Kasim Sulton
is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist, and singer. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free", Utopia's only top 40 hit in the US. As a solo artist, Sulton hit the Canadian top 40 in 1982 with "Don't Break My Heart".
Sulton has been a frequent collaborator, bassist and singer on many of Todd Rundgren's projects and solo tours.
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KASIM SULTON TICKETS
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Biography
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 & 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
(1988) 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
Bat out of Hell: 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".
Sulton lives in
Staten Island, New York.
Discography
- Kasim
(1982)
- The Bassment Tapes
(1993)
- Quid Pro Quo
(2002)
- All Sides
(2007)
DVD
- Kasim Sulton - Live in Atlanta
(2008)