Stewart, Rod

Rod Stewart

Singer, songwriter

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

For nearly two decades Rod Stewart has been one of the most popular male vocalist in contemporary music. From his blues-drenched days with the Jeff Beck Group to the hard-rockin’ boogie of the Faces and on to a middle-of-the-road solo career, Stewart’s raspy vocals have graced over two dozen LPs.

Born into a blue-collar London family in 1945, he worked a number of odd jobs after this schooling, including a stint as a gravedigger and an apprenticeship with the Brentford soccer team, before embarking on a journey through Europe as a wandering minstrel. Shortly after learning to play the banjo from English folksinger Wizz Jones, Stewart was repatriated from Spain for being destitute. Once back in his homeland, Stewart landed a semi-pro singing gig with Jimmy Powell and His Five Dimensions. He recorded a version of “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” for Decca in 1964 before teaming up with Long John Baldry in the Hoochie Coochie Men. After that he sang rhythm and blues with Brian Auger’s Steampacket while building a reputation as Rod the Mod for his stylish outfits. Stewart also recorded a few singles for the Immediate and Columbia labels and sang briefly with Shotgun Express, a band that featured Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood, later of Fleetwood Mac.

Stewart’s first major exposure came in 1968, when he and Ron Wood joined forces with guitarist Jeff Beck, who had quite a following on both sides of the Atlantic from his groundbreaking work in the Yardbirds band. Stewart recorded two albums with Beck, Truth and Beck-Ola (he also continued doing session work with the Python Lee Jackson group), but his undeveloped vocals were overshadowed by Beck’s incredibly forceful playing. Bassist Wood told Guitar Player that “Rod had to play down his role a lot. He was still looking for a role at the time too…. He didn’t quite know what he was trying to do about showmanship either. So whenever he was uncertain, he used to run behind an amplifier and hide.”

In 1969 Beck fired Wood and drummer Mickey Waller. Wood hooked up with the Small Faces and when their singer, Steve Marriott, quit to join Humble Pie, he asked Stewart to take over the vocal chores. After shortening their name to the Faces (Kenny Jones—drums; Ian MacLagan—keyboards; Ronnie Lane—bass; and Wood—guitars), Stewart began recording with them on the Warner Bros. label while also signing a solo contract with Mercury Records. His debut LP, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down (later retitled The Rod Stewart Album), featured acoustic folk songs, rockers, and self-penned originals. His sandpapery voice showed the heavy influence of Sam Cooke and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, especially on the ballads. The

For the Record…

Full name, Roderick David Stewart; born January 10, 1945, in North London, England; father owned a news agents shop in Holloway, England; married Alana Collins, April 6, 1979 (divorced, 1984); children: Alana, Sean; (with Kelly Emberg) Ruby Rachel.

Worked at a variety of jobs before musical career, including gravedigger and soccer player; sang with Jimmy Powell and His Five Dimensions, c. 1964; released first record, 1964; later sang with Long John Baldry’s Hoochie Coochie Men, Brian Auger’s Steampacket, and Shotgun Express; singer with the Jeff Beck Group, 1968–69; singer with the Faces, 1969–76; also appeared and recorded as solo performer, 1969—; songwriter.

Awards: Named rock star of the year by Rolling Stone magazine, 1971; “Tonight’s the Night” selected single of the year in the Rolling Stone Critics’ Poll, 1976.

Addresses: Office—c/o Bill Gaff Management, Hotel Navarro, Suite 705 112, New York, NY 10019. Record company— Warner Bros. Records, 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91510.

Faces’ debut, on the other hand, gave Stewart a chance to cut loose on bluesy rock & roll.

At first, Stewart was more successful in the United States. His second LP, Gasoline Alley, featured “Cut Across Shorty” and “Country Comfort,” which furthered his image as the Everyman who could display his emotions. It was 1971’s Every Picture Tells A Story, however, that made him a superstar. With the beautiful, autobiographical single “Maggie May,” he had both the number 1 album and number 1 single in the U.S. and the U.K., the first time ever in pop history. The LP also included “Mandolin Wind” and a smoking version of the Temptations’ “I’m Losing You.” Of the title cut, Greil Marcus wrote in Rolling Stone, “‘Every Picture Tells A Story’… is the greatest rock & roll recording of the last ten years…. John Lennon once said he wanted to make a record as good as ’Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On’; Rod Stewart did it.” “You Wear It Well,” from his follow-up, Never A Dull Moment, reached number 13 as the LP went gold.

