Stephen Cohen started playing guitar as a teenager in his attic room in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He attended Brandeis University in Massachusetts for 3 years and then left school, guitar in hand, to hitchhike across the United States. After many adventures along the way, including living in a tree house in the mountains and living and performing at coffee houses and restaurants in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico, and becoming a father to 2 sons, Stephen arrived in Eugene, Oregon and stayed there for 18 years. 

He went back to school at the University of Oregon and received a bachelor's degree in art. He performed at music venues, concerts and festivals in the area and formed his first band, the Tree People, with local musicians. The Tree People recorded their first album in 1979, mostly live and in first takes, in one summer weekend.

Stephen created sculptural percussion instruments that he added to his act. He held weekly "big music" sessions at the Child Center, a treatment center for emotionally disturbed and at risk children in Springfield, Oregon, where he developed some of the songs and music that he features in his family and children's performances. 

He recorded and released a solo album in 2000, winning national songwriting and lyricist awards for 2 songs on the album (Thomas and Let's All Root for the Home Team). 

He did countless performances, workshops and residencies in the Portland area over the years, including a series of residencies at schools, community centers, and social agencies where he assisted students in creating instruments using recycled materials and found objects. He did two such residencies, one of which was featured in the Oregon Public Television program Art Beat, at Wilsonville High School, the other at P:EAR, an agency working with street youth. 

2017 was a year of residencies for Stephen. He created the String King, a playable 6 foot musical sculpture, which he displayed at the Salem Art Fair, as a Salem (Oregon) Art Association Artist in Residence. He did a residency at the deFeniks Art Center in Mortsel, Belgium, where he made new instruments, did a cigar box guitar workshop, and performed in concert at the Walpurgis Musicktheater. Stephen was a featured Showcase Performer at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas in March of 2018. 

In fall of 2025 Stephen showed several of his handmade instruments at ACLO's SPECTRA exhibit, delighting opening-night crowds with a 90-minute concert in the gallery. In addition to playing several of his devised instruments, he invited any interested audience members to experiment with them. He was generous with his time and his art.

He'll be remembered for his boundless creativity, good humor, and open, gentle, friendly manner. 

For more information as well as many links to Stephen’s performances, visit his website https://www.3handstephen.com/.