Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson helps in Haiti

[August 09, 2010]  MEDIA, Pa. (AP) -- Since he picked up a bass guitar and dropped out of 10th grade to hit the road with underground legends The Replacements in 1983, Tommy Stinson has sold millions of records and performed all over the world.

As he prepares to embark on a European tour with Guns N' Roses, the 43-year-old musician is devoting his time and money to a new passion: helping children left homeless by the Haitian earthquake.

This summer, Stinson will hold an online fundraiser by auctioning personal and donated items that will be posted on his website, including an autographed bass guitar and two of his signature custom-made plaid suits.

The proceeds will go to a group called Timkatec, which houses and educates more than 500 children in the Port-au-Prince area.

[Associated Press; By JOANN LOVIGLIO]

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