Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945)[2] is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice,[3] Stewart is among thebest-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 120 million records worldwide.[4] His music career began in 1962 when he took upbusking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joinedthe Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joinedLong John Baldry and theAll Stars before moving tothe Jeff Beck Group in 1967. JoiningFaces in 1969, he also launched a solo career, releasing his debut album,An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down, that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock,folk music,soul music, and R&B.[5][6] His third album, 1971'sEvery Picture Tells a Story, was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, as did its single "Maggie May". His 1972 follow-up album,Never a Dull Moment, also reached number one in the UK and Australia, while going top three in the US and Canada. Its single, "You Wear It Well", topped the chart in the UK and was a moderate hit elsewhere.
After Stewart had a handful more UK top-ten hits, Faces broke up in 1975. Stewart's next few hit singles were ballads, with "Sailing", taken from the 1975 UK and Australian number-one albumAtlantic Crossing, becoming a hit in the UK and the Netherlands (number one), Germany (number four) and other countries, but barely charting in North America.A Night on the Town (1976), his fifth straight chart-topper in the UK, began a three-album run of going number one or top three in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia with each release. That album's "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" spent almost two months at number one in the US and Canada, and made the top five in other countries.Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) contained the hit "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" as well as the rocker "Hot Legs".Blondes Have More Fun (1978) and its disco-tinged "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" both went to number one in Canada, Australia and the US, with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" also hitting number one in the UK and the top ten in other countries. Stewart's albums regularly hit the upper rungs of the charts in the Netherlands throughout the 1970s and in Sweden from 1975 onward.
After a disco andnew wave period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stewart's music turned to asoft rock/middle-of-the-road style, with most of his albums reaching the top ten in the UK, Germany and Sweden, but faring less well in the US. The single "Rhythm of My Heart" was a top five hit in the UK, US and other countries, with its source album, 1991'sVagabond Heart, becoming, at number ten in the US and number two in the UK, his highest-charting album in a decade. In 1993, he collaborated withBryan Adams andSting on the power ballad "All for Love", which went to number one in many countries. In the early 2000s, he released a series of successful albums interpreting theGreat American Songbook.
In 2008,Billboard magazine ranked Stewart the 17th most successful artist on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists".[7] AGrammy andBrit Award recipient, he was voted at No. 33 inQ Magazine's list of the Top 100 Greatest Singers of all time.[8] As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the USRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, theUK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and he was inducted a second time into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Faces.[9][10] He has had 10number-one albums and 31 top-tensingles in the UK, six of which reached number one.[11] Stewart has had 16 top-ten singles in the US, with four reaching number one on theBillboard Hot 100. He wasknighted in the2016 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity.[12]
Early life
Roderick David Stewart was born at 507 Archway Road,Highgate, North London, on 10 January 1945, the youngest of five children of Robert Joseph Stewart[13] and Elsie Rebecca Gilbart.[14] His father was Scottish and had been amaster builder inLeith, Edinburgh, while Elsie was English and had grown up inUpper Holloway in north London. Married in 1928, the couple had two sons and two daughters while living in Scotland, and then moved to Highgate.
Stewart was born at home during theSecond World War, eight years after his nearest sibling.[14][15][nb 1] The family was neither affluent nor poor; Stewart was spoiled as the youngest, and has called his childhood "fantastically happy".[14][15] He had an undistinguished record at Highgate Primary School and failed theeleven-plus exam.[19] He then attended the William Grimshaw Secondary Modern School (laterFortismere School),Muswell Hill.[20] When his father retired from the building trade he bought anewsagent's shop on theArchway Road and the family lived over the shop.[14][15] Stewart's main hobby wasrailway modelling.[21]
The family was mostly focused onfootball;[22] Stewart's father had played in a local amateur team and managed some teams as well, and one of Stewart's earliest memories was of the pictures of Scottish players such asGeorge Young andGordon Smith that his brothers had on the wall.[23][24] Stewart was the most talented footballer in the family and was a supporter ofArsenal at the time.[23][25] Combining natural athleticism with near-reckless aggression, he became captain of the school football team and played for Middlesex Schoolboys ascentre-half.[23]
Stewart left school at the age of 15[28] and worked briefly as asilk-screen printer.[27] Spurred on by his father, his ambition was to become a professionalfootballer.[25][28] In summer 1960, he went for trials atBrentford,[29] aThird Division club at the time.[30] Contrary to some longstanding accounts, Stewart states in his 2012 autobiography that he was never signed to the club and that the club never called him back after his trials.[nb 2] In any case, regarding possible career options, Stewart concluded, "Well, a musician's life is a lot easier and I can also get drunk and make music, and I can't do that and play football. I plumped for music ... They're the only two things I can do actually: play football and sing."[22][28]
