In February 1963, after attending a Louis Armstrong and Trini Lopez concert at the Capitol Theatre in Perth with his parents, Steve was very inspired and told his mother that he wanted to become a professional musician.

[1] Steve Tallis was also influenced by music on the radio at the time, Them, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Manfred Mann, Jimi Hendrix, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, The Loved Ones or Spectrum.

[5] His style has been compared to that "of Van Morrison and Calvin Russell, but with a peculiar originality and a return to the roots of blues.

He refers today to many musicians who marked his work, such as Leadbelly, John Coltrane, Tim Buckley, Captain Beefheart, Sun Ra, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Kevin Coyne, Son House, Tom Waits, Jack Bruce and Kip Hanrahan.

Many journeys, in India (1997), Pakistan (2003) and Ghana (2005) among others, led him to explore different spiritualities that had a strong impact on his musical production : voodoo, tantra, buddhism, sufism, hinduism or Native American religions.

"[8] From 1975 on, Steve Tallis started a solo career, during which he gathered many musicians to accompany him in making music but most importantly in live performances.

Among other recurring bands can be found Broken Things, My Grandfather's Blues, Jellyroll Bakers, Lucy Crown, Bitch, Fried Egg / Unit Structures, Opposition, Steve Tallis Washboard Unit, Zombi Party, Suicide Ghosts, Holy Ghosts, Troublemakers or Snakes of Desire.

[11] He explored Afro-American hollers and classics such as the negro spiritual song "He’s Got the Whole World in his Own Hands" in the 2006 acoustic album Jezebel Spirit,[12] accompanied by percussionist Gary Ridge.

King, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Eric Burdon, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, etc.

Among Australian musicians, Richard Clapton, Paul Kelly, Chris Wilson, Daddy Cool, Billy Thorpe, Chain, The Triffids, or The Saints can be cited.

This fellowship allowed him to study, compose and tour in Africa, India, France, Macedonia and Greece.

He acted as a consultant for many Australian musician, bands and record labels, and represented Western Australia at international trade fairs such as Midem and WOMEX (1990 and 2007).