Jody Stephens - Biography
Jody Stephens is a drummer from Memphis, Tennessee and a founding member of the legendary power pop four-piece Big Star. Stephens, along with singer/guitarist Chris Bell, bass player Andy Hummel, and vocalist Alex Chilton, formed a band in 1971 and called themselves Big Star, a nod to a Memphis-area grocery store chain of the same name. Stephens stayed with Chilton and Big Star for the entire length of the band's short-lived three year career, joining up with Chilton once more in 1993 for the band's relaunch. While mainstream success eluded the band in their time, Big Star has been cited as an influence by artists such as REM, The Replacements, Belle & Sebastian, Elliott Smith, and the Flaming Lips.
In 1987, Stephens started working as a session drummer, producer, and manager for Ardent Studios in Memphis, where Big Star recorded all three of their albums. Over the course of Stephens' tenure at Ardent, the studio has seen everyone from Three 6 Mafia to the White Stripes to Bob Dylan book studio time. Stephens and Big Star have received renewed attention with the release of 2012's rock doc Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me. In recent years, Stephens, the last surviving member of the quartet, has assembled a revolving, all-star team of musicians inspired by the group's final album to perform Big Star's Third: An Orchestrated Performance at tour dates around the globe. Stephens has also performed with Golden Smog and contributed to releases from the Posies and Matthew Sweet.