Stewart became attracted tobeatnik attitudes andleft-wing politics, living for a while in a beatnik houseboat atShoreham-by-Sea.[35] He was an active supporter of theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament at this time, joining the annualAldermaston Marches from 1961 to 1963 and being arrested on three occasions when he took part in sit-ins atTrafalgar Square andWhitehall for the cause.[27][35] He also used the marches as a way to meet and bed girls.[35][37] In 1962, he had his first serious relationship, with London art student Suzannah Boffey (a friend of future model and actressChrissie Shrimpton); he moved to abed-sit inMuswell Hill to be near her.[38] She became pregnant, but neither Rod nor his family wanted him to enter marriage; the baby girl was given up for adoption and Rod and Suzannah's relationship ended.[38]
In 1962, Stewart began hanging around folk singerWizz Jones,busking atLeicester Square and other London spots.[39] Stewart took up playing the then-fashionable harmonica.[40] On several trips over the next 18 months Jones and Stewart took their act toBrighton and then to Paris, sleeping under bridges over theRiver Seine, and then finally toBarcelona,[39] from where he was deported from Spain forvagrancy in 1963.[32][39][41] At this time, Stewart, who had been at William Grimshaw School with three of the members of the embryonicKinks, was briefly considered as their singer.[19][36][42][43][44]
In 1963, Stewart adopted theMod lifestyle and look, and began fashioning the spiky rooster hairstyle that would become his trademark[45] (it was made possible with sugar water or large amounts of his sisters'hair lacquer,backcombing, and his hands holding it in place to protect it from the winds ofHighgate Underground station).[45][46][47]) Disillusioned by rock and roll, he sawOtis Redding perform in concert and began listening toSam Cooke records; he became fascinated by rhythm and blues andsoul music.[45]
After returning to London, Stewart joined a rhythm and blues group, the Dimensions, in October 1963, as a harmonica player and part-time vocalist.[31][48] It was his first professional job as a musician, although he was still living at home and working in his brother's painting and picture-frame shop.[49][50] A somewhat more established singer from Birmingham, Jimmy Powell, hired the group a few weeks later, and it became known asJimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions (which also included bassistLouis Cennamo), with Stewart as harmonica player.[31][48] The group performed weekly at the famed Studio 51 club on Great Newport Street in London, wherethe Rolling Stones often headlined;[48] this was Stewart's entrée into the thriving London R&B scene,[51] and his harmonica playing improved in part from watchingMick Jagger on stage.[40] Relations soon broke down between Powell and Stewart over roles within the group[49] and Stewart departed. Contrary to popular legend, during this time Stewart probably did not play harmonica onMillie Small's 1964 hit "My Boy Lollipop"; that was probably Peter Hogman of the Dimensions, although Powell has also claimed credit.[31][52] Powell did record and release a single during this period, though Stewart did not appear on it.[48]
1964–1967: Steampacket and "Rod the Mod" image
In January 1964,[nb 4] while Stewart was waiting atTwickenham railway station after having seenLong John Baldry and theAll Stars atEel Pie Island,[31][52][54] Baldry heard him playing "Smokestack Lightnin'" on his harmonica, and invited him to sit in with the group; when Baldry discovered Stewart was a singer as well, he offered him a job for £35 a week, after securing the approval of Stewart's mother.[52] Quitting his day job at the age of nineteen, Stewart gradually overcame his shyness and nerves and became a visible enough part of the act that he was sometimes added to the billing as "Rod the Mod" Stewart,[40][52][53] the nickname coming from hisdandyish style of grooming and dress.[36] Baldry touted Stewart's abilities toMelody Maker magazine and the group enjoyed a weekly residence at London's fabledMarquee Club.[53] In June 1964, Stewart made his recording debut (without label credit) on "Up Above My Head", the B-side to a Baldry and Hoochie Coochie Men single.[55] While still with Baldry, Stewart embarked on a simultaneous solo career.[56] He made some demo recordings,[nb 5] was scouted byDecca Records at the Marquee Club, and signed to a solo contract in August 1964.[57] He appeared on several regional television shows around the country and recorded his first single in September 1964.[56][57]
Turning down Decca's recommended material as too commercial, Stewart insisted that the experienced session musicians he was given, includingJohn Paul Jones, learn a couple ofSonny Boy Williamson songs he had just heard.[58] The resulting single, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", was recorded and released in October 1964. Stewart performed it on the popular television showReady Steady Go!, but it did not enter the charts. Also in October, Stewart left the Hoochie Coochie Men after having a row with Baldry.[57]
Stewart played some dates on his own in late 1964 and early 1965, sometimes backed by theSouthampton R&B outfit the Soul Agents.[59] The Hoochie Coochie Men broke up, Baldry and Stewart patched up their differences (and became lifelong friends),[60] and music managerGiorgio Gomelsky put togetherSteampacket, with Baldry, Stewart,Brian Auger,Julie Driscoll,Micky Waller,Vic Briggs andRicky Fenson; their first appearance was in support of the Rolling Stones in July 1965.[61] The group was conceived as a white soul revue, analogous toThe Ike & Tina Turner Revue, with multiple vocalists and styles ranging from jazz to R&B to blues.[62] Steampacket toured with the Stones andthe Walker Brothers that summer, ending in theLondon Palladium;[62] seeing the audience react to the Stones gave Stewart his first exposure to crowd hysteria.[63] Stewart, who had been included in the group upon Baldry's insistence, ended up with most of the male vocal parts.[62] Steampacket was unable to enter the studio to record any material because its members all belonged to different labels and managers,[62][64] although Gomelsky did record one of their Marquee Club rehearsals.[nb 6]
