Rod Stewart
 Born Roderick David Stewart on 10 January 1945 in Highgate,
London, to Scottish parents, Rod became the leading UK rock star
of the 70s. Stewart started his career as an apprentice
professional with Brentford Football Club (over the years Stewart
has often made it known that football is his second love).
Following a spell roaming Europe with folk artist Wizz Jones in
the early 60s he returned to join Jimmy Powell And The Five
Dimensions in 1963. This frantic R&B band featured Rod playing
furious harmonica, reminiscent of James Cotton and Little
Walter.
As word got out, he was attracted to London and was hired by Long
John Baldry in his band The Hoochie Coochie Men (formerly
Cyril Davies' All Stars). Without significant success outside the
club scene, the Baldry band disintegrated and evolved into Steampacket,
with Baldry, Stewart, Brian
Auger, Julie Driscoll, Mickey Waller and Rick Brown.
Following a television documentary on the swinging mod scene,
featuring Stewart, he collected his moniker "Rod the
Mod". In 1965, he joined the blues-based Shotgun
Express as joint lead vocalist with Beryl
Marsden. The impressive line-up included Peter Green, Mick
Fleetwood and (future Camel founder) Peter
Bardens.
By the following year, Stewart was well-known in R&B and
blues circles, but it was joining the Jeff
Beck Group that gave him national exposure. During his tenure
with Beck he recorded two important albums, Truth (1968)
and Beck- Ola (1969) and made a number of gruelling tours
of America. When the group broke up (partly through exhaustion)
Stewart and Ron Wood joined The Faces, now
having lost their smallest face, Steve Marriott.
 Simultaneously, Stewart had been signed as a solo artist to
Phonogram Records, and he managed to juggle both careers expertly
over the next six years. Though critically well-received, his
first album sold only moderately; it was Gasoline Alley
that made the breakthrough.
Stewart became a superstar on the strength of his next two
albums, Every Picture Tells A Story and Never A Dull
Moment. Taken as one body of work, they represent Stewart at
his best. His choice and exemplary execution of non-originals gave
him numerous hits from these albums including Reason To Believe
(Tim Hardin), I'm Losing You (The Temptations) and Angel
(Jimi Hendrix). His own classics were the irresistible
chart-topping magnum opus Maggie May and the wonderful You
Wear It Well, all sung in his now familiar frail, hoarse
voice.
In the mid-70s, following the release of the below average Smiler,
Stewart embarked on a relationship with the actress Britt Ekland.
Besotted with her, he allowed her to dictate his sense of dress,
and for a while appeared in faintly ludicrous dungarees made out
of silk and ridiculous jump suits. At the same time he became the
darling of the magazine and gutter press, a reputation he
unwillingly maintained through his succession of affairs with
women.
Atlantic Crossing was his last critical success for many
years. It included the future football crowd anthem and number 1
hit, Sailing (written by Gavin Sutherland), and a fine
reading of Dobie Gray's Drift Away.
To a background of reports that he owed the Inland Revenue
£750,000 Rod announced he was permanently relocating to
California, where he applied for US citizenship. Later in 1975,
during a stopover in the UK on his way to Europe, he refused to
leave the airport's international departure lounge to avoid
setting foot on British soil . . .
His albums throughout the second half of the 70s were patchy
affairs although they became phenomenally successful, selling
millions, in many cases topping the charts world-wide. The
high-spots during this glitzy phase, which saw him readily embrace
the prevalent disco era, were The
Killing Of Georgie, The First Cut Is The Deepest, Tonight's
The Night and You're In My Heart. In 1978, Rod topped
the UK charts with his future evergreen Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
. Two months later he repeated this success in the USA.
Stewart entered the 80s newly married to George Hamilton's
ex-wife, Alana, and maintained his momentum of regular hits and
successful albums. His large body of fans ensured a chart placing
irrespective of the quality. The 80s also saw Stewart jet-setting
all over the world, with the press rarely far from his heels
(covering his marriage break-up, his long relationship with Kelly
Emberg, and the unceasing round of parties).
Behind the jack-the-lad persona was an artist who still had a
good ear for a quality song, a talent which surfaced throughout
the decade with numbers like How Long, Some Guys Have
All The Luck (Robert Palmer) and, reunited with Jeff
Beck, a superb performance of Curtis
Mayfield's People Get Ready. His biggest hits of the
80s were What Am I Gonna Do?, Every Beat Of My Heart
and Baby Jane.
As the 90s got under way Stewart, now re-married (again),
indicated that he had settled down and found an enduring love at
last (this was not to be the case). His new guise did not affect
his record sales; in April 1991 he was high on the UK chart with Rhythm
Of My Heart and had the best selling Vagabond Heart. Unplugged
And Seated in 1993 boosted his credibility with an exciting
performance of familiar songs.
A new album in 1995 was his best for years and during the
launch Stewart undertook some interviews which were both revealing
and hilarious. The once seemingly pompous rock star, dressed to
the nines in baggy silks was really "Rod the Mod" after
all.
Rod Stewart, one of the biggest superstars of the century,
turned 50 without his audience diminishing in any way. His
credibility as high as it had ever been, Stewart then released When
We Were The New Boys, debuting at UK number 2 in June 1998. On
the album Stewart covered newer material by 90s bands including
Skunk Anansie (Weak), Primal Scream (Rocks) and
Oasis (Cigarettes & Alcohol). He also revisited The
Faces on the single Ooh La La, originally sung by Ron
Wood on the album of the same name.
Stewart subsequently moved to Atlantic Records, although his
debut for the label was delayed by voice-threatening throat
surgery. Easy and smooth, Human was his most soulful album
to date. It received only lukewarm reviews from the critics, yet
was loved by the cognoscenti. In February 2002 Stewart left the
WEA conglomerate after 25 years, signing a new recording contract
with Clive Davis' J Records.
The first project was a stab at the great American songbook,
previously defined by Frank Sinatra and Ella
Fitzgerald. The album was a huge commercial success in America
and prompted a second instalment, released in November 2003.
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