The 68-year-old percussionist is employed as a lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. According to classicrock.teamrock.com, his salary for the job falls short of the government's requirement for foreign nationals of £31,000 GBP (about $48,700 USD or €39,000 euro).

But once royalties for his substantive body of work are factored in, he makes twice that figure.

A partial list of the many artists Steve Forman has recorded with over the years include Christina Aguilera, Fleetwood Mac, John Lennon, Sergio Mendez, REO Speedwagon, Lee Ritenour, James Taylor and the Dave Matthews Band.

At a recent hearing to decide his fate, his defense lawyer, Fraser Latta, stated Steve Forman's case as follows:

"This is a person who is not only a teacher but also a person of value to the community. This is not someone who is here for monetary reasons. He is not only a teacher for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – he is infused by life here... This is a man who has had a considerable history of working with David Bowie, Pink Floyd, the Beach Boys and movie soundtracks such as E.T. His enthusiasm for what he does drips out of him."

Fans have launched an online petition, in the hopes that it will help keep the acclaimed musician in Britain. At the moment of writing, the petition has close to 3,700 signatures but over 1,300 are still needed.

At the same time more than sixty letters of support were written ahead of Steve's appearance at an immigration hearing in London.

Judge Macdonald deferred his decision until January 2015, allowing Steve to remain in the UK over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

In 2010, Tom Ford released a documentary of his life and career, 'Some Kind of Drummer - The Steve Forman Story'. Here's the trailer: