Tony Levine’s sliding doors 💫

Tony Levin pictured in the late '60s with his Ampeg electric upright 'Baby Bass'. 

It was Tony who was John McLaughlin's first choice for being the bassist in the newly formed Mahavishnu Orchestra - the reason for not joining has to be one of the funniest stories in modern music history. 

When John called the house at which Tony was staying to formally invite him, Tony wasn't home at that particular moment, so his mother-in-law passed on the message that 'some guy Murray Vishnu called about joining his orchestra'.

When Tony heard this, he thought that it was some weddings/cabaret act, so he never returned the call. As fate would have it, it was Rick Laird who turned out to be the perfect fit for the band, although it will always be an interesting thought about what might have happened had Tony been at home during John's telephone call.

Of course Tony Levin went on to fortune and fame with many other ventures perhaps most notably with King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, and the Stick Men.