in the SocialLibrium project with Bernie Worrell , guitarist Blackbyrd McKnight and Cindy Blackman .

At the same time he toured with Stevie Salas , Dave Abbruzzese (former drummer of Pearl Jam ) and Bernard Fowler (background singer of the Rolling Stones ) with the project The IMF's (International Motherfuckers), which enjoyed great popularity mainly in Europe.

Stevens is also active as a solo artist and released his first album in 1995. Since 2001 he has been playing with his Shocka Zooloo Band with Michael “Masterblaster” Barnes, Gary “Gman” Sullivan and the German drummer Wolf “Wolfman” Simon from Essen. Despite his relative ignorance as a solo artist, he is considered one of the most technically skilled bass players among connoisseurs. His trademarks include flashy and very colorful outfits. African war paint on his face is a matter of course for him and his band - just like his sunglasses.

In September 2017, it was announced that TM Stevens had advanced dementia and was in need of care in a nursing home in New Jersey.

Solo albums by TM Stevens

  • 1995: Out of Control (Boom); Japan release
  • 1996: Sticky Wicked; Japan release
  • 1996: Only You; Japan release
  • 1996: Ground Zero; Japan release
  • 1997: Black Night - Deep Purple Tribute According to New York
  • 1999: Radioactive
  • 2001: Limousine Drive (Soundtrack)
  • 2001: Shocka Zooloo
  • 2007: Africans in the Snow (SPV)

Web links

Commons : TM Stevens  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ TM Stevens at Discogs (English)
  2. ↑ TM Stevens has dementia. bonedo.de, September 17, 2017, accessed on October 21, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Stevens, TM
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stevens, Thomas Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American bass player
DATE OF BIRTH 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City