Alice Stuart (born June 15, 1942 in

Chelan, Washington Chelan ( ) is a city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. The estimated population was 3,850 at the 2010 census with a margin of error of ±15. The population was 4,222 at 2018 Estimate from Office of Financial Management. It lies on ...

, United States) is an American blues and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

singer-songwriter and guitarist. She toured the UK with

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

and throughout the United States with

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He w ...

. Her singing, songwriting, and guitar playing secured her invitations to tour nationally and internationally with

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer and songwriter. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adnopoz, a ...

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

, Jerry Ricks, Phil Ochs, and

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, in addition to television appearances on ''

The Dick Cavett Show ''The Dick Cavett Show'' was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including: * ABC daytime, (March 4, 1968–January 24, 1969) originally titled ''This Morning'' * ABC prime time, Tuesdays, We ...

'' and the ''

Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

''. In addition, Stuart's songs have been recorded by Kate Wolf,

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

, and

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songw ...

Biography

Stuart started taking piano lessons at the age of five. She picked up the guitar at age 18 and also plays banjo, auto harp, parade snare drum, and bass. Stuart's early influences as a musician came from classical music, country artists of the 1940s and 1950s such as

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on ...

, Hank Williams, Buddy Holly,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, Roy Orbison,

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

and

Ivory Joe Hunter Ivory Joe Hunter (October 10, 1914 – November 8, 1974) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, and pianist. After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid-1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recordin ...

, as well as records from the 1920s and 1930s from

Blind Willie McTell Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont b ...

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock a ...

Rabbit Brown Richard "Rabbit" Brown (c. 1880 – 1937) was an American blues guitarist and composer. His music has been characterized as a mixture of blues, pop songs, and original topical ballads. He recorded six sides for Victor Records on March 11, 1 ...

and artist

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. At the age of 22, Stuart played the Berkeley Folk Festival in 1964. She was then invited back by creator/producer Barry Olivier to perform in 1966, and 1970. It was there that she formed a friendship with

, which led to the two touring together. '' Billboard'' magazine reviewed her debut release in 1964 with: "A beautiful new female voice is now on the folk horizon. Its owner's name is Alice Stuart. She sings with a clean freshness that is exciting in its simplicity. A folk find!" In 1964, Alice met Frank Zappa in a Santa Monica, California coffeehouse. By chance as they both were waiting to meet guitarist Steve Mann. She became a member of Zappa's band,

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

, which at the time played mostly blues. Zappa said he wanted to combine certain modal influences into a basically country blues sound. Alice lasted only a few months and did not make any recordings with the Mothers. She left before their debut album ''

Freak Out! ''Freak Out!'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa's ...

''. In 1968 Zappa sarcastically said he fired Alice from the band because she could not play "

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and ...

". However, at the same he also complimented her, saying "she played guitar very well and sang well." On November 28, 1971, Stuart appeared on BBC Television's ''

'', a television program that aired in Europe. In addition to Stuart, a group named Redwing appeared, which among others, featured Timothy B. Schmit (later of

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

). Stuart and Redwing were both on the

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

label. In 1972, Stuart sang the title theme song to the X-rated cartoon movie ''

Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a feline con artist who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began d ...

'', with music done by

Ed Bogas Edgar Noel "Ed" Bogas (born February 2, 1942), sometimes credited as Edward Bogas, is an American musician and composer whose work has been featured in films, animations, and video games. Career Bogas' contributions span four decades and several ...

. On January 2, 1973, Stuart appeared on ''

'', hosted at the time by

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercu ...

. Other guests on the show included

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...

and

Jimmy Breslin James Earle Breslin (October 17, 1928 – March 19, 2017) was an American journalist and author. Until the time of his death, he wrote a column for the New York ''Daily News'' Sunday edition.''Current Biography 1942'', pp. 648–51: "Patterson, ...

