Corey Stevens biography

Born in the small town of Centralia, Illinois, Corey Stevens grew up diligently honing his guitar playing and soaking up Middle America. "Growing up in a small town, I really liked it. All my friends complained of how boring it was, but, hey, it was where I was, and I made the most of it."
Stevens still remembers the moment when his life changed forever. In the early '70s, at a music festival, the announcer brought on Ike and Tina Turner. Ike and the band started playing some cookin' music without Tina, and then the stage was completely covered in smoke. Suddenly, Tina and her back-up singers appeared dancing out of the smoke! I said to myself, "This is what I want to do for a living. It was truly an epiphany! "

From that day on, Stevens ignored the odds and pursued the dream. He knew he had a long road, but he believed in a transformation that only time could unveil. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in college with music as his major and began an intense four-year study of classical guitar. Stevens remembers, "I learned discipline and practiced many hours a day."

Southern California would become Stevens's permanent home in 1980 where he played in original bands and grew restless being a sideman. He worked on songwriting and played in a few cover bands for fun. In the midst of hatching his career Stevens was looking for a job to back his passion. Soon, he became a third grade teacher. He says, "but I also practiced guitar, wrote songs and played gigs on weekends. I was still a musician at heart." His career plan began to materialize in the late 1980's when his songwriting started to flourish. Living in a one-bedroom apartment, he set up a four-track studio in a closet and began to sharpen his craft. He wrote "Blue Drops of Rain" and "Lessons of Love" and started getting interest from record companies while juggling the teaching. He used his salary to pay for rehearsal halls, demos and bankrolled an album that would become a classic- "Blue Drops of Rain". When he got signed by an independent label, he said goodbye to teaching. In 1996, he toured seven months and made a video for the song that climbed the radio charts.

In 1997, Stevens recorded his second album that yielded a top-ten radio hit and video, "One More Time." By the end of 1998, Stevens had been on the road for two years, including a tour with Paul Rodgers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ZZ Top. In 2002, Stevens reacquired ownership of his first three albums and his publishing in a settlement. Stevens then released a DVD of a live concert shot in 1997 entitled "Road to Zen Tour" and then released his fourth album, "Bring On The Blues," on the label Fuel 2000. The album combined the contemporary blues concept of his first album with the classic rock of his "Road to Zen" that showcased an affirmation of Stevens' original style and strong songwriting skills. In early 2005, Stevens returned to the studio for a solo album that was a departure from the electric blues-rock template he had followed for ten years. "Alone At Last".

In 2006, the idea came to him to make an album of Albert King covers; an idea which had sat on the back burner for a few years and moved to the forefront thanks to a new record deal with Ruf Records. President Thomas Ruf approached Stevens about a new record saying he really liked the songs, "Crosscut Saw" and "I'll Play the Blues For You" from Stevens' first record, "Blue Drops of Rain". Stevens had already decided to make his next record a collection of Albert King covers and had a name, "Albertville."

That sums up Stevens, the guy who moves forward primarily by self-motivation. He does what he does
because he has something to say and doesn't question why - just how and when. Stevens is currently
working on a book about his music called "All Access Pass", his new album "Albertville" will release on
February 20, 2007, and soon he will film a live performance DVD for release later in the year.