Stewart's "Rod the Mod" image gained wider visibility in November 1965, when he was the subject of a 30-minuteRediffusion, London television documentary titled "An Easter with Rod" that portrayed the Mod scene.[32][65] His parallel solo career attempts continued onEMI'sColumbia label with the November 1965 release of "The Day Will Come", a more heavily arranged pop attempt, and the April 1966 release of his take onSam Cooke's "Shake", with theBrian Auger Trinity.[65] Both failed commercially, and neither gained positive notices.[66] Stewart had spent the better part of two years listening mostly to Cooke; he later said, "I didn't sound like anybody at all ... but I knew I sounded a bit like Sam Cooke, so I listened to Sam Cooke."[50] This recording solidified that singer's position as Stewart's idol and most enduring influence; he called it a "crossing of the water".[36][50][62]
Stewart left Steampacket in March 1966,[65] with Stewart saying he had been sacked and Auger saying he had quit.[62] Stewart then joined a somewhat similar outfit,Shotgun Express, in May 1966 as co-lead vocalist withBeryl Marsden.[62][65] The other members includedMick Fleetwood andPeter Green (who went on to formFleetwood Mac), andPeter Bardens.[65] Shotgun Express released one unsuccessful single in October 1966, the orchestra-heavy "I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round", before disbanding.[62][65] Stewart later disparaged Shotgun Express as a poor imitation of Steampacket and said, "I was still getting this terrible feeling of doing other people's music. I think you can only start finding yourself when you write your own material."[65] By now, Stewart had bounced around without achieving much success, with little to distinguish himself among other aspiring London singers other than the emerging rasp in his voice.[51]
1967–1969: Jeff Beck Group period
GuitaristJeff Beck recruited Stewart for his new post-Yardbirds venture,[67] and in February 1967, Stewart joinedthe Jeff Beck Group as vocalist and sometime songwriter.[68] This would become the big break of his early career.[36] There he first played withRonnie Wood[62] whom he had first met in a London pub in 1964;[57] the two soon became fast friends.[67] During its first year, the group experienced frequent changes of drummers and conflicts involving managerMickie Most wanting to reduce Stewart's role. They toured the UK and released a couple of singles that featured Stewart on their B-sides.[68][69] Stewart's sputtering solo career also continued with the March 1968 release of non-hit "Little Miss Understood" onImmediate Records.[68]
The Jeff Beck Group toured Western Europe in spring 1968, recorded, and were nearly destitute. Then assistant managerPeter Grant booked them on a six-week tour of the United States starting in June 1968 with theFillmore East in New York.[68][70][71] Stewart, on his first trip to America, suffered terrible stage fright during the opening show and hid behind the amplifier banks while singing. Only a quick shot ofbrandy brought him out front.[68] Nevertheless, the show and the tour were a big success,[36][71] withRobert Shelton ofThe New York Times calling the group exciting and praising "the interaction of Mr. Beck's wild and visionary guitar against the hoarse and insistent shouting of Rod Stewart",[70] andNew Musical Express reporting that the group was receiving standing ovations and pulling receipts equal to those ofJimi Hendrix andthe Doors.[68]
In August 1968, their first album,Truth, was released, and by October, it had risen to number 15 on theUS albums chart but failed to chart in the UK.[68] The album featured Beck's masterly guitar technique and manipulated sounds as Stewart's dramatic vocalising tackled the group's varied repertoire of blues, folk, rock, and proto-heavy metal.[51][69][72] Stewart also co-wrote three of the songs[72] and credited the record for helping to develop his vocal abilities and the sandpaper quality in his voice.[50] The group toured America again at the end of the year to a strong reception, then suffered from more personnel upheaval[68][73] (something that would continue throughout Beck's career). In July 1969, Stewart left following his friend Wood's departure.[50][74] Stewart later recalled, "It was a great band to sing with, but I couldn't take all the aggravation and unfriendliness that developed.... In the two and a half years I was with Beck I never once looked him in the eye – I always looked at his shirt or something like that."[68]
The group's second album,Beck-Ola, was released in June 1969 in the US and in September 1969 in the UK, bracketing the time the group was dissolving; it also made number 15 in the US albums chart and reached number 39 in theUK albums chart.[36][74][75] During his time with the group, Stewart initially felt overmatched by Beck's presence, and his style was still developing; but later Stewart felt the two developed a strong musical, if not personal, rapport.[68][76] Much of Stewart's sense of phrasing was developed during his time with the Jeff Beck Group.[50] Beck sought to form a newsupergroup withCarmine Appice andTim Bogert (of the similarly just-breaking-upVanilla Fudge) joining him and Stewart, but Stewart had other plans.[77]
1969–1975: Solo career established and Faces albums
Mercury RecordsA&R manLou Reizner had seen Stewart perform with Beck, and on 8 October 1968 signed him to a solo contract;[68] but contractual complexities delayed Stewart's recording for him until July 1969.[74][78] Meanwhile, in May 1969, guitarist and singerSteve Marriott left English bandthe Small Faces.[74]Ron Wood replaced him as guitarist in June and on 18 October 1969, Stewart followed his friend and became the band's new singer.[74] The two joined existing membersRonnie Lane,Ian McLagan, andKenney Jones, who soon decided to call the new line-upFaces.[79]
Faces released their debut album,First Step, in early 1970 with a rock and roll style similar to the Rolling Stones. While the album did better in the UK than in the US, the Faces quickly earned a strong live following. Stewart released his second album,Gasoline Alley that autumn. Stewart's approach was similar to his first album andmandolin was introduced into the sound. He then launched a US tour with the Faces. Stewart sang guest vocals for the Australian groupPython Lee Jackson on "In a Broken Dream", recorded in April 1969 but not released until 1970. His payment was a set of seat covers for his car. It was re-released in 1972 to become a worldwide hit.
