A native of Los Angeles, California, pianist-singer Brad Stevens has music stamped all over his DNA. Among his earliest childhood memories are many hours completely absorbed in playing records and tapes over and over until they wore out. Before he could even read, he could easily identify each of his favorites just by the look and condition of wear on the label.
He started learning piano at age six and is mostly self-taught except for two or three years of early lessons. He also plays guitar and drums, but has devoted most of his career time to piano and voice. Possessing a huge innate capacity for memorizing and retaining material, he prefers performing without sheet music or electronic devices in favor of playing to the crowd directly. Listeners often convey their astonishment at the size and diversity of his memorized repertoire. While he performs many styles of music, including vocals in multiple languages, his personal favorites remain rock and roll, ragtime, and classical.
Brad’s professional career began at the age of 15 in Malibu, California, his home at the time, when he played and sang in rock bands at several local school dances. His first single piano date, also in Malibu, came at the age of 17. After a few ventures with guitar and drums, he settled on the piano as his main instrument, sometimes playing in groups but mostly as a soloist. His first couple of decades of performing centered on fine restaurants and nightclubs in the Los Angeles area, as well as premium hotels in Chicago, Tennessee, and Nevada. He then embarked on an extensive career on cruise ships and riverboats, taking him to over 130 countries, numerous islands, and all seven continents.
Brad resides in Henderson, Nevada, on the outskirts of Las Vegas.