Kasim Sulton – Bass
Kasim Sulton (born December 8, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980’s “Set Me Free”, Utopia’s only top 40 hit in the United States. 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.
Sulton attended and graduated in 1973 from Susan E. Wagner High School in Staten Island, New York. He married his high school sweetheart, Laurie Rampulla, and had three children with her. She died of cancer in 2011.[3][4]
Sulton started his musical career playing piano and vocals for Cherry Vanilla and guitar for Brooklyn-based band Sleepy Hollow before gaining a place in Utopia in 1976. During his time with Utopia, they recorded nine albums and toured extensively until disbanding in 1986, with occasional reunions to the present.
He has toured with Blue Öyster Cult, Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates, Cheap Trick, Patty Smyth, Akiko Yano and Richie Sambora, among many other artists. As a studio musician, he has played on albums by Patti Smith, 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 album of cover songs called The Hit List (1990).
Sulton was the bassist and sang background vocals on the breakout Meat Loaf album Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, joining his backing band, Neverland Express, touring for three years on the Everything Louder Tour.
This Blue Öyster Cult track, E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) featured originally on the band’s album, ‘Agents Of Fortune’ but the version I have transcribed is a live recording that can be found on YouTube. I heard it on the live album ‘Some Enchanted Evening. These versions are all pretty similar but that great lick in the versus is the main feature of the track.