Stewart's 1971 solo albumEvery Picture Tells a Story made him a household name when the B-side of his minor hit "Reason to Believe", "Maggie May", (co-written with Martin Quittenton) started to receive radio play. The album and the single occupied the number one chart position simultaneously in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, a chart first, in September.[81]Maggie May topped the single chart for five weeks in the US, and the UK and four weeks in Australia. Set off by a striking mandolin part (by Ray Jackson ofLindisfarne), "Maggie May" was also named inThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The rest of the album was equally strong, with "Mandolin Wind" again showcasing that instrument; "(I Know) I'm Losing You" adding hard-edged soul to the mix; and "Tomorrow Is a Long Time", a cover of aBob Dylan song. But the ultimate manifestation of the early Stewart solo style was the Stewart-Wood-penned "Every Picture Tells a Story" itself: powered by Mick Waller's drumming,Pete Sears's piano and Wood's guitar work in a largely acoustic arrangement; it is a song relating to thepicaresque adventures of the singer.[82]
The second Faces album,Long Player, was released in early 1971 and enjoyed greater chart success thanFirst Step. Faces also got their only US Top 40 hit with "Stay With Me" from their third albumA Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse released in late 1971.[83] This album reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic on the back of the success ofEvery Picture Tells A Story.[83][84]Steve Jones fromThe Sex Pistols regarded the Faces highly and named them as a main influence on the Britishpunk rock movement.[85]
The Faces toured extensively in 1972 with growing tension in the band over Stewart's solo career enjoying more success than the band's. Stewart releasedNever a Dull Moment in the same year. Repeating theEvery Picture formula, for the most part, it reached number two on the US album charts and number one in the UK,[86] and enjoyed further good notices from reviewers. "You Wear It Well" was a hit single that reached number 13 in the US and went to number one in the UK, while "Twisting the Night Away" made explicit Stewart's debt toSam Cooke.
For the body of his early solo work Stewart earned tremendous critical praise.Rolling Stone's 1980Illustrated History of Rock & Roll includes this in its Stewart entry:[51]
Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely. Once the most compassionate presence in music, he has become a bilious self-parody – and sells more records than ever [... A] writer who offered profound lyricism and fabulous self-deprecating humour, teller of tall tales and honest heartbreaker, he had an unmatched eye for the tiny details around which lives turn, shatter, and reform [...] and a voice to make those details indelible. [... His solo albums] were defined by two special qualities: warmth, which was redemptive, and modesty, which was liberating. If ever any rocker chose the role of everyman and lived up to it, it was Rod Stewart.
The Faces released their final albumOoh La La, which reached number one in the UK and number 21 in the US in 1973.[83][84] During the recording of the album, the rift between Stewart and the rest of the Faces grew further, as (according toIan McLagan), Stewart did not participate until two weeks into the sessions, "and then complained that some songs were in the wrong key for him. So we recorded them again and waited a week for him to come back. We cut the track for 'Ooh La La' three times before he eventually passed on it, leaving it forWoody to sing. [...] The week the album came out he did all he could to scuttle it and told anyone who would listen how useless it was."[87] The band toured Australasia, Japan, Europe and the UK in 1974[88] to support the album and the single "Pool Hall Richard".
