Editing Tony Levin (section)

== Biography ==
=== Early life and education ===
Anthony Frederick Levin was born on June 6, 1946, in [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. He grew up in a [[Reform Jewish]] household in the suburb of [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Brinn |first=David |date=2016-09-21 |title=Sticky Fingers |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/sticky-fingers-468339 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |access-date=2024-02-11}} </ref> He began playing double bass at 10 years old, primarily studying classical music. In high school, he learned [[tuba]], soloing with the concert band, and also started a [[barbershop quartet]].

After high school, he attended the [[Eastman School of Music]] in [[Rochester, New York]] and played in the [[Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra]]. Also at Eastman, he studied with drummer [[Steve Gadd]]. He traded in his [[Ampeg]] electric upright "Baby Bass" for a [[Fender Precision Bass]]; in the early days his first bass amplifier was an [[Ampeg Portaflex]] B-15.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jisi |first1=Chris |title=The Ampeg B-15: From Inception To Resurrection |url=https://www.bassplayer.com/artists/the-ampeg-b-15-from-inception-to-resurrection |website=Bass Player |publisher=Future Publishing Limited |access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref> Levin's first recording was in 1968, when he and Gadd played on ''Diana in the Autumn Wind'', [[Gap Mangione]]'s first solo album.{{fact|date=May 2023}}

=== 1970s–1980s ===
In 1970, Levin moved to New York City, joining a band called Aha, the Attack of the Green Slime Beast, with [[Don Preston]] of [[The Mothers of Invention]]. Soon after, he began working as a session musician, and through the 1970s he played bass on many albums, including [[Buddy Rich]]'s big band jazz album, ''The Roar of '74'', and [[Paul Simon]]'s ''[[Still Crazy After All These Years]]'' in 1975.

In 1971, John McLaughlin asked Levin to join his new project, the Mahavishnu Orchestra: "My original choice for bass was Tony Levin. But he told me, 'Oh man, I just took a gig with Gary Burton.'"<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jazztimes.com/features/interviews/john-mclaughlin-discusses-mahavishnu-orchestra-liberation-time-and-more/ |title=John McLaughlin Discusses Mahavishnu Orchestra, Liberation Time, and More |website=[[JazzTimes]] |date=July 5, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-09}}</ref> From 1973 to 1975, Levin and Steve Gadd played in the band of veteran jazz flautist [[Herbie Mann]]. Two of Levin's early compositions (“Daffodil” and “Music Is a Game We Play”) were featured on the 1973 Mann album [[First Light (Family of Mann album)|''First Light'']].

In 1976, Levin helped create the lush textures on [[Andy Pratt (singer-songwriter)|Andy Pratt]]'s ''[[Resolution (Andy Pratt album)|Resolution]]'' album, which featured numerous notable musicians including [[Arif Mardin]], [[Andy Newmark]], [[Hugh McDonald (American musician)|Hugh McDonald]], [[Luther Vandross]], and Levin's frequent rhythm section partner Steve Gadd. [[Allmusic.com]] and ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine rated this album as one of the best singer/songwriter albums of the 1970s.

In 1977, Levin joined [[Peter Gabriel]]'s band. He had met Gabriel through producer [[Bob Ezrin]] with whom Levin had recorded [[Alice Cooper]]'s ''[[Welcome to My Nightmare]]'' and [[Lou Reed]]'s ''[[Berlin (Lou Reed album)|Berlin]]''. Levin has been Gabriel's bass player of choice ever since. On Gabriel's [[Peter Gabriel (1977 album)|first solo album]], Levin played tuba as well, and directed and sang with a barbershop quartet on "Excuse Me". With the exception of [[John Giblin]]'s fretless bass playing on ''[[Peter Gabriel III]]'', some additional work by [[Larry Klein]] on "[[In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel song)|In Your Eyes]]" & "Mercy Street", and [[Bill Laswell]] on "This is the Picture" (all three tracks from [[So (album)|''So'']]), Levin has been the bassist on all of Gabriel's studio sessions and on his many tours around the world. Gabriel nicknamed Levin the “Emperor of the Bottom End.”<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-07-02 |title=Tony Levin |url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-bassists-of-all-time-13565/tony-levin-13575/ |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=Rolling Stone Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref>

In his years with Gabriel, Levin developed two unique aspects of his playing: further advancement on the [[Chapman Stick]], which he would later utilize heavily in [[King Crimson]], and invented [[funk fingers]]. Essentially, these are short [[drum stick|drumsticks]] used to strike the bass strings, resulting in a very percussive effect. Levin credits Gabriel with the concept and his tech Andy Moore with actually making them workable.

