Biography
Tommy Stinson represents the archetype of a career rock musician, having first taken up his instrument in early adolescence before advancing from small club stages to major arenas and later circling back to intimate venues. His path opened with the Replacements, the Minneapolis rock outfit launched by his brother Bob before Paul Westerberg assumed creative control. Under Westerberg the group emerged as a cornerstone of the 1980s American underground, although widespread commercial success never materialized. Stinson next anchored a long-term role as bassist beginning in 1998, serving as Axl Rose’s right-hand man in Guns N’ Roses through 2014. In the intervals between these positions he led Bash & Pop and Perfect while also contributing to Soul Asylum. He released occasional solo albums, projects that were interrupted by new initiatives such as Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire, the duo he formed with Chip Roberts that issued the country-tinged Wronger in 2023.
Born in Minneapolis, Stinson took up the bass shortly after entering his teenage years because his guitarist brother Bob and drummer Chris Mars needed a bass player. Performing initially as Dogbreath, the three rehearsed at the Stinson residence until vocalist/guitarist Paul Westerberg was invited by Mars to join. Westerberg integrated himself into the lineup and redirected its sound from classic rock toward punk. Renamed the Impediments, the band played local shows before adopting the Replacements moniker after being barred from a church hall performance.
A home-recorded Replacements demo reached Peter Jesperson, proprietor of the Minneapolis record store Oar Folkjokeopus and founder of Twin/Tone Records. Jesperson signed the group immediately and became their manager. Westerberg rapidly composed the material for the 1981 debut Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, which was followed by the Stink EP in 1982. The April 1983 release of Hootenanny expanded the Replacements’ national audience, prompting Stinson to leave high school and tour full-time.
Let It Be, issued in 1984, elevated the Replacements alongside fellow Minneapolis acts Hüsker Dü and R.E.M. within the upper tier of American college rock. The band subsequently departed Twin/Tone for Sire Records. Further shifts occurred after recording the major-label debut Tim, when Bob Stinson was dismissed and Jesperson’s involvement ended. As a trio the Replacements cut 1987’s Pleased to Meet Me with producer Jim Dickinson, then added Slim Dunlap on lead guitar and pursued mainstream success with the 1989 album Don’t Tell a Soul. Although “I’ll Be You” reached number one on the Modern and Mainstream Rock charts, neither that single nor the supporting tour with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers propelled the band into broad commercial acceptance. Westerberg adapted his planned solo debut into the final Replacements album, All Shook Down, released in September 1990.
Following the Replacements’ dissolution after their 1991 Taste of Chicago Festival appearance, Tommy Stinson recorded largely alone, bringing in Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell for select contributions. The resulting Friday Night Is Killing Me appeared in 1993 under the Bash & Pop name; Stinson then assembled a band that included former Replacements drummer Steve Foley, Foley’s bassist brother Kevin, and guitarist Steve Brantseg. Bash & Pop endured roughly a year before Stinson formed Perfect with guitarist Marc Solomon, bassist Robert Cooper, and drummer Gersh. The group signed with Medium Cool Records, the new imprint established by Jesperson, and released the When Squirrels Play Chicken EP in 1996 before tracking a full-length album with Jim Dickinson in 1997. When Medium Cool’s distributor was acquired by a larger label, the album remained unreleased and the band dissolved in 1998.
Around the time of Perfect’s breakup, Guns N’ Roses recruited Stinson to replace Duff McKagan on bass. He accepted and spent approximately sixteen years as Axl Rose’s bandleader, guiding the group through the extended process of assembling a new lineup and completing Axl’s long-gestating Chinese Democracy. Stinson’s first recorded appearance with Guns N’ Roses came on “Oh My God,” the track contributed to the 1999 Arnold Schwarzenegger film End of Days; nearly a decade passed before another new song emerged. Throughout that interval the band continued work on Chinese Democracy and resumed touring in 2006, although the album did not reach stores until November 2008.
During this extended period Stinson advanced other projects. He completed the material that became his solo debut Village Gorilla Head, released in 2004, the same year Rykodisc issued Perfect’s previously shelved 1997 album as Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe. In 2005 he rejoined the Replacements briefly to record two new songs for the 2006 compilation Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? He further collaborated with Westerberg on tracks for the singer’s contributions to the 2006 animated film Open Season. Stinson then joined Soul Asylum, the Minneapolis college-rock veterans. After founding member Karl Mueller succumbed to cancer in June 2005, Stinson assumed his position and helped finish The Silver Lining, released in 2006. Over the ensuing seven years he remained with the band, appearing on the 2012 album Delayed Reaction and touring when his schedule permitted.
One Man Mutiny, Stinson’s second solo album, arrived in August 2011 and was supported by a tour. The following year the Replacements reconvened to record Songs for Slim, an EP of new material benefiting ailing guitarist Slim Dunlap. The release unexpectedly led to a short-lived reunion: Stinson and Westerberg enlisted drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Dave Minehan for three Riot Fest appearances in 2013, after which the lineup toured through 2015 before disbanding once more. By then Stinson had already exited Guns N’ Roses, departing in 2014 and thereby clearing the path for Rose’s 2016 reunion with Duff McKagan and Slash.