In late 1974, Stewart released hisSmiler album. In Britain, it reached number one, and the single "Farewell" number seven, but only number 13 on theBillboard pop album charts and the single "Mine for Me" only number 91 on theBillboard pop singles charts. It was his last original album for Mercury Records. After the release of the double album compilationThe Best of Rod Stewart he switched toWarner Bros. Records and remained with them throughout the vast majority of his career (Faces were signed to Warner Bros., and Stewart's solo releases in the UK appeared on the Riva label until 1981). In 1975, Faces toured the US twice (with Ronnie Wood joiningthe Rolling Stones' US tour in between).[88] With Ronnie Wood having released his second solo album in 1975 and also having joined the Rolling Stones (first as a temporary replacement for the departingMick Taylor, and later as a permanent member), as well as Stewart's own burgeoning solo career, it became impossible to maintain the Faces as a viable band, so the Faces broke up at the end of the year.[89]
In 1975, Stewart moved to Los Angeles; that year, he released theAtlantic Crossing album for his new record company, using producerTom Dowd and a different sound based on theMuscle Shoals Rhythm Section.Atlantic Crossing marked both a return to form and a return to the Top 10 of theBillboard album charts. The first single, a cover of theSutherland Brothers song "Sailing", was a number-one hit in the UK, charted high in other European countries and in Australia, but only reached the Top 60 of the US and Canadian charts. The single returned to the UK Top 10 a year later when used as the theme music for a BBC documentaryseries aboutHMS Ark Royal. Having been a hit twice over, "Sailing" became, and remains, Stewart's biggest-selling single in the UK. HisHolland-Dozier-Holland cover "This Old Heart of Mine" was also a Top 100 hit in 1976.[83] In 1976, Stewart coveredthe Beatles' song "Get Back" for the musical documentaryAll This and World War II.[90]
Later in 1976, Stewart topped the USBillboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and the AustralianARIA chart with the ballad "Tonight's the Night", with an accompanying music video featuring actressBritt Ekland.[83] It came from theA Night on the Town album, which went to number two on theBillboard album charts and was Stewart's first album to go platinum. By explicitly marking the album as having a "fast side" and a "slow side", Stewart continued the trend started byAtlantic Crossing. "The First Cut Is the Deepest", a cover of aCat Stevens song, went number one in the UK in 1977, and top 30 in the US.[83][86] "The Killing of Georgie (Part 1 and 2)", about the murder of a gay man, was also a Top 40 hit for Stewart during 1977.[83]
Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) featured Stewart's own band, the original Rod Stewart Group that featured Carmine Appice, Phil Chen, Jim Cregan, Billy Peek,Gary Grainger andJohn Jarvis. It continued Stewart's run of chart success, reaching number two. "You're in My Heart" was the hit single, reaching number four in the US.[83]
"Hot Legs" achieved a lot of radio airplay as did the confessional "I Was Only Joking". In appearance, Stewart's look had evolved to include aglam element, including make-up and spandex clothes. Stewart scored another UK number one and US number one single with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", which was a crossover hit reaching number five on theBillboard black charts due to itsdisco sound.[83] This was the lead single from 1978'sBlondes Have More Fun, which went to number one on theBillboard album charts and sold three million albums.[91]
A focal point of criticisms about this period was his biggest-selling 1978 disco hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", which was atypical of his earlier output, and disparaged by critics.[92] In interviews, Stewart, while admitting his accompanying look had become "tarty", has defended the lyrics by pointing out that the song is athird-person narrative slice-of-life portrayal, not unlike those in his earlier work, and that it is not about him. The song's refrain was identical to BrazilianJorge Ben Jor's earlier "Taj Mahal" and a lawsuit ensued. Stewart donated his royalties from "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" toUNICEF, and he performed it with his band at theMusic for UNICEF Concert at theUnited Nations General Assembly in 1979.[citation needed]
Stewart moved to a morenew wave direction in 1980 by releasing the albumFoolish Behaviour. The album produced one hit single, "Passion", which reached No. 5 on the USBillboard Charts. In August 1981, MTV was launched in the US with several of Stewart's videos in heavy rotation. Later in 1981, Stewart added further elements of new wave andsynthpop to his sound for theTonight I'm Yours album. The title song reached No. 20 in the US, while "Young Turks" reached the Top 5 with the album going platinum.[83] On 18 December 1981, Stewart played the Los Angeles Forum, along withKim Carnes andTina Turner, in a concert broadcast worldwide via satellite.[93]
Stewart had four US Top 10 singles between 1982 and 1988; "Young Turks" (No. 5, carrying over from 1981 into 1982), "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (No. 10, 1984), "Infatuation" (No. 6, 1984) and "Love Touch" (No. 6, 1986, a Holly Knight/Mike Chapman collaboration). "Baby Jane" reached No. 14 in 1983, but went to No. 1 in the UK, his final chart-topping single there to date.[83] The correspondingCamouflage album went gold in the UK, and the single "Infatuation" (which featured his old friend Jeff Beck on the guitar) received considerable play on MTV. The second single "Some Guys Have All The Luck" reached No. 15 in the UK and No. 10 in the US.[83]
In January 1989, Stewart set out on the South American leg of theOut of Order Tour playing to sell-out audiences throughout Americas. There were 80,000 people at his show at Corregidora Stadium,Querétaro, México (9 April), and 50,000 at Jalisco Stadium,Guadalajara, Jalisco (12 April). InBuenos Aires, the audience at theRiver Plate Stadium, which seats 70,000+, was at over 90,000, with several thousand outside the stadium. Firehoses were sprayed on the crowd to avoidheat prostration.[citation needed]
Released in 1991, theVagabond Heart album continued Stewart's renewal and inspiration.[97] The lead single, "It Takes Two", withTina Turner, was released in 1990 in advance of the full album's release, and reached number five on the UK charts, but did not chart in the US. The follow-up songs fromVagabond Heart both reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991, with "Rhythm of My Heart" peaking at No. 5 and "The Motown Song" peaking at No. 10.[83]
By the early 1990s, Stewart had mostly abandoned creating his own material, saying that he was not a natural songwriter and that the tepid response to his recent efforts was not rewarding.[99] In 1995, Stewart releasedA Spanner in the Works containing a single written byTom Petty, "Leave Virginia Alone", which reached the Top 10 of the adult contemporary charts. The latter half of the 1990s was not as commercially successful though the 1996 albumIf We Fall in Love Tonight reached number 8 in the UK and went gold and hit No. 19 on theBillboard album chart.[83]
By 2002, Stewart had sold over 100 million records during his career.[102] While growing up, he heard in his home classic songs written by songwriters such asCole Porter,Gus Kahn andGeorge andIra Gershwin. Stewart joined others who had recorded the classic songs.[103] He concentrated on singing 1930s and 1940s pop standards from theGreat American Songbook with great popular success. These albums have been released onClive Davis'sJ Records label and have seen Stewart enjoy album sales equal to the 1970s.
