Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens (left) and Billy Idol (right)
Born	May 5, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York
Genre(s)	Rock
Affiliation(s)	Billy Idol
Years active	1980 -present
Official site	Official website

Steve Stevens (born as Steve Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter. Image File history File links Idolandstevens. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rock and roll. ... Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad, 30 November 1955 in Middlesex) is an English rock musician. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (126th in leap years). ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brooklyn (named for the Dutch city Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ... NY redirects here. ...

He is best known for playing for other artists (most notably Billy Idol and Vince Neil) and less known, but critically acclaimed for his solo efforts (Atomic Playboys), collaborations (Bozzio Levin Stevens, a.k.a. Black Light Syndrome), as an in-demand session guitarist, and guitar instructor. Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad, 30 November 1955 in Middlesex) is an English rock musician. ... Vince Neil (born Vincent Neil Wharton, February 8, 1961 in Hollywood, California) is the lead singer for American glam metal band Mötley Crüe. ... Atomic Playboys is the first album released by guitar virtuoso and songwriter Steve Stevens, best known for playing for Billy Idol for several years. ... Bozzio Levin Stevens is a prog-rock supergroup featuring (not surprisingly) Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin, and Steve Stevens. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Musical Career

Steve Stevens attended New York City's prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts as a music major, studying the guitar, and graduating in 1977. His hit-making collaboration with Billy Idol began when Idol moved from the UK to the USA, shortly after the latter's band Generation X disbanded. Stevens co-wrote and played on the albums Don't Stop EP, Billy Idol (1982), Rebel Yell (1984), Whiplash Smile (1986), and the remix collection Vital Idol (1985). Musical differences during the Whiplash Smile sessions led to the pair's parting of ways (namely, Steve's jazz-laden guitar work on the cut "Man For All Seasons"). Following his departure from Billy Idol's band, Stevens pursued a solo career, releasing his first album Atomic Playboys in 1989 and receiving good comments from the critics and a moderate commercial response. Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is located near the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue between 65th Street and 64th Street. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Generation X was a punk rock band that was formed in 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe. ... Billy Idol is the full-length solo debut by the singer of the same name. ... Rebel Yell is the second album by British rocker Billy Idol, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... Whiplash Smile is Billy Idols second full-length album. ... Atomic Playboys is the first album released by guitar virtuoso and songwriter Steve Stevens, best known for playing for Billy Idol for several years. ...

In 1992, Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil was put into the studio to record a single for a Pauly Shore vehicle entitled "Encino Man" called "You're Invited But Your Friend Can't Come" with Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees fame. To help record the song, Vince put together a solo band, bringing Stevens in to handle shredding duties. The following year, a $4 million deal was closed for Neil at Warner Bros.(at which Warner Bros. CEO Mo Ostin said, "We should take Vince and that other rock kid we've got...David Lee Roth and put them in a band together." His son Michael replied, "But Dad, they're both singers."). Stevens was brought back into the fold to help record a debut album at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. The album, Exposed, was released on April 27, 1993. It debuted at #13 on the charts, although it soon began a downward spiral. It had notable quasi-successful singles with the songs "Sister of Pain", "Can't Have Your Cake", and the aforementioned "You're Invited But Your Friend Can't Come". The album was moderately successful, a glittering hunk of Mötley Crüe-styled rock landing right in the middle of 1993 alternative city. It sold somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 copies. Afterward, the band, including Stevens, toured opening for Van Halen in 1993, and then embarked on a '93-'94 club tour. Upon completion of the tour, Stevens left the band. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Mötley Crüe (IPA pronunciation: ) is a popular American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. ... Paul Montgomery Shore a. ... For the Moves song of the same name, see California Man (song). ... Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the classic rock band Styx. ... Jack Blades, American bass playing musician, has worked in Rubicon, as bassist and one of the lead vocalists for Night Ranger, and also as a founding member of Damn Yankees along with Tommy Shaw and Ted Nugent as well as drummer Michael Cartellone. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Damn Yankees was an American rock supergroup, formed in 1989, consisting of Jack Blades (Night Ranger), Tommy Shaw (Styx), Ted Nugent and drummer Michael Cartellone. ... Warner Bros. ... Warner Bros. ... Mo Ostin is a famous record executive, who has worked for several companies, including Verve, Reprise, Warner Brothers, and DreamWorks. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Record Plant Studios (also known as just The Record Plant) is a famous recording studio, first opening in New York City at 321 West 44th Street map, in 1968. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Stevens recorded his second solo album, Flamenco A Go-Go, in his home studio entirely by himself. This effort stemmed from the inspiration he received after attending a concert by Flamenco virtuoso Paco de Lucía. Flamenco A Go-Go is the second album released by guitar virtuoso and songwriter Steve Stevens, best known for playing for Billy Idol for several years. ... Bailaora (dancer) of Flamenco Belén Maya, photograph taken by Gilles Larrain at his studio, 2001 Flamenco is one of the great European nonacademic musical genres. ... Paco De Lucia on the cover of El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucia (1972). ...