. During this time, she also performed with Rosalie Sorrells, Jack Elliott, Doc Watson, Jerry Ricks, Phil Ochs, and Joan Baez. In 1974, Alice sat in with Fantasy Records label-mates, Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders, several times, including at The Lion's Share in

San Anselmo, California San Anselmo () is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet (14 m). It is located about north of San Francisco. The town is bordered by San Rafael ...

. ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and politica ...

'' magazine featured an article on Stuart in 1974, titled, "Well, so much for 'Mary Hamilton'". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' profiled Stuart in 1975 in a feature, "Guitars of the Stars", where she was mentioned alongside

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...

Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his ...

David Bromberg David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock a ...

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

, Bonnie Raitt, and

. In the autumn 2006, Stuart contributed her song "Highway" to the album project Artists for Charity – '' Guitarists 4 the Kids'', produced by Slang Productions, to assist World Vision Canada in helping underprivileged kids in need. Currently, she lives in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

area and tours with her band, The Formerlys, which consists of Marc Willett, who was in

The Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the '' Billboard'' charts for six weeks and ...

from 1984 to 1992, and Steven Flynn, formerly of

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

's band and Jr. Cadillac.

Discography

Solo albums

* 1964: ''All The Good Times'' ( Arhoolie) * 1970: ''Full Time Woman'' (

/ America Records) * 1972: ''Believing'' (Fantasy) * 2000: ''Crazy with the Blues'' (Country con Fusion) * 2002: ''Can't Find No Heaven'' – (Burnside Distribution) * 2006: ''Live at the Triple Door'' (Country con Fusion) * 2007: ''Freedom'' (Country con Fusion)

Singles

* 1970: "Freedom's The Sound" / "Full Time Woman" (America Records) * 1973: "Believe In Someone" / "Golden Rocket" (Fantasy)

As composer

* 1971: Grootna – ''Grootna'' ( Columbia) – track 6, "Full Time Woman" * 1972:

– '' Jackie'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

) – track 6, "Full Time Woman" * 1975:

Doris Duke Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, art collector, horticulturalist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious l ...

– ''Woman'' ( Scepter) – track 9, "Full Time Woman" * 1976: Jimmy Rabbitt And Renegade – ''Jimmy Rabbitt And Renegade'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

) – track 8, "I Lose Control"

References

Other sources

* ''Flatpicking Guitar'' magazine cover story, March/April 2008 * Music legend can still rock in concert (''

King County Journal ''The King County Journal'' was a newspaper published in Kent, Washington, United States. It was formed in 2002 as a combination of the old ''Valley Daily News'' of Kent and the ''Journal-American'' of Bellevue, which merged when they were bought ...

'', Bellevue, WA, May 2006) * Blues veteran brings wealth of experience (''

Hobart Mercury ''The'' ''Mercury'' is a daily newspaper, published in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, by Davies Brothers Pty Ltd (DBL), a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of News Corp. The weekend issues of the paper are called ''Mercury ...

'', Australia, January 2004) * ''Relix'' magazine, February 2003 * ''Dirty Linen'', February 2003 * ''Acoustic Guitar'' magazine, February 2003 * Blues guitarist Alice Stuart to play in Salem (''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

'', June 2002) * Alice Stuart is back for more blues ('' The Record'', New Jersey, April 2001) * The Mediocrity Predicament: Alice Stuart and Snake, ''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

'', March 1974) * '' The Daily Review'', April 1975 * ''

'' CD review, 1971 * '' Billboard'' CD review, 1964

External links

* * *
Seattle blues woman itching to get back on road
– '' Seattle Times'', January 2008
Stuart makes the shift from sweet folk singer to hot blues guitarist
– ''

Seattle Post Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was foun ...

'', January 2006
All set for an encore: Alice Stuart's back, after a blues-song life
– ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...

'', April 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Alice 1942 births Living people American blues guitarists American blues singer-songwriters American folk musicians Singer-songwriters from Washington (state) Guitarists from Washington (state) 20th-century American guitarists People from Chelan, Washington 20th-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women