In 2004, Stewart reunited with Ronnie Wood for concerts ofFaces material. A Rod Stewart and the Faces best of album,Changing Faces, reached the Top 20 of the UK album charts.Five Guys Walk into a Bar..., a Faces box set compilation, was released. In late 2004,Stardust: the Great American Songbook 3, the third album in Stewart's songbook series, was released. It was his first US number one album in 25 years, selling over 200,000 albums in its first week. It also debuted at number one in Canada, number three in the UK and Top 10 in Australia. His version ofLouis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", featuringStevie Wonder, made the Top 20 of the world adult charts. He also recorded a duet withDolly Parton for the album – "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Stewart won his first everGrammy Award for this album.[107]
2005 saw the release of the fourth songbook album,Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook 4; it included duets withDiana Ross andElton John. Within weeks of its release, the CD made it to number two on the Top 200 list. In late 2006, Stewart made his return to rock music and his new approach to country music with the release ofStill the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time, a new album featuring rock and southern rock milestones from the last four decades, including a cover ofCreedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", which was released as the first single. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts with 184,000 copies in its first week. The number one debut was helped by a concert in New York City that was onMSN Music and an appearance onDancing with the Stars. He performed tracks from his new album live from the Nokia Theater on 9 October. Control Room broadcast the event Live on MSN and in 117 cinemas across the country via National CineMedia. In November 2006, Stewart was inducted into theUK Music Hall of Fame.[108]
On 20 May 2009, Stewart performed "Maggie May" on the grand finale ofAmerican Idol season 8. On 2, July 2009 Stewart performed his only UK date that year atHome Park,Plymouth. On 29 September 2009 a 4-CD, 65-track compilation entitledRod Stewart Sessions 1971–1998 was released; it is composed of previously unreleased tracks and outtakes from the bulk of his career. Stewart has also mentioned plans for a compilation of covers of soul classics, the possible release of another edition of theGreat American Songbook album and a country covers album.[112]
On 17 October 2009, Stewart released the studio albumSoulbook which was composed of covers of soul and Motown songs. On 14 November 2009, Stewart recorded a TV program in the UK for ITV that was screened on 5 December 2009. The music in the programme featured tracks from his new album and some old favourites. On 14 January 2010, Rhino records released Stewart'sOnce in a Blue Moon, a "lost album" originally recorded in 1992, featuring ten cover songs including the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", Bob Dylan's "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar" and Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back", as well as Tom Waits' "Tom Traubert's Blues". On 19 October 2010, Stewart released another edition of hisGreat American Songbook series titledFly Me to the Moon...The Great American Songbook Volume V onJ Records.
2011–2012: Christmas album and autobiography
In 2011, Stewart performed withStevie Nicks on their Heart & Soul Tour. Starting on 20 March in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the tour visited arena concerts in North America – with performances in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa and Montreal, among others.[113]
Stewart headlined the Sunday show at the2011 Hard Rock Calling Festival on 26 June in London'sHyde Park.[114] Stewart signed on to a two-year residency at theColosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, commencing on 24 August.[115][116] Performing his greatest hits, the residency also saw him perform selected tracks from his upcoming, untitled blues album.[116]
On 7 June 2012, Stewart signed a recording agreement withUniversal Music Group.[117] Stewart released his first Christmas album, titledMerry Christmas, Baby, on theVerve Music Group label (a division of Universal Music Group) on 30 October 2012. The album was produced byDavid Foster and contained several duets, as well as an original song written by Stewart, Foster and Amy Foster called "Red-Suited Super Man".[118] According toIFPI,Merry Christmas, Baby was the seventh best-selling album worldwide in 2012.[119] In October 2012, Stewart's autobiography titledRod: The Autobiography was released (exact dates vary worldwide).[120]
In November 2012, Stewart performed "Auld Lang Syne" from his Christmas album and his hit "Sailing" at theRoyal Albert Hall for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, which was attended byQueen Elizabeth II.[121] Later that month, Stewart again performed at the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Queen during the 100thRoyal Variety Performance, singing "When You Wish upon a Star".[122] On 26 November, Stewart's recording of "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" reached the top of theBillboardAdult Contemporary Chart. Stewart had the number one song on this chart three times previously, the last being in 1993 with "Have I Told You Lately", giving him the second-largest hiatus between number ones in the history of the chart.[123] The song remained in the No. 1 spot for five weeks, tying it for the longest-leading holiday title in the chart's 51-year history.[124] On 10 December 2012, Stewart was a guest singer onMichael Bublé's televisionHome for the Holidays Christmas special.[125] Stewart was the tenth best-selling artist in Canada in the year 2012, according to year-end sales data fromNielsen Soundscan Canada.[126] In February 2013, Stewart was nominated for a CanadianJuno Award in theInternational Album of the Year category for his albumMerry Christmas, Baby.[127]