In 1978, Levin moved to [[Woodstock, New York]], to join the band L'Image, which included his old friend [[Steve Gadd]] as well as [[Mike Mainieri]] and [[Warren Bernhardt]]. The band broke up after a year, though Levin decided to stay in the area: he currently resides in [[Kingston, New York]]. This Ill-fated group would reunite much later in Levin's career. On the first day of recording Peter Gabriel's first album in late 1976, Levin met both Peter Gabriel and King Crimson guitarist/composer [[Robert Fripp]] for the first time, and in 1978 he played on Fripp's solo album ''[[Exposure (Robert Fripp album)|Exposure]]''. This would lead Levin to become a member of the 1981–1984 incarnation of [[King Crimson]], along with Fripp, guitarist/vocalist [[Adrian Belew]], and drummer [[Bill Bruford]]. Levin recorded four studio albums as part of King Crimson:'' [[Discipline (King Crimson album)|Discipline]] ''(1981),'' [[Beat (King Crimson album)|Beat]]'' (1982), ''[[Three of a Perfect Pair]]'' (1984) and'' [[THRAK]]'' (1995), all critically acclaimed. 

In 1980, Levin participated in the sessions for [[John Lennon]] and [[Yoko Ono]]'s ''[[Double Fantasy]]'' album. In 1987, Levin played the bass and Chapman Stick parts on the [[Pink Floyd]] album ''[[A Momentary Lapse of Reason]]''. In 1988 Bruford asked Levin to be an "unofficial fifth member" in the [[Yes (band)|Yes]]-related supergroup [[Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe]], which consisted of all the members from the classic Yes lineup except bassist [[Chris Squire]], though Levin only performed as a session player on the group's [[Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (album)|eponymous]] album. Due to illness, he was unable to play on some of the final dates of the accompanying tour, being replaced by [[Jeff Berlin]]. Levin also played on the Yes album [[Union (Yes album)|''Union'']] in 1991.

In 1984 Levin released ''Road Photos'', a collection of black and white photos taken during his travels with King Crimson, Gabriel, Simon, and others. Another book of photos focusing on King Crimson's travels in the 1980s, ''The Crimson Chronicles volume 1'', was released in 2004. Levin has also written a book of career anecdotes and road stories called ''Beyond the Bass Clef''.

=== 1990s–2000s ===
[[File:Tony Levin in Caracas 1993.jpg|upright|thumb|Levin in 1993]]
Levin was part of [[King Crimson]] again from 1994 to 1997 as part of the "Double Trio" line-up of the band which consisted of Levin, [[Robert Fripp]], [[Adrian Belew]], [[Trey Gunn]], [[Pat Mastelotto]], and [[Bill Bruford]]. Levin also took part in two of experimental King Crimson sub-groups: [[ProjeKct One]] (1997) and [[ProjeKct Four]] (1998). Levin played bass on "Watcher of the Skies" from [[Steve Hackett]]'s ''[[Genesis Revisited]]'' album (1996). He was very busy in the late 1990s with his own groups [[Bruford Levin Upper Extremities]], [[Bozzio Levin Stevens]], and [[Liquid Tension Experiment]]. 

In 1998, Levin and Bruford formed Bruford Levin Upper Extremities with trumpeter [[Chris Botti]] and guitarist [[David Torn]]; they released one studio album in 1998 and a live double album in 2000. Torn, Levin, and Bruford had worked with trumpeter [[Mark Isham]] for Torn's album ''[[Cloud About Mercury]]''. Levin also continued recording albums with his own band, consisting of drummer/saxophonist/vocalist [[Jerry Marotta]], guitarist [[Jesse Gress]], synthesizer programmer/player [[Larry Fast]], and Levin's brother, keyboardist [[Pete Levin]]. He also regularly played (and occasionally recorded) with the [[California Guitar Trio]] when their schedules permitted.

In 1997, Levin teamed up with [[Mike Portnoy]] and [[John Petrucci]], members of [[Dream Theater]], as well as future [[Dream Theater]] keyboardist [[Jordan Rudess]], for a project called [[Liquid Tension Experiment]]. The combo released two albums, ''[[Liquid Tension Experiment (album)|Liquid Tension Experiment]]'' and ''[[Liquid Tension Experiment 2]]'' in 1998 and 1999 respectively, as well as playing short tours in 1998 and 2008. There have also been two CDs of material released under the name "Liquid Trio Experiment"; the first composed of studio jams from sessions without Petrucci (''Spontaneous Combustion''), released for the band's tenth anniversary, and a live recording from a 2008 Chicago show where Rudess's equipment failed and the other three covered for it with a nearly hour-long improvisation (''When the Keyboard Breaks''). During the COVID-19 global pandemic, the group reconvened and recorded ''[[Liquid Tension Experiment 3]]''.

