This article looks at how Kasim Sulton has spent his birthdays over the years....
Other than the fact that Kasim was born in Brooklyn, NY and later moved to Staten Island, very little has been printed publicly about Kasim’s early years. In an interview with KasimInfo.com in July this year, he was asked about his earliest ever memory and he responded that “We lived in Brooklyn in a huge old Victorian house in what is now the Marlborough Project on Coney Island. We lived right behind Lincoln High School. That was about 1960 and I just remember the backyard of that house and that there was a scrap yard behind us and my Mom had a cat called Tiger! There was a piano that someone had thrown away that was broken into pieces and I was fascinated with the inner workings of it.”
It is known that Kasim celebrated his 21st birthday in Japan when he was on tour there with Utopia. Back when Kasim reached 21 (in 1976) people celebrated their 21st birthday as the big birthday, rather like the young people today celebrate their 18th birthday.
On Kasim’s 25th birthday John Lennon was shot in New York by Mark Chapman. As all fans of Kasim will know, Kasim was inspired to take up music after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s. Kasim has also spoken on stage several times about meeting John Lennon in the streets of New York City and he calls him the most spiritual Beatle. Kasim has also said on stage that he went to the 21 Club in New York that evening and was not impressed with Roy Thomas Baker’s comments on the event!
As anybody who regularly looks at KasimInfo.com will know, on the front page of the site there is a section called On This Day which relates each day what items of a public record Kasim did over the years. Unfortunately the vast majority of concerts / TV appearances that Kasim has made over the years are not (yet!) listed on the Internet but I have been able to establish that back in 1985 Kasim Sulton was touring on the Todd Rundgren A Capella tour. On 7th December they played a concert at The Agora in Hartford, CT and on 9th December they played at The Living Room in Providence, RI so on Kasim’s 30th birthday he had the day off from concerts and it is possible that he may have made it home as he was near enough!
In 1990 (Kasim’s 35th birthday) he had just completed a series of concerts with Hall and Oates in the United Kingdom 4 days previously so it seems likely that he also spent that day with his family.
In 1993 (Kasim’s 38th birthday) he was on tour with Meat Loaf in the United Kingdom. On 7th December Kasim played a concert at the Ice Rink in Whitby Bay, England and on 9th December he played at the Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, England so it seems that he had another day off on his birthday but unfortunately for him, away from home again.
During the years 1994 to 1998 Kasim was not away on the road touring but in 1999 he was on the Meat Loaf StoryTellers Tour. There was a concert originally booked for the day of his birthday at The Veteran’s Memorial Hall in Columbus, Ohio but Meat Loaf was ill that day so it was cancelled.
In 2000 (Kasim’s 45th birthday) he was again at home but in 2001 Kasim Sulton played a concert on the Night Of The Proms Tour with Meat Loaf at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany. This concert was televised and when it was broadcast it was quite clear that people on stage (starting with John Miles) were wishing him a Happy Birthday as they had spotted that members of the German Meat Loaf Fan Club had made a banner wishing him the same!
Last year for Kasim’s 47th birthday he was on the Meat Loaf and Friends Just Havin’ Fun For The Holiday Tour. There were concerts on 7th December at the Westbury Music Center in Westbury, NY and one on 9th December at the FM Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre, PA so it is just about possible that Kasim managed to get home for his birthday last year too.
Last year, Kasim’s 48th birthday, he awoke in Belfast, Northern Ireland before later travelling to England as he had a concert the next evening in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
This year hopefully Kasim will be at home on Staten Island with his family.
However Kasim celebrates his birthday this year, I am sure that every reader of this website would like to wish him a Happy Birthday and a successful and personally rewarding year ahead.
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