2013–2015: Return to songwriting –Time andAnother Country
In May 2013, Stewart releasedTime, a rock album of his own original material. It marked a return to songwriting after what Stewart termed "a dark period of twenty years"; he said that writing his autobiography gave him the impetus to write music again.[44] The album entered theUK Albums Chart at number 1, setting a new British record for the longest gap between chart-topping albums by an artist.[128] Stewart's last No. 1 on the chart had beenGreatest Hits Volume 1 in 1979 and his last studio album to top the chart was 1976'sA Night on the Town.[129]
In September 2013, Stewart presented his friendElton John with the firstBrits Icon award in a special show at theLondon Palladium, recognising John's "lasting impact" on UK culture. Stewart quipped that John was "the second-best rock singer ever", before the two performed a duet on stage.[130]
A new studio album,Another Country, was released on 23 October 2015. The video for the first single "Love Is" is available on his Vevo account.[131]
2016–present: Continuing to record –Blood Red Roses andThe Tears of Hercules
On 22 November 2019, Stewart releasedYou're in My Heart: Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, produced byTrevor Horn. The album contains vocal tracks from UK number one hits "Sailing", "I Don't Want To Talk About It" and "The First Cut is the Deepest" with new arrangements performed by theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra,[140] as well as 1971 chart toppers in both the UK and US "Maggie May" and "Reasons to Believe". The release ofYou're In My Heart coincided with Stewart's biggest-ever UK stadium tour throughout November and December 2019, a continuation of his successful summer stadium tour.You're In My Heart also included "Stop Loving Her Today", a new song, as well as a new recording of "It Takes Two" featuring Robbie Williams.[141]You're in My Heart topped theUK Albums Chart, staying in the number one position for three weeks and making it his tenth UK chart-topping album.[142] Stewart released his 31st studio albumThe Tears of Hercules in November 2021.[143] Stewart is only the fifth British act in UK chart history with 10 or more number-one albums, and BPI Certified – Gold.[144][145]
In February 2024Irving Azoff's Iconic Artists Group acquired Stewart's catalogue for close to $100M.[151][152]
In November 2024 Stewart was confirmed to play the Glastonbury Legends slot in 2025, 23 years after his last appearance at the festival.[153] In June 2025 he cancelled a string of US concerts as he recovered fromflu.[154]
Personal life
In May 2000, Stewart was diagnosed withthyroid cancer, for which he underwent surgery the same month. It had been previously reported he suffered from a benign vocal cord nodule.[155] Besides being a major health scare, the resulting surgery also threatened his voice, and he had to re-learn how to sing.[156] Since then he has been active in raising funds forThe City of Hope Foundation charity to find cures for all forms of cancer, especially those affecting children.[155] In September 2019, Stewart revealed that he had been diagnosed withprostate cancer in 2017, and had been given the all-clear after treatment.[157]
Before returning to the UK, Stewart played for his LA Exiles team, made up of mostly English expatriates, plus a few celebrities, includingBilly Duffy ofthe Cult, in a senior soccer league inPalos Verdes, California.[158]
Despite his father having been a supporter ofHibernian,[159] Stewart is a supporter ofCeltic, which he mentions in "You're in My Heart". He supports theScotland national team and followsManchester United as his English side, and he explains his love affair with both Celtic and Manchester United in Frank Worrall's book,Celtic United.[160] Stewart clarifies this more in his 2012 book (pp. 163–64),Rod: The Autobiography, mentioning he "only had an attachment to Manchester United in the 1970s, but that was because they had so many great Scottish players in the 1970s, includingDenis Law ... When I did eventually click with a team, it was Celtic". He presented Celtic with the trophy after they won the2015 Scottish League Cup Final.[161]
Stewart is amodel railway enthusiast. His 23 ft × 124 ft (7.0 m × 37.8 m)HO scalelayout in his Los Angeles home is modelled after theNew York Central and thePennsylvania Railroads during the 1940s. Called the Three Rivers City, the layout was featured in the cover story of the December 2007, December 2010, February 2014, June 2017, December 2024 and January 2025 issues ofModel Railroader magazine. In the 2007 article, Stewart said that it meant more to him to be in a model railroad magazine than a music magazine. The layout, which has a mainline run of 900 ft (270 m), uses code 70 flextrack and aDigital Command Control (DCC) system made by Digitrax.[162][163] Stewart has a second, smaller layout at his UK home, based on Britain'sEast Coast Main Line. In a sidebar[164] to the 2014Model Railroader article, Stewart confirmed (in an anecdote about having unwittingly mixed red scenery texturing material into a "turf" mix he used around the bases of buildings) that he iscolour-blind.[165][166] In a 2019 interview withRailway Modeller magazine, he said that the hobby is "addictive" for him.