Stinson’s next set of original songs surfaced as Anything Could Happen, the 2017 album credited to a revived Bash & Pop. The project toured throughout 2017. Shortly afterward he concentrated on Cowboys in the Campfire, the roots-oriented duo he formed with longtime friend Chip Roberts. Over subsequent years the pair performed and recorded intermittently, eventually compiling enough material for the 2023 release Wronger.
Born in Minneapolis, Stinson took up the bass shortly after entering his teenage years because his guitarist brother Bob and drummer Chris Mars needed a bass player. Performing initially as Dogbreath, the three rehearsed at the Stinson residence until vocalist/guitarist Paul Westerberg was invited by Mars to join. Westerberg integrated himself into the lineup and redirected its sound from classic rock toward punk. Renamed the Impediments, the band played local shows before adopting the Replacements moniker after being barred from a church hall performance.
A home-recorded Replacements demo reached Peter Jesperson, proprietor of the Minneapolis record store Oar Folkjokeopus and founder of Twin/Tone Records. Jesperson signed the group immediately and became their manager. Westerberg rapidly composed the material for the 1981 debut Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, which was followed by the Stink EP in 1982. The April 1983 release of Hootenanny expanded the Replacements’ national audience, prompting Stinson to leave high school and tour full-time.
Let It Be, issued in 1984, elevated the Replacements alongside fellow Minneapolis acts Hüsker Dü and R.E.M. within the upper tier of American college rock. The band subsequently departed Twin/Tone for Sire Records. Further shifts occurred after recording the major-label debut Tim, when Bob Stinson was dismissed and Jesperson’s involvement ended. As a trio the Replacements cut 1987’s Pleased to Meet Me with producer Jim Dickinson, then added Slim Dunlap on lead guitar and pursued mainstream success with the 1989 album Don’t Tell a Soul. Although “I’ll Be You” reached number one on the Modern and Mainstream Rock charts, neither that single nor the supporting tour with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers propelled the band into broad commercial acceptance. Westerberg adapted his planned solo debut into the final Replacements album, All Shook Down, released in September 1990.
Following the Replacements’ dissolution after their 1991 Taste of Chicago Festival appearance, Tommy Stinson recorded largely alone, bringing in Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell for select contributions. The resulting Friday Night Is Killing Me appeared in 1993 under the Bash & Pop name; Stinson then assembled a band that included former Replacements drummer Steve Foley, Foley’s bassist brother Kevin, and guitarist Steve Brantseg. Bash & Pop endured roughly a year before Stinson formed Perfect with guitarist Marc Solomon, bassist Robert Cooper, and drummer Gersh. The group signed with Medium Cool Records, the new imprint established by Jesperson, and released the When Squirrels Play Chicken EP in 1996 before tracking a full-length album with Jim Dickinson in 1997. When Medium Cool’s distributor was acquired by a larger label, the album remained unreleased and the band dissolved in 1998.
Around the time of Perfect’s breakup, Guns N’ Roses recruited Stinson to replace Duff McKagan on bass. He accepted and spent approximately sixteen years as Axl Rose’s bandleader, guiding the group through the extended process of assembling a new lineup and completing Axl’s long-gestating Chinese Democracy. Stinson’s first recorded appearance with Guns N’ Roses came on “Oh My God,” the track contributed to the 1999 Arnold Schwarzenegger film End of Days; nearly a decade passed before another new song emerged. Throughout that interval the band continued work on Chinese Democracy and resumed touring in 2006, although the album did not reach stores until November 2008.
During this extended period Stinson advanced other projects. He completed the material that became his solo debut Village Gorilla Head, released in 2004, the same year Rykodisc issued Perfect’s previously shelved 1997 album as Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe. In 2005 he rejoined the Replacements briefly to record two new songs for the 2006 compilation Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? He further collaborated with Westerberg on tracks for the singer’s contributions to the 2006 animated film Open Season. Stinson then joined Soul Asylum, the Minneapolis college-rock veterans. After founding member Karl Mueller succumbed to cancer in June 2005, Stinson assumed his position and helped finish The Silver Lining, released in 2006. Over the ensuing seven years he remained with the band, appearing on the 2012 album Delayed Reaction and touring when his schedule permitted.
One Man Mutiny, Stinson’s second solo album, arrived in August 2011 and was supported by a tour. The following year the Replacements reconvened to record Songs for Slim, an EP of new material benefiting ailing guitarist Slim Dunlap. The release unexpectedly led to a short-lived reunion: Stinson and Westerberg enlisted drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Dave Minehan for three Riot Fest appearances in 2013, after which the lineup toured through 2015 before disbanding once more. By then Stinson had already exited Guns N’ Roses, departing in 2014 and thereby clearing the path for Rose’s 2016 reunion with Duff McKagan and Slash.
Stinson’s next set of original songs surfaced as Anything Could Happen, the 2017 album credited to a revived Bash & Pop. The project toured throughout 2017. Shortly afterward he concentrated on Cowboys in the Campfire, the roots-oriented duo he formed with longtime friend Chip Roberts. Over subsequent years the pair performed and recorded intermittently, eventually compiling enough material for the 2023 release Wronger.
Albums
