He was not in the siege of Helm's Deep because he had been ordered to gather the Muster of Rohan in Dunharrow by Gandalf, whom he trusted as he was riding Shadowfax, one of the mearas.
Inspired by blues masters such as Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, Stinson experimented with blues, jazz and other musical genres before co-founding Shadowfax in 1974.
Starting in 1985 he recorded three solo albums for Private Music -- On the Future of Aviation, Ariel, and the live album It's Alive with luminaries such as Fred Simon and Jim Hines—and went on tour with his own band, as well as with Shadowfax and The Dixie Dregs.