Tony Levin

Tony Levin (born June 6, 1946, Boston, Massachusetts) is an influential American bass player. He has played with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Yes, Liquid Tension Experiment, Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Dire Straits, Joan Armatrading, Alice Cooper, Seal, David Bowie, Deodato, Pandora’s Box, Carly Simon, California Guitar Trio, Sarah McLachlan, Kevin Max, The Roches and Paul Simon, among many others.

Known for his innovative spirit, Tony Levin is partly responsible for popularizing the Chapman Stick and the NS upright bass. He has also created funk fingers, a device for mimicking the sound of hitting the strings with drumsticks (which sounds very similar to slap style bass).

Levin is a widely-respected bass player, probably most famous for the bassline from Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”, but many fans point to King Crimson as his best work.

In addition to his work as a sideman and in collaborative projects, he has various solo albums (Waters of Eden, Pieces of the Sun), and a live Tony Levin Band album. In April, 2006 he released Resonator and launched a North American tour of the same name, which also travelled to Italy, Russia and Mexico.