American composer and arranger. He studied at Juilliard in the 1920's and first worked as a pianist for the Chicago Opera Company. From 1930, he was arranger/conductor for CBS. By 1938, Stevens fronted a big band for weekly CBS Saturday Night Swing Club broadcasts. In Hollywood from 1939, he worked as composer/arranger, coming more in demand after his composition, "American Rhapsody", achieved concert hall success in 1942.