At the end of 2003 Trey Gunn left King Crimson and Levin rejoined as the bassist, although the band was only active for a handful of rehearsals at that time. In 2006, Levin released [[Resonator (Tony Levin album)|''Resonator'']], The first album to feature Levin as a lyricist and lead vocalist. 2007 saw the release of [[Stick Man (album)|''Stick Man'']], an album of pieces recorded on the [[Chapman Stick]]. In 2008, Levin joined King Crimson's 40th Anniversary Tour, in a lineup including Fripp, Belew, Mastelotto, and Harrison. He holds the record as King Crimson’s longest-serving bassist overall.<ref name=":0" />

In 2009 Levin reunited with his band from 1978, L'Image, featuring [[Mike Mainieri]], [[Warren Bernhardt]], [[David Spinozza]], and [[Steve Gadd]]. The group performed at the [[Iridium Jazz Club]] in New York City, toured Japan, and released the album ''L'Image 2.0''. In 2010 Levin toured with [[HoBoLeMa]], a group consisting of [[Allan Holdsworth]] on guitar, [[Terry Bozzio]] on drums, Levin on bass, and [[Pat Mastelotto]] on drums. All their shows were completely improvised with no written music.

[[File:Tony Levin Band.jpg|thumb|[[Stick Men (prog band)|Stick Men]] in [[Misinto]], Italy, 2010]]
Building upon the ''Stick Man'' album, Levin joined up with Michael Bernier and Pat Mastelotto to form the group [[Stick Men (prog band)|Stick Men]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pat Mastelotto 2013 interview on Outsight Radio Hours |url=https://archive.org/details/MastelottoPatOutsight |work=Archive.org |access-date=May 5, 2013}}</ref> The band released its first album ''Soup'' in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tonylevin.com |title=Tonylevin.Com |website=Tonylevin.com |access-date=2011-07-16}}</ref> Bernier left the group shortly after the release of ''Soup'' and was replaced by touch guitarist [[Markus Reuter]]. This lineup has continued with a busy touring and recording schedule, with their most recent recording ''Tentacles'' released in 2022.

Levin's brother, [[Pete Levin]], is a New York keyboardist and writer who is known for his work with [[Gil Evans]]. In the 1970s, Tony and Pete collaborated with Steve Gadd in the comedy band The Clams. Levin has stated that some of the Clams' material may eventually be released. Levin also played on Jean-Pierre Ferland's [[Jaune (album)|''Jaune'']] album, which included hits "Le petit roi" and "Le chat du café des artistes".

On September 24, 2013, Levin was officially announced as a member of the eighth incarnation of [[King Crimson]], alongside band founder [[Robert Fripp]], guitarist [[Jakko Jakszyk]], the returning [[Mel Collins]] on saxophone, drummers Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison, and new member [[Bill Rieflin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm?entry=4335 |title=News |date=September 24, 2013 |website=Dgmlive.com |access-date=2014-07-16}}</ref> The group toured the United States in the autumn of 2014 and continued to tour throughout the world until 2021, including 2019 when [[King Crimson]] celebrated its 50th anniversary. 

In 2024, Levin and former King Crimson member [[Adrian Belew]] announced the creation of the supergroup Beat, which includes guitarist [[Steve Vai]] and drummer [[Danny Carey]]. With the approval of [[Robert Fripp]], this group performs material from the early 1980s incarnation of King Crimson.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steve Vai Explains Why He Won't Go Back to 'Rock Star Days,' Reveals What Surprised Him About Robert Fripp's Guitar Parts |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve_vai_explains_why_he_wont_go_back_to_rock_star_days_reveals_what_surprised_him_about_robert_fripps_guitar_parts.html |access-date=Aug 8, 2024}}</ref> In September 2024, Levin released the solo album ''Bringing It Down to the Bass'', featuring guest appearances with many of his former bandmates and collaborators.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-09-12 |title=Interview: Tony Levin on his latest solo album and the BEAT Tour with Belew, Vai & Carey |url=https://progreport.com/interview-tony-levin/ |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=The Prog Report |language=en-US}}</ref>