Stevens (along with Harold Faltermeyer) won a Grammy in 1987 for his performance on the Top Gun soundtrack and has worked with a host of other artists such as Michael Jackson, Michael Monroe, Thompson Twins, Joni Mitchell, Peter Criss, Steve Lukather, Ric Ocasek, Ben Watkins of Juno Reactor, Greg Bissonette, P!nk, Robert Palmer, Jizzy Pearl, Terry Bozzio and Tony Levin (releasing two albums under the name Bozzio Levin Stevens). Harold Faltermeyer (born October 5, 1952 in Munich) is a German musician and moreover composer. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... Top Gun Anthem is a rock song with that has no vocals but instead is played on just guitar. ... The Top Gun soundtrack is one of the most popular soundtracks to date, some say that it captured the heart of the 1980s with its music. ... // In film formats, the sound track is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound. ... For other persons named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ... Michael Monroe (Matti Fagerholm, born on June 17, 1962 in Helsinki -) is a Finnish rock musician. ... The Thompson Twins were an English New Wave/pop band normally associated with the 1980s. ... Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943) is a noted Canadian musician, songwriter, and painter. ... Peter George John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945) a. ... Steve Luke Lukather (born Steven Lee Lukather on October 21, 1957 in San Fernando Valley, California) is a session musician, songwriter, arranger, producer and guitar player, best known for his work with pop/prog-rock band Toto. ... Ric Ocasek (born Richard Otcasek on March 23, 1949, in Baltimore, Maryland) is the former vocalist and frontman for The Cars and a producer for several other groups, including Bad Brains and Suicide. ... Ben Watkins Ben Watkins is a British electronic music artist and producer, best known as being the principle member of the band Juno Reactor. ... Ben Watkins Juno Reactor are known for the Cinematic- Psychedelic- fusion of the electronic and global music, the Matrix score and other film works. ... Greg Bissonette, born on June 9th, 1959, in Detroit Michogan, is an American drummer. ... Alecia Moore (born September 8, 1979), better known by her stage name Pink (also written as P!nk), is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter who first gained prominence in North America in early January of 2000. ... The Riptide album was Palmers best selling work. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950, San Francisco, California) is an American drummer. ... For the jazz drummer, see Tony Levin (drummer) . Tony Levin (born June 6, 1946, Boston, Massachusetts) is an influential American bass player. ... Bozzio Levin Stevens is a prog-rock supergroup featuring (not surprisingly) Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin, and Steve Stevens. ...

After an extended hiatus, Stevens and Idol reunited in 1999 for a series of tours across the USA and Australia. This era included a recording captured for the VH1 show Storytellers, which was subsequently released on CD and DVD. Stevens also appeared in the Billy Idol episode of VH1's Behind The Music. VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division... VH1 Storytellers is a television series produced by the VH-1 network. ... Behind the Music is a television series on VH1 that ran from 1997 to 2003, and continues to air sporadically with new episodes. ...

Such was the success of this renewed collaboration, in 2005, along with producer Keith Forsey, the duo released Billy Idol's Devil's Playground album. This was the first album to feature the trio since 1986's Whiplash Smile. Also touring with Idol was keyboardist Derek Sherinian - Stevens played and co-wrote three songs on Sherinian's 2004 solo album "Mythology". Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad, 30 November 1955 in Middlesex) is an English rock musician. ... Devils Playground, released March 22, 2005 (see 2005 in music) is the sixth full-length studio album by Billy Idol and features his first newly-recorded material in over a decade. ... Whiplash Smile is Billy Idols second full-length album. ... Derek Sherinian is a ‎rock and fusion keyboardist based in Los Angeles, California. ... Mythology is the fourth solo album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian. ...

Stevens has an additional following in Japan tied to his appearances with Japanese rock singer Kyosuke Himuro, who is Stevens' junior by one year. Stevens was first involved with Himuro's big hit single "Native Stranger" in 1996, and appeared in this song's music video. Stevens participated in Himuro's album "I・DE・A" in 1997 as a guitarist, songwriter and arranger. After this the relationship of mutual trust between Stevens and Himuro deepened, and Himuro's music gradually became more like Western hard rock. Stevens has toured with Himuro, and many of his fans hope that Stevens will work again with Himuro. Kyosuke Himuro (氷室京介 Himuro Kyōsuke, born on October 7, 1960 in Takasaki, Gunma, real name Osamu Teranishi (寺西 ä¿® Teranishi Osamu), is a Japanese singer. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks distributed to the public. ... A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... In music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Trivia

Steve Stevens was also briefly mentioned on the popular Japanese television show Iron Chef in episode IC1A25, "Sardine Battle." He was described as a guitarist from Los Angeles by the commentators when they were informed that they had a "special guest" in the audience. Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai With the above words begins each edition of Iron Chef, a Japanese television program produced by FujiTV. The original Japanese title is Ironmen of Cooking ). It began airing on October 10, 1993 as a half-hour show and after 23 episodes, it was expanded to a...

Steve Stevens song Power Of Suggestion, track #2 on Atomic Playboys was used for the intro sequence during the rolling of cast and credits of 1994's Ace Ventura Pet Detective.

