Kasim is at the top of the call sheet whenever established rock artists need an anchor who can both hold down the low end and harmonize alongside the best vocalists in the business, whether it be on the live stage or in the recording studio. (Sulton is also a top- shelf bandleader and songwriter in his own right, having graced the Top 40 a few times himself.) Indeed, Sulton has played with a veritable who’s who of rock royalty who continue to be broadcast all across this country’s programming dial day in and day out. In addition to having been Todd Rundgren’s go-to righthand bass player in Utopia and his various solo projects for over 45 years and counting, Sulton has been a valued band member for artists like Meat Loaf (for whom he also served as music director for 10 years), Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Hall & Oates, Cheap Trick, Patty Smyth, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, and Blue Öyster Cult, to name but a few.
“Kasim is fantastic,” observes Don Felder, who enlisted Sulton’s bass and vocals skills in 2017. “As a matter of fact, when I saw him playing with Todd Rundgren on one of the Rock Legends Cruises, I went, ‘Man, that’s a killer bass player! And he sings really well too.’ When he went on tour with me, he just played and sang everything perfectly. We were definitely hearing some cool things we hadn’t heard before when Kasim was in my band.”
Adds Tommy Shaw, the stalwart Styx guitarist/vocalist who’s known Sulton for decades as a tourmate with other bands as well as as an occasional onstage guest, “We love seeing Kasim out on the road. He has that certain joy about his playing and singing that audiences always seem to respond to in such a good way. Kasim is also somebody we call ‘a good hang’ — and I can’t wait to see him out there again.”
Even amidst all the accolades from fans and peers alike, Kasim remains grounded, mainly thanks to the values instilled in him by his parents while he was growing up in Staten Island, New York, in the ’50s and ’60s. “My dad was old school,” Sulton recalls, “he impressed upon me the importance of being a gentleman, how to be polite and courteous. I just think it’s a lot better to be humble than it is to come off like the world owes you something.
Right out of the gate as a young musician, Sulton’s “play well with others” mantra was exactly what Todd Rundgren was looking for when in 1976, he was recruited to take over the bass, background/harmony and Co-Lead vocal duties in Utopia, Rundgren’s popular neo-pop/prog collective. “God love him, man,” Sulton says of his band captain, longtime friend, and creative foil. “The amount of work Todd puts into putting on a show is something I will always greatly admire. Next to doing my solo stuff, I enjoy playing with Todd more than anything. Utopia was a really, really great band — and we were a great live band too.”
With Utopia, Kasim’s dreams came true by way of sold-out world tours, creatively satisfying album projects, and majestic chart appearances. Kasim also happens to hold the fine distinction of being the lead singer on Utopia’s lone Top 40 single, “Set Me Free,” which made it all the way to No. 27 in 1980. He even garnered a solo hit under his own name in
1982, when the horn-driven “Don’t Break My Heart” made its way into
the Canadian Top 40 singles chart.
2021 saw the release of Kasim’s most recent body of work, aptly titled: “Kasim 2021” (on DEKO Entertainment Records)
As the world, and the concert industry slowly returns to it’s pre-pandemic attendance levels, Kasim will be taking to the road in early spring with a semi- acoustic 3 piece band showcasing the music on his latest CD as well as new unreleased material, along with some fan favorites from a career that spans 4 decades.
If all this wasn’t enough, Kasim also hosts his own terrestrial radio show ‘It’s My World And Welcome To It’. Airing weekly in 8 markets, the one hour show is a celebration of new and old music peppered with first hand stories of a life recording albums, performing and touring the world.
To quote a popular Utopia song “but there’s more!”….