A poet first.
A life shared.

01 / Finding a voice

It begins with a poem.

Long before the records, collaborations and stages, there were words; and a young writer’s hope that they might make a difference.

Raised in Binghamton, New York, Stevie began writing about world peace as a teenager. The desire to understand life, speak honestly and reach another person became the thread running through his poetry, music and art.

His creative journey took him into the California music world of the 1960s, where he formed lasting friendships with Brian and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. Those friendships opened a musical home for his words, without changing the way he thought of himself: a poet first.

02 / Words finding their music

Friendships you can hear.

Stevie’s writing partnership with Dennis Wilson gave us “Little Bird” and “Be Still”, both released on The Beach Boys’ 1968 album Friends. Their quiet reflection and warmth remain a beautiful introduction to his work.

More songs followed, including “All I Want to Do” and “A Time to Live in Dreams”. “Rainbows”, written with Dennis and Carl Wilson, appeared on Dennis’s 1977 solo album Pacific Ocean Blue. “Love Remember Me” was later included in the expanded 2008 release.

With Brian Wilson, Stevie wrote “California Feelin’” and “A Friend Like You”. The latter became a duet between Brian and Paul McCartney on Brian’s 2004 album Gettin’ in Over My Head; a song about friendship carried by two unmistakable voices.

For Stevie, the meaning of these collaborations reaches beyond the credits. He remembers the conversations, the trust, and the experience of sharing a poem with someone who could already hear its music.

03 / A message that waited

A world of peace must come.

In 1969, Stevie and Brian Wilson created A World of Peace Must Come, a meeting of spoken poetry, music and the hope for a more compassionate world. The recordings remained unreleased for almost forty years before Light in the Attic brought the album to listeners in 2008.

Its central concern is still close to Stevie’s heart. Peace is something to work towards in daily life: through listening, reflection, and the way we respond to the people around us.

04 / The circle grows

So many ways to share a word.

Stevie’s words have found homes with artists across generations and musical traditions. His collaborators and interpreters include P.F. Sloan, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Odyssey, Randy Crawford, David Marks, David Courtney, Jon Tiven, Jez Graham, Peter Lacey and Richard Durrant.

Working with P.F. Sloan, a mentor and important influence, held particular meaning for him. Their connection brought poems including “If You Knew” and “Soul of a Woman” into Sloan’s recorded work.

Poetry has also taken Stevie beyond the recording studio. Stacy Keach recorded “The Magic Hand”, while Alec Baldwin read “Tide Pool Interlude” on Al Jardine’s A Postcard from California. With guitarist Richard Durrant, Stevie developed Galactic Symphonies, bringing spoken word and music together in recordings and live performance.

Painting offers another space for his imagination. Alongside his journals and poems, it is part of an ongoing conversation with the world: looking closely, making connections and finding new ways to express what words alone may not hold.