Famed for his collaborations with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, bass virtuoso Tony Levin entered the world in Boston on June 6, 1946. He took up the upright bass at age ten, performed on tuba with his high-school marching band, started a barbershop quartet of his own, and, as part of a local youth orchestra, played at the White House during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. Following studies at the Eastman School of Music, he performed with the Rochester Philharmonic before gradually shifting from classical repertoire toward rock and jazz; in 1970 he moved to New York City and became a member of Aha!, the band led by former Mothers of Invention keyboardist Don Preston.
A prolific session career ensued, marked by distinctive contributions to landmark albums such as Lou Reed’s Berlin, the self-titled debut from Kate & Anna McGarrigle, and Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These Years. After appearing on Peter Gabriel’s self-titled 1977 debut, Levin joined the former Genesis singer’s touring ensemble, where he refined his command of the Chapman Stick—an unusual ten-string instrument played by tapping rather than plucking, enabling simultaneous execution of multiple lines with both hands.
Levin established residence in Woodstock, New York, in 1978 and performed briefly with L’Image; the following year he contributed to Robert Fripp’s solo album Exposure and soon accepted an invitation to join a reconstituted lineup of the pioneering progressive-rock ensemble King Crimson, remaining with the group for more than twenty years. Material gathered during those tours later appeared in his 1984 photography book Road Photos. While working on Gabriel’s 1986 platinum-certified release So, he invented Funk Fingers—shortened drumsticks used to strike the bass strings—and subsequently offered the devices for sale through his Papa Bear Records imprint.
Additional recording work included sessions with Robbie Robertson on the artist’s 1987 self-titled solo debut, Laurie Anderson on 1989’s Strange Angels, and Yes on 1991’s Union. Levin issued his first solo album, World Diary, in 1996. The following year he released From the Caves of the Iron Mountain, recorded with bamboo-flute specialist Steve Gorn and drummer Jerry Marotta. In 1998 he formed Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (B.L.U.E.) alongside longtime King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, guitarist David Torn, and trumpeter Chris Botti.
Waters of Eden, his debut for the Narada label, appeared in spring 2000. Pieces of the Sun followed in 2001, with an expanded edition issued the next year on Pony Canyon; many of the same tracks also surfaced on Double Espresso in 2002. Prime Cuts, a 2005 compilation drawn from Magna Carta sessions he had recorded with various artists during the 1990s, preceded the 2006 solo album Resonator, on which Levin made his initial appearance as both singer and songwriter.