Albums

Solo

• The Guitar World According To Steve Stevens (1986 cassette from the music magazine Guitar World)
  
• Atomic Playboys (1989)
  
• Akai Guitar Sample Collection (1994)
  
• Flamenco A Go-Go (1999)
  

With Billy Idol Flamenco A Go-Go is the second album released by guitar virtuoso and songwriter Steve Stevens, best known for playing for Billy Idol for several years. ...

• Billy Idol(1982)
  
• Rebel Yell (1983)
  
• Whiplash Smile (1986)
  
• Vital Idol (1987)
  
• 11 Of The Best (1988)
  
• VH1's Storytellers: Billy Idol(2001)
  
• Behind The Music (2002)
  
• Devil's Playground (2005)
  

As Bozzio Levin Stevens Billy Idol is the full-length solo debut by the singer of the same name. ... Rebel Yell is the second album by British rocker Billy Idol, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... Whiplash Smile is Billy Idols second full-length album. ... Vital Idol is a compilation of remixed singles from Billy Idols first two albums. ... Devils Playground, released March 22, 2005 (see 2005 in music) is the sixth full-length studio album by Billy Idol and features his first newly-recorded material in over a decade. ... Bozzio Levin Stevens is a prog-rock supergroup featuring (not surprisingly) Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin, and Steve Stevens. ...

• Black Light Syndrome(1997)
  
• Situation Dangerous (2000)
  

This does not cite its references or sources. ... Situation Dangerous is the second studio album by Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin, and Steve Stevens released under the band name Bozzio, Levin, Stevens. ...

Singles

• Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - Top Gun Anthem (1986)
  
• Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana (1987)
  
• Steve Stevens Atomic Playboys - atomic playboys (1989)
  
• Billy Idol - speed (1994)
  
• Juno Reactor - pistolero (1999)
  
• Juno Reactor - hotaka (2002)
  
• Billy Idol - scream (2005)

Top Gun Anthem is a rock song with that has no vocals but instead is played on just guitar. ... Dirty Diana is a hit song by singer Michael Jackson. ... Pistolero is a song realeased by electronica band Juno Reactor, and recorded on their fifth album Shango. ...

Other Recordings

• Peter Criss- let me rock you (1982)
• Ric Ocasek - this side of paradise (1986)
  
• Thompson Twins - here's to future days (1987)
  
• The System - don't disturb this groove (1987)
  
• Joni Mitchell - chalk mark in a rain storm (1988)
  
• Adam Bomb - new york times (aufgenommen 1989/90, released 2001)
  
• Robert Palmer - don't explain (1990)
  
• McQueen Street - mcqueen street (1991)
  
• Jerusalem Slim - jerusalem slim (1992)
  
• Vince Neil - exposed (1993)
  
• Scooter - our happy hardcore / rough & tough & dangerous singles (1994)
  
• Steve Lukather - lukather (1996)
  
• Angelica - angelica (1997)
  
• Vas - offerings (1998)
  
• Nicky Gebhard & Gee Fresh - no cry, just music (1998)
  
• Kyosuke Himuro - beat haze odyssey (1998)
  
• The Outpatience - anxious disease (1999)
  
• Gregg Bissonette - submarine (2000)
  
• Andy - and my heart (2000)
  
• Chris Squire & Billy Sherwood - conspiracy (2000)
  
• Juno Reactor - shango (2000)
  
• Simon Shaheen - blue flame (2001)
  
• New Morty Show - mortyfied! (2001)
  
• Faudel - samra (2001)
  
• Jizzy Pearl - just a boy (2004)
  
• "Mythology"
  
• Queen V - queen v (2005)
  
• guitar's practising musicians volume 2: Funkcaution (1991)
  
• crossfire a tribute to Stevie Ray: Cold Shot(1996)
  
• twang / a tribute to Hank and The Shadows: The Savage (1996)
  
• sounds of wood and steel vol. 1: Sadhana (1998)
  
• merry axemas vol. 2 / more guitars for Christmas: Do You Hear What I Hear (1998)
  
• the christmas that almost wasn't: Evilard (The Song) + Evilard Reprise (2001)
  
• stone cold queen / a tribute to queen: Stone Cold Crazy (2001)
  
• world cup broadcast / fuji television soccer legends (Japan) (2006)
  

Mythology is the fourth solo album by keyboardist Derek Sherinian. ...

External links

• Official Steve Stevens website
• Free Steve Stevens lessons (endorsed by Steve)
• 2005 Steve Stevens Interview interview on YouTube
• Podcast, with Billy Morrison 2006 (audio)

Additional interviews

• Ram 1997 (text)
  
• Gitarre & Bass 1998 (text)
  
• Guitar9 2001 (text)
  
• Geocities 2001 (text)
  
• Tinfoil 2002 (text)
  
• Mad Pod 2005 (audio)
  
• Undercover (video)
  
• Interview with Steve
• Steve on "Devil's Playground"
• Pure Rock Shop (text)
  
• Musicians Hotline (text)
  

Guitar Lessons

• Skinny Devil - guitar lessons by David M. McLean
  
• guitar lessons by Steve Stevens (video)