Stewart has admitted to taking cocaine in the past.[167]
A car collector, Stewart owns one of the 400Ferrari Enzos. In 1982, Stewart wascar-jacked on Los Angeles'Sunset Boulevard while he was parking his $50,000Porsche.[168][better source needed] The car was subsequently recovered. In March 2022, Stewart and others personally filled in some potholes on the country lane near hisEssex residence, claiming that an ambulance had burst a tyre and his Ferrari could not get through. Dominic Zaria, one of Stewart's neighbours, praised the singer's action and said the lane had "a massive crack" and could be dangerous when it was dark and wet. In response, the county council cautioned that potholes should be reported and repaired by professionals, adding residents making their own repairs "could become liable for any problems or accidents".[169]
In September 2002, Stewart's son Sean was sentenced to three months in jail and required to pay compensation and attend anger management, drug and alcohol treatment courses for attacking a man outside a restaurant in Los Angeles.[170]Rod Stewart was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2007 New Year Honours for services to music. At his investiture in July 2007, atBuckingham Palace, Stewart commented: "It's a marvellous occasion. We're the only country in the world to honour the common man."[171] He wasknighted in the2016 Birthday Honours for "services to music and charity".[12]
Stewart was estimated to have a fortune of £215 million in theSunday Times Rich List of 2021, making him the 12th wealthiest person in the British music industry.[172] He lives with his wife in theGrade II listed Durrington House, a £4.65 million property in Essex.[172] During his time in California, he was previously the owner of the modernistWave House, said to have inspiredSydney Opera House.[173]
In February 2023, it was announced that Stewart had paid for a day's worth of MRI scans for patients atPrincess Alexandra Hospital inHarlow in order to aid in reducing waiting lists.[174]
Alastair Wallace Stewart[188] (born 2005 in London)
The couple began dating in 1999 and married in the cloisteredmedieval monastery La Cervara inPortofino on 16 June 2007 and honeymooned on board the yachtLady Ann Magee moored in the Italian port of Portofino.[189]
In reference to his divorces, Stewart was once quoted as saying, "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house."[191]
In January 2020, Stewart and his 39-year-old son Sean were arrested, and both were charged with battery following an incident at a Florida hotel.[192] The case was resolved in 2021, with both Stewarts pleading guilty to simple battery in a plea agreement that included no jail time, no probation, and no fine.[193]
^For many years it was said that Stewart had been born half an hour after a GermanV-2 missile warhead fell on the local Highgate police station.[15]In his 2012 autobiography, Stewart said that was "just one of those legends, fables, and downright lies told in the name of publicity" and that the V-2 hit and his birth were separated by some weeks.[16] There was a deadly V-2 strike very near the southern end of theArchway Road on 5 November 1944,[17][18] some two miles from the Stewart domicile.
^Over the years, considerable backstory has accumulated about Stewart's involvement with Brentford F.C. It was said that he joined on as an apprentice with them,[28][31][32] but disliked the early morning travel toWest London and the daily assignment to clean thefirst team'sboots. His playing effectiveness atcentre-half was supposedly hindered by his slight build – 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) but only 9 stone (130 lb; 57 kg) (126 lbs.) – and he pushed himself so much that he occasionally vomited at the side of thepitch.[28]One biography claimed he was there for two months including pre-season fixtures, that he left the team to the great disappointment of his father, and that he later reflected, "I had the skill but not the enthusiasm."[28] Another biography gave an undated Stewart quote saying he was there for three weeks, paid £8 per seven-day week, but never played in any form.[22] In a 2004Rolling Stone interview, Stewart said he went three or four times a week and did play.[25]In 1995, Brentford Deputy President Eric White was quoted as saying, "He trained with us for a week or two, and he may even have kicked a ball around with the juniors, but there is no record of Rod Stewart ever having signed to Brentford. Unfortunately, nobody at the club remembers his time here."[31] In his 2012 autobiography, Stewart attributes all of this to a tale that took on its own life, partly and deliberately helped by statements he made in interviews, such as to talk show hostMichael Parkinson.[29]
^For many years it was said that Stewart had been a gravedigger at Highgate, partly to face a childhood fear of death.[33] In his 2012 autobiography he said that was a tale he had gone along with, but that in fact he had only measured out plots with string during a couple of Saturdays.[34]
^A much-written-about happenstance, some sources give the date of the Stewart–Baldry rail station meeting as 5 January,[31] some as 7 January (but that may be confusing it with the date of Cyril Davies' death), some imply that it is after 7 January,[53] while some sources give no specific date.
^The demo recordings were later released in 1976, against Stewart's wishes.[57]
^These later surfaced in 1971 as part of Gomelsky'sRock Generation releases onBYG Records; the poorly recorded material has been repackaged asRod Stewart and Steampacket many times since.[62][64]
^"London V2 Rocket Site ... Mapped".Londonist. 12 January 2009. Retrieved10 December 2012. Expand map, click on target icon near Highgate, read entry "Archway 5 November 1944".
^Marcus, Greil.The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll. Second edition; Jim Miller, editor. New York: Random House, 1980,ISBN0-394-51322-3, p. 379.
^“British album certifications – Rod Stewart – The Story So Far". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 August 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Story So Far in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter
Hinman, Doug (2004).The Kinks – All Day and All of the Night: Day-By-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996.Hal Leonard Corporation.ISBN0-87930-765-X.
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