Stemziel "Stemsy" Hunter is a saxophonist and vocalist. During the 1960s, he was a member of

The Electric Flag The Electric Flag was an American soul rock band, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield forme ...

. He has also played on recordings by

Buddy Miles George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–197 ...

, as well as being a member of Miles's band. Other artists to whose recordings he has contributed are by Crackin' and

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician ...

. He is also the owner of the Olive Branch Records label, and a record producer.

Background

Hunter ⁠— like

and

Herbie Rich Herbie Rich (February 23, 1944 – May 12, 2004) was an American multi-instrumentalist from Omaha, Nebraska, who was a member of The New Breed, The Electric Flag, and the Buddy Miles Express. He also played with Jimi Hendrix, Mike Bloomfield and ...

⁠— hails from

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

Career

1960s

As a young man, he was a member of the group led by Andrew Lewis called Andre Lewis & the New Breed.Ugly Radio Rebellio
Andre Lewis, Personal and Professional Resume' of Andre Lewis, The European Connection:
/ref> Hunter, who was a friend of Buddy Miles was brought into

the Electric Flag The Electric Flag was an American soul rock band, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield forme ...

in 1968 when the band were encountering some problems. Members Marcus Doubleday and

Peter Strazza Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

were on the verge of getting fired. saxophonist Herbie Rich was doubling on sax and organ as Mike Fonfara who was on organ had just left. Possibly as a result of the drug issues involving some other members of the band, Hunter and Herbie Rich were tied up and robbed by drug dealers and taken Peter Strazza hostage with Buddy Miles and Mike Bloomfield in another room sleeping through the whole event.Mike Bloomfield websit
Discography 1968-1981
/ref> While with the band, he played at venues such as the Carousel Ballroom in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

1970s

During the 1970s Hunter played contributed to recordings by various artists. He played on recordings by the group

Maxayn Maxayn was an American soul group of the 1970s. The band took its name from the lead singer Maxayn Lewis (born Paulette Parker), former Ikette and wife of band keyboardist Andre Lewis. The band also included Marlo Henderson (guitar) and Emry Tho ...

. Along with

Maxayn Lewis Maxayn Lewis is an American soul singer, musician, songwriter, and producer. She began her career in the 1960s, under her birth name Paulette Parker, as member of the Ikettes in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In the 1970s, Lewis sang lead in the ba ...

, Andre Lewis,

Marlo Henderson Marlo Henderson was an American guitarist and saxophonist, who played in mainly blues and R&B genres. As a session musician he played on albums such as '' Off the Wall'' by Michael Jackson, '' Them Changes'' by Buddy Miles, '' Face to Face'' by Ev ...

, Emry Thomas and Hank Redd, he co-composed the track "Jam For Jack", which appeared on the 1972 self-titled LP by Maxayn. In the last quarter of 1973, Hunter joined a group called The Fabulous Rhinestones, which also included

Kal David David Raskin (June 15, 1943 – August 16, 2022), who performed as Kal David, was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, whose 50-year musical career in Illinois, New York, and California extended through various phases, includin ...

Marty Grebb Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, ...

, Jack Sarangella and Harvey Brooks.

1980s and 1990s

In 1989, Hunter along with Ken Wright co-produced the ''On The Rampage'' album for Guitar Shorty. He was also the credited producer for the "On The Rampage" single. He teamed up with his childhood friends, Buddy Miles, Andre Lewis,

Billy Rich Eddie Wilbur "Billy" Rich (born April 7, 1949) is an American electric bassist and blues musician. He is known for his association with Buddy Miles, John McLaughlin, Jimi Hendrix and especially Taj Mahal, with whom he has played since 1972. Ri ...

, and

in the group Buddy Miles and the Mighty Rhythm Tribe for the ''Tribe Vibe'' album that was released in 1993. He played alto sax on the ''Red Hot & Blues'' album by

Jimmy "Preacher" Ellis James "Jimmy" Ellis (August 17, 1934 – September 16, 2022) Death He died in Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area ...

which was released in 1996.

2000s

Since the 2000s, Hunters work has included his solo act which covers styles from R&B and Jazz to some country music. He has also worked on Norwegian Cruise Lines as a performer for at least 7 years. In 2018, Hunter was playing in a group called Curly Martin & Friends.''The Reader'', February 1, 2018
Jazz Comes Home by B.J. Huchtemann
/ref>

Appearances / session work

References

External links

All Music credits
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Stemsy Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska African-American saxophonists Record producers from Nebraska American rock saxophonists American funk saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz saxophonists The Electric Flag members Jazz musicians from Nebraska American male jazz musicians