Meanwhile, the Faces were chugging along merrily in their Scottish tartans, gaining noteriety as a party band. Stewart yearned to just be one of the boys and despised it when they were billed as Rod Stewart and the Faces. Their concerts were sloppy good times that earned them the title of “the poor man’s Rolling Stones. Ronnie Lane was replaced by Free’s bassist, Tetsu, in 1973 as Warner Bros, and Mercury battled in court over Stewart’s contract. Sing It Again Rod, a compilation of previous releases, was issued just prior to his final Mercury outing, 1974’s Smiler, which featured two Sam Cooke tunes, “Bring It On Home To Me” and “You Send Me.”

By then Wood had begun a solo career of his own and the future of the Faces looked uncertain. Stewart had publicly slammed their last studio effort together, Ooh La La, while Atlantic Crossing was his first solo LP not to feature any of the Faces. Reports of Stewart “going Hollywood” and his stormy relationship with actress Britt Eklund furthered the distance between him and the group. Recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Atlantic Crossing went gold, containing one fast side and one slow side, which featured “Sailing,” a number 1 hit in England (the country he began avoiding because of their high taxes). On December 18, 1976, Stewart announced that he would play solo exclusively and the breakup of the Faces quickly followed. Wood had been juggling his time between them and the Stones, performing with them on their 1975 tour and later becoming a permanent member.

Stewart’s career continued to soar but critics and fans who knew his rock side were disappointed with his light-weight solo outings. “Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart,” stated Marcus in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. “Rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely.” Regardless, his 1976 LP, A Night On The Town, gave Stewart another number 1 hit, “Tonight’s The Night,” staying on the U.S. charts for eight weeks. But syrupy ballads like the Cat Stevens composition “The First Cut Is The Deepest” and “The Killing Of Georgie” had no place in the world of punk rock, whose disciples denounced Stewart and his rich lifestyle.

Instead of turning around and showing the New Wavers how to burn, Stewart assembled a Face-less band that played less rock than his old mates. Besides that, they scored a number 1 disco hit with “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” from the Blondes Have More Fun LP. Stewart continued in the mellow vein and scored more hits with “Passion” and “Young Turks” on the album Tonight I’m Yours. He employed Jeff Beck in 1984 for Camouflage, which supplied three more top ten tunes: “Infatuation,” “Some Guys Have All The Luck,” and “Love Touch.” Beck was to have played on the tour to support the record but Stewart only wanted to give the guitarist fifteen minutes of stage time. He did return the favor by singing on Beck’s album a year later, adding gut-wrenching vocals to “People Get Ready.”

Selected discography

Solo LPs

An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down, Mercury, 1969 (later retitled The Rod Stewart Album ).

Gasoline Alley, Mercury, 1970.

Every Picture Tells A Story, Mercury, 1971.

Never A Dull Moment, Mercury, 1972.

Sing It Again, Rod, Mercury, 1973.

Smiler, Mercury, 1974.

Atlantic Crossing, Warner Bros., 1975.

The Best of Rod Stewart, Mercury, 1976.

The Best of Rod Stewart, Vol. II, Mercury, 1976.

A Night on the Town, Warner Bros., 1976.

Foot Loose & Fancy Free, Warner Bros., 1976.

Blondes Have More Fun, Warner Bros., 1978.

Greatest Hits, Vol. I, Warner Bros., 1979.

Tonight I’m Yours, Warner Bros., 1981.

Absolutely Live, Warner Bros., 1981.

Camouflage, Warner Bros., 1984.

Oui of Order, Warner Bros., 1988.

With Jeff Beck Group

Truth, Epic, 1968.

Beck-Ola, Epic, 1969.

With Jeff Beck

Get Workin’, Epic, 1985.

With the Faces

The First Step, Warner Bros., 1970.

Long Player, Warner Bros., 1971.

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink…To A Blind Horse, Warner Bros., 1971.

Ooh La La, Warner Bros., 1973.

Coast to Coast/Overture & Beginners (live), Mercury, 1973.

Snakes and Ladders/The Best of Faces, Warner Bros., 1976.

Sources

Books

Christgau, Robert, Christgau’s Record Guide, Ticknor & Fields,1981.

Dalton, David, and Lenny Kaye, Rock 100, Grosset & Dunlap, 1977.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, compiled by Nick Logan and Bob Woffinden, Harmony, 1977.

The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, edited by Jim Miller, Random House/Rolling Stone Press, 1976.

The Rolling Stone Interviews, by the editors of Rolling Stone magazine, Random House/Rolling Stone Press, 1981.

The Rolling Stone Record Guide, edited by Dave Marsh with John Swenson, Random House/Rolling Stone Press, 1979.

Periodicals

Guitar Player, December, 1975.

Guitar World, January, 1985.

Rolling Stone, November 6, 1975; January 29, 1976; April 22, 1976; August 26, 1976; January 13, 1977; February 10, 1977; December 15, 1977; December 29, 1977; April 6, 1978; February 8, 1979.

—Calen D. Stone