b. 5 September 1939, San Diego, California, USA, d. 19 January 2008, San Diego, California, USA. Stewart’s musical career began in the 50s when, as frontman of the rock ‘n’ roll band the Furies, he recorded ‘Lorraine’/‘Rockin’ Anna’ for a tiny independent label. Having discovered folk music, Stewart began performing with college friend John Montgomery, but achieved wider success as a songwriter when several of his compositions, including ‘Molly Dee’ and ‘Green Grasses’, were recorded by the Kingston Trio. Indeed, the artist joined this prestigious group in 1961, following his spell in the similar-sounding Cumberland Three with Montgomery and Gil Robbins. Stewart left the Kingston Trio in 1967. His reputation was enhanced when a new composition, ‘Daydream Believer’, became a number 1 hit for the Monkees, and this dalliance with pop continued when the artist contributed ‘Never Goin’ Back’ to a disintegrating Lovin’ Spoonful on their final album. In 1968, Stewart was joined by singer Buffy Ford, whom he would marry in 1975. Together they completed Signals Through The Glass, before the former resumed his solo path with the excellent California Bloodlines. This country-inspired collection established Stewart’s sonorous delivery and displayed a view of America which, if sometimes sentimental, was both optimistic and refreshing. It was a style the performer would continue over a series of albums which, despite critical approval, achieved only moderate success.
Stewart’s fortunes were upturned in 1979 when a duet with Stevie Nicks, ‘Gold’, became a US Top 5 hit. The attendant Bombs Away Dream Babies, featured assistance from Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsay Buckingham and, although markedly different in tone to its predecessors, the set augured well for the future. However, despite contributions from Linda Ronstadt and Phil Everly, the 1980 follow-up, Dream Babies Go Hollywood, proved an anti-climax. Stewart subsequently turned from commercial pursuits and resumed a more specialist direction with a series of low-key recordings for independent companies including Shanachie, Cypress, Line, Folk Era, Feegie, Laserlight, Appleseed, and his own Homecoming Records and Neon Dreams labels. His prolific output in the 90s included several cassette releases and home-burned CDs, and he toured regularly with guitarist John Hoke, bass player Dave Batti, and drummer Dennis Kensmore. Together with his wife Buffy, Dave Crossland and Hoke, he formed Darwin’s Army in 1999. In the new millennium he worked with former Kingston Trio colleague Nick Reynolds. Stewart passed away suddenly in January 2008 after suffering a massive stroke.
