Kasim Sulton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kasim Sulton

Kasim Sulton is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist, and singer. Best known for his work with Utopia, he has been a frequent collaborator, bassist and singer on many of Todd Rundgren's projects and solo tours.

Sulton started his musical career playing piano for Cherry Vanilla before gaining a place in Todd Rundgren's Utopia in 1976. During his time with Utopia they recorded nine albums and toured extensively.

He has toured with Meat Loaf, Hall and Oates, Cheap Trick, Blue Öyster Cult, Richie Sambora, Patti Smith and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. As a studio musician, he has played on albums by Patti Smith, The Indigo Girls and Steve Stevens, and appeared on an album of traditional Irish music by Eileen Ivers. He was a member of Joan Jett's backing band, The Blackhearts, touring with them and playing on Jett's album Up Your Alley (1980) as well as contributing a number of tracks to her compilation album The Hit List (1990).

Sulton was the bassist on the Meat Loaf album Bat out of Hell. He and Thommy Price collaborated on an album, Lights On, which Sulton co-wrote. The song "No T.V. No Phone" was featured in the 1987 film The Allnighter, starring Susanna Hoffs.

Sulton sang background vocals on Meat Loaf's album Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, joining his backing band, The Neverland Express, and touring for three years on the Everything Louder Tour. He also recorded on Meat Loaf’s album Welcome to the Neighborhood, arranging and singing background vocals on most of the tracks. He went on to become Musical Director for Meat Loaf, rehearsing Meat Loaf's band, Neverland Express, in preparation for touring. The Very Best of Meat Loaf album was released with three new tracks, one of which, "Is Nothing Sacred", was later re-recorded as a duet with Patti Russo and produced by Sulton, with the track reaching #15 on the UK charts. Sulton also produced the Meat Loaf StoryTellers album, and toured with the band on the Night Of The Proms Tour in Europe and the "Meat Loaf Just Havin' Fun for the Summer" and "Winter" Tour in the US and Europe, where he and Patti Russo both served as opening acts. He also toured on Meat Loaf's "Couldn't Have Said It Better" tour where he played a short solo acoustic set to open the concert at most venues. One of Meat Loaf's shows on this tour was filmed for the dvd "Live With the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra". Kasim also toured on the 2005 "Hair of the Dog" Tour and the 2006-2007 "Bat Out of Hell III" tour, and he is featured as bassist/backing vocalist on the album. In summer 2008, he will rejoin Meat Loaf for the Casa de Carne tour.

Sulton played bass in the pit orchestra for the Twyla Tharp-choreographed musical based on Billy Joel music called Movin' Out on Broadway.

After a brief stint with the reunited band Scandal, Sulton joined The New Cars in 2005, a Cars revival band featuring original Cars band members Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes as well as Todd Rundgren and Prairie Prince from Journey and The Tubes, replacing original Cars bassist and co-lead vocalist Benjamin Orr, who died of cancer in 2000. A new album, It's Alive!, was followed by a tour in 2006, with Sulton singing lead on The Cars' hit "Drive".