Tommy Stinson (born October 6, 1966, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American rock musician, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist. He first became known as the teenage bassist of The Replacements, the influential Minneapolis band whose rough-edged punk energy and emotionally direct songwriting helped shape American alternative rock in the 1980s. After the group's breakup, Stinson developed his own songwriting voice through Bash & Pop, Perfect, solo recordings, and later work with Guns N' Roses and Soul Asylum.
Stinson began playing bass while still a child, joining a group formed by his older brother Bob Stinson and drummer Chris Mars. The band eventually became The Replacements after Paul Westerberg joined as singer and guitarist. Although Stinson was the youngest member, he became an important part of the band's volatile, high-energy identity. His bass playing provided a steady foundation for music that moved from primitive punk on Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981) and Stink (1982) toward the broader, more melodic rock of Let It Be (1984), Tim (1985), and Pleased to Meet Me (1987).
The Replacements never achieved the commercial success of many of their contemporaries, but their mixture of punk attitude, classic rock references, humor, and vulnerability earned them a lasting reputation. Stinson remained with the band through its final albums, including Don't Tell a Soul (1989) and All Shook Down (1990). The group dissolved after a 1991 appearance at the Taste of Chicago Festival.
Following the breakup, Stinson stepped more fully into the role of frontman. He formed Bash & Pop and released Friday Night Is Killing Me in 1993, an album built around loose, guitar-driven rock and Stinson's increasingly visible songwriting. He later formed Perfect, which issued the When Squirrels Play Chicken EP in 1996. A planned full-length album was eventually released in 2004 under the title Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe, after the band had already ended.
In 1998, Stinson joined Guns N' Roses as bassist, replacing Duff McKagan. His tenure coincided with the band's long and complicated transition toward Chinese Democracy, released in 2008. Stinson contributed to the group's live identity during years of changing personnel and extensive touring, and he remained with Guns N' Roses until 2014. His position placed him in a strikingly different musical setting from The Replacements, but his direct, durable playing made him a natural fit for the band's hard-rock lineup.
Stinson also became a member of Soul Asylum after the death of bassist Karl Mueller. He helped complete the band's album The Silver Lining (2006) and performed with the group during the following years, later appearing on Delayed Reaction (2012). His solo work includes Village Gorilla Head (2004) and One Man Mutiny (2011), both of which combine alternative rock, power pop, and roots-oriented songwriting.
The Replacements reunited briefly in the 2010s, first to record Songs for Slim in support of guitarist Slim Dunlap and then for appearances at Riot Fest in 2013 and subsequent shows through 2015. Stinson revived Bash & Pop for Anything Could Happen (2017) and later formed Tommy Stinson's Cowboys in the Campfire with Chip Roberts. Their country-tinged rock album Wronger appeared in 2023. Across his career, Stinson has remained a remarkably adaptable musician, linking the underground instincts of The Replacements with the scale of arena rock while maintaining a strong independent streak.