Jermaine Stewart | |
|---|---|
 Stewart in a 1980s promotional photo | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Jermaine Stewart |
| Born | (1957-09-07)September 7, 1957 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 1997(1997-03-17) (aged 39) Homewood, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B,pop,soul,funk,dance |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, dancer |
| Years active | 1977–1997 |
| Labels | Arista Records,Reprise Records |
William Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an AmericanR&B singer, best known for his 1986 hit single "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off", which peaked at number five on theBillboard Hot 100. It also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada (at number two), Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. His 1987 song "Say It Again" reached number seven in the United Kingdom.
William Jermaine Stewart was born in Columbus, Ohio,[1] to Ethel and Eugene Stewart. In 1972, his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Stewart took his first steps toward a career in entertainment. Eventually, he gained recognition as a dancer on the locally produced television showSoul Train. While working there he befriended two otherSoul Train dancers, fellow ChicagoanJody Watley andJeffrey Daniel.
AfterSoul Train relocated to Los Angeles, the three friends auditioned to become members of the groupShalamar, which was put together bySoul Train creatorDon Cornelius and booking agentDick Griffey. Watley and Daniel were selected for the group as backup/semi-lead vocalists, and Stewart lost out to Gary Mumford during his audition for lead vocalist. However, Stewart toured with the new group as a dancer for several years.
While in London for a show, he metMikey Craig ofCulture Club. Realizing that Stewart was a talented singer, Craig helped him in putting together a demo tape, and Stewart was given the opportunity to sing background vocals on Culture Club's song "Miss Me Blind". As a result of the combination of a strong demo and his ties with Culture Club, he landed a recording contract withArista Records.
Stewart saw some success with the single "The Word Is Out" fromthe album of the same name. The album peaked at number 90 on the USBillboard 200 albums chart, and number 30 on the US R&B Albums chart. Stewart's next album was 1986'sFrantic Romantic, which included theBillboard Hot 100 top ten song "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off". The song was a global hit, peaking within the top ten of the charts in Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. A second single, "Jody", was released, the inspiration being his friend Jody Watley, which reached the US R&B top twenty.Frantic Romantic was Stewart's most successful selling album, peaking at number 34 in the US.
In 1987, he appeared in the video "Never Say Never" byDeniece Williams.
Stewart's third album was entitledSay It Again, with production handled largely byAndré Cymone.[2] Supported by international live dates with his band The Party, the title track "Say It Again" became Stewart's second US Top 40Billboard hit,[3] and also reached the USR&B Top 10. In theUK Singles Chart it reached number 7,[4] which helped the album achieve its Top 40 status.
The next three singles were all remixed byPhil Harding.[5] "Get Lucky" (UK No. 13), "Don't Talk Dirty to Me" (UK No. 61), and "Is It Really Love?" found success in Europe, particularly in Germany, where "Don't Talk Dirty to Me" was one of the top five selling singles of 1988.
"They all charted and did really well," recalled Harding of the remixed tracks. "There was barely a brief [from the record company], beyond, 'Do your thing guys.' And then it was us taking the assumption, that since thePWL sound is all over the radio, let's make it more PWL."[5]
Stewart's fourth and final album under contract with Arista Records wasWhat Becomes a Legend Most. The album failed to make an impact in America while the lead single "Tren de Amor" just reached the top 100 in the UK. "Tren de Amor" was featured on the soundtrack to the movieShe Devil. In 1989, Stewart sang "Hot and Cold", co-written byAndy Summers, which was featured over the opening credits of the filmWeekend at Bernie's. "Hot and Cold" was released as a single on 7" as well as cassette, the single includes "Search for Love" which is the first appearance of this song written by Stewart and Roy Carter, it was later released as "Search" on the "Is It Really Love?" single.
In 1991, Stewart teamed up withChicago producer Jesse Saunders for his last recorded work, an album forReprise Records,Set Me Free. The title track "Set Me Free" was released as a single in the US, but sold poorly. The album remained unreleased as of 2021.
Shortly before his death, Stewart returned to the studio to record a new album titledBelieve in Me. Although the album was not completed, the finished tracks were released on the 2005 compilationAttention: A Tribute to Jermaine Stewart, which was released under BFG Records (which is owned by Stewart's brother).
The 2007 song "Clothes Off!!" byGym Class Heroes interpolated Stewart's signature song "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off". On October 18, 2010,Cherry Red Records re-issued his albumFrantic Romantic on CD for the first time since 1986. It includes bonus tracks, most notable of which are the 12" mixes of "Jody" and "Dance Floor", making their CD debut.
In 2011, the song "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" was used in aCadbury advertisement in the UK called 'The Charity Shop'.[6] This exposed the song to a new generation who downloaded the track, and returned it to theUK Singles Chart peaking at No. 29.[7]
Stewart died of AIDS-relatedliver cancer on March 17, 1997, at age 39 in the Chicago suburb ofHomewood, Illinois.[8] His burial site was left without a grave marker for more than 17 years. In 2014, his grave finally received a stone, paid for by the Stewart family.[9]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] | US R&B [11] | UK [12][13] | |||
| 1984 | The Word Is Out | 90 | 30 | — | |
| 1986 | Frantic Romantic | 34 | 31 | 49 | |
| 1988 | Say It Again | 98 | 45 | 32 | |
| 1989 | What Becomes a Legend Most | — | — | — | |
| 1992 | Set Me Free(unreleased) | — | — | — | |
| 2005 | Attention: A Tribute to Jermaine Stewart | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 [14] | US Dance [15] | US R&B [16] | AUS [17] | BEL [18] | CAN [19] | GER [20] | NLD [21] | NOR [22] | NZ [23] | SWI [24] | UK [13][12] | ||||
| 1984 | "The Word Is Out" | 41 | 4 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 144 | The Word Is Out | |
| "Get Over It" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1985 | "I Like It" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 195 | ||
| 1986 | "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" | 5 | 41 | 64 | 37 | 10 | 2 | — | 13 | — | 27 | — | 2 | Frantic Romantic | |
| "Jody" | 42 | 9 | 18 | — | — | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | |||
| "Don't Ever Leave Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 76 | |||
| 1987 | "Say It Again" | 27 | — | 15 | — | 31 | — | — | 27 | 10 | — | — | 7 | Say It Again | |
| 1988 | "Get Lucky" | — | 12 | 69 | — | 10 | — | 6 | 14 | — | — | 6 | 13 | ||
| "Don't Talk Dirty to Me" | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 14 | 61 | |||
| 1989 | "Is It Really Love?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Hot and Cold" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Weekend at Bernie's (soundtrack) | ||
| "Tren de Amor" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 97 | What Becomes a Legend Most | ||
| 1990 | "Every Woman Wants To" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 95 | ||
| 1992 | "Set Me Free" | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Single only | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |