T.M. Stevens, West Long Branch bass giant who played with James Brown and more, has died

T.M. Stevens, the bassist extraordinaire from West Long Branch who played with the greats of music, passed away March 10 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, said longtime companion Carrie Beehan to the Asbury Park Press.

Stevens, 72, had previously been hospitalized with blood clots on his lungs.

Stevens' slap-bass funky metal stylings were immediately recognizable to fans, especially at the Jersey Shore where he was a regular at the former Brighton Bar in Long Branch. His credits include a who's who of funk, rock, jazz and pop musical giants of the 20th century, from Miles Davis to James Brown.

That’s him playing bass on Brown's 1985 classic “Living in America.”

“We lost another important piece of the low end theory,” said Bootsy Collins, former member of Parliament Funkadelic, about Stevens on social media.

“We were awesome. Gonna miss you brother,” posted Steven Van Zandt with a picture of he and Stevens in concert together.

Stevens was a member Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul; Vai, fronted by guitarist Steve Vai; and the Pretenders. He played with Joe Cocker, Billy Joel, Nona Hendryx, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner and many more.

Stevens played his bass “eight hours a day” while growing up in the South Bronx. He first made his name with session work with jazz-rock fusion artists such as Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin, and a big one with Davis in 1978. Stevens' playing — and singing — on Brown's “Living in America” put his career into another orbit.

More: 4-string kings: New Jersey's 14 best bassists

More: Long Branch Brighton Bar demolished, fans sift rubble for souvenirs

“He's the man, I just dug that so much,” said Stevens about Brown to the Home News Tribune in 1998. “He's very particular about what he wants, which I think is good. And he has a definite respect factor. You need to call him Mr. Brown. You can't (say), `Yo James, what's up?' That didn't happen.”

Stevens and fellow Jersey guy Bernie Worrell of Parliament Funkadelic fame joined the Pretenders in 1986. They recorded the “Get Close” album.

“It was a beautiful experience, and I learned a lot from Chrissie (Hynde) about playing and songwriting,” Stevens said. “Prior to that I was really preoccupied about playing, and then I realized that people don't hear that way. They hear songs and melodies.”

Yet both Stevens and Worrell, who are Black, were asked to leave at the onset on a national tour, Stevens said.

“The band came out sounding great, but we ran into problems,” said Stevens. “They couldn't take the Black Pretenders, that was a big item. Don't listen to it as the Black Pretenders; listen to it as good music.”

Fighting music stereotypes and expectations was a constant battle for Stevens.

“What we're doing is the next wave,” said Stevens to the Asbury Park Press in 1993. “All colors combining and crossing. Unfortunately, if you're a Black artist doing this stuff, you tend to fall through the cracks.”

The shows at the Brighton Bar with his bands Out of Control and Shocka Zooloo were creative respites away from the big stages and high-end recording sessions Stevens normally performed in.

“When all you play is stadium and coliseums, you sometimes lose touch with what it's like to work a crowd in a small room,” said Stevens said in 1993. “Here it's simpler ... it's like playing in my living room.”

Area musicians at the Jersey Shore mourned his passing.

“I never saw him down. He was always a blazing fire of light and power,” said Long Branch singer-songwriter Karen Mansfield on social media. “There will never be another one like you!”

A public service will be held in New Jersey in the coming weeks, Beehan said.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: T.M. Stevens, West Long Branch bass legend, has died