John Coburn Stewart (September 5, 1939 – January 19, 2008) was an American songwriter and singer. He is known for his contributions to the

American folk music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...

movement of the 1960s while with

the Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

(1961–1967) and as a

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

songwriter of

the Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

' No. 1 hit "

Daydream Believer "Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard ...

" and his own No. 5 hit "

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

" during a solo career spanning 40 years that included almost four dozen albums and more than 600 recorded songs.

Early life

Born in San Diego, Stewart was the son of horse trainer John S. Stewart and spent his childhood and adolescence in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

, living mostly in the cities of Pasadena and Claremont. He graduated in 1957 from

Pomona Catholic High School Pomona Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic, co-ed middle school and all-girls high school in Pomona, California, established in 1898. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It is a part of the tri-school comm ...

, which at the time was a coeducational school. Following graduation from high school, John went on to attend Mt. San Antonio Junior College in Pomona, California, during 1957–1958, when he was active in its music and theater programs. He demonstrated an early talent for music, learning the guitar and banjo. He composed his first song, "Shrunken Head Boogie," when he was ten years old. In an interview in Michael Oberman's Music makers column (The Washington, DC Star Newspaper) on 30 October 1971, Stewart said, "I bought a ukulele when I was in Pasadena. I would listen to Sons of the Pioneers records.

Tex Ritter Woodward Maurice Ritter (January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974) was a pioneer of American country music, a popular singer and actor from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter acting family (son John, grandsons Jason and ...

really turned me on to music. 'I Love My Rooster' was Top Ten as far as I was concerned."

Musical career

Stewart's first venture into popular music was with a high school

garage band Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

known as Johnny Stewart and the Furies. Influenced by the reigning icons of the day,

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 ...

and Buddy Holly, the Furies toured southern California colleges and coffee houses, releasing one single, "Rockin' Anna," which was a minor, regional hit. Following the breakup of the Furies and a short time as a member of the Woodsmen, Stewart teamed up with

Gil Robbins Gilbert Lee "Gil" Robbins (April 3, 1931April 5, 2011) was an American folk singer, folk musician and actor. Robbins was a former member of the folk band, The Highwaymen. The ''New York Times'' described Robbins as a "fixture on the folk-music ...

(father of actor Tim Robbins) and John Montgomery to form the Cumberland Three, a group patterned after, and heavily influenced by, the increasingly popular Kingston Trio. The major accomplishment of the Cumberland Three was a two-LP set of '' Songs from the Civil War'', with the albums containing a compilation of songs from the Confederacy and the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, respectively. In all, the Cumberland Three released three albums, after which Stewart left the group to join the Kingston Trio, replacing Trio founder

Dave Guard Donald David Guard (October 19, 1934 – March 22, 1991) was an American folk singer, songwriter, arranger and recording artist. Along with Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane, he was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio. Guard was born in ...

in 1961.

Kingston Trio years

The

Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

had emerged from the relatively crowded San Francisco

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

culture in 1957, using a mixture of calypso, pop, and folk styles, along with several forms of comedy, in their act. Relying on new pop-oriented arrangements of folk music classics as well as some original compositions, the Trio earned their first

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

with " Tom Dooley" and thereby launched a major revival in folk music that led to and influenced the careers of

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 ...

, Peter, Paul, & Mary, and John Denver, among others. The group had become one of the best-known and best-selling acts on the folk music scene and were enjoying a lucrative recording and touring contract with Capitol Records, having ten albums under their collective belts, when Dave Guard departed the group in 1961 to explore other musical directions. Stewart was selected by the remaining members

Nick Reynolds Nicholas Wells Reynolds (July 27, 1933 – October 1, 2008) was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose folk and folk-style material captured international attention du ...

and Bob Shane as Guard's successor, bringing with him his respected skills as a musician, composer, and performer. Reynolds, Shane, and Stewart recorded a dozen albums together, taking the music of the Trio into new directions, including more original material, and performing songs by relative newcomers Tom Paxton,

Mason Williams Mason Douglas Williams (born August 24, 1938) is an American classical guitarist, composer, singer, writer, comedian, and poet, best known for his 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas" and for his work as a comedy writer on ''The Smothers Brothers ...

and Gordon Lightfoot. The pop-folk era began to wane as the music of groups such as

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, and fellow Californians

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

increasingly dominated the charts, and in 1967 the members of the Kingston Trio decided to disband.

Solo career, the post-Trio years

Stewart continued to write songs and record for Capitol, while touring as a solo act. It was during this time that he composed the hit "

" for

, which was a hit for Anne Murray as well, and the closest Stewart came to writing a "

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

". He later toured with

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

's ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign and met and married in 1975 fellow folk singer Buffy Ford (with whom he remained until his death). He recorded a string of albums, including his signature album, ''

California Bloodlines ''California Bloodlines'' is the second album by folk musician John Stewart, former member of the Kingston Trio. This record, which was considered by many to be Stewart's signature album, was recorded in Nashville. Stewart used some of the same ...

'', as well as '' Willard'', '' Cannons in the Rain'', and ''

Wingless Angels ''Wingless Angels'' is an album released in 1975 and it is the eighth album by folk musician John Stewart, former member of the Kingston Trio. Track listing All compositions by John Stewart except where noted. Side one # "Hung on the Heart ...

''. Though usually successful with critics and a core group of fans, Stewart's albums were not considered commercial successes; he left Capitol after only two solo releases and was signed by Warner Bros. Records, where he also recorded just two albums before moving on to

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, with whom he released three LPs (including a live performance album, '' The Phoenix Concerts''). Stewart followed his release from RCA with a contract at the

Robert Stigwood Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream (band), Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions ...

organization, the same organization that serviced the recording contracts for Eric Clapton, the Bee Gees, as well as several other disco performers. It was at

RSO Records RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. RSO managed the careers of several ma ...

that Stewart enjoyed his most commercially successful years as a solo artist. Teaming up with Stevie Nicks and

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...

(then in Fleetwood Mac), Stewart recorded and released ''

Bombs Away Dream Babies ''Bombs Away Dream Babies'' is an album by John Stewart that was released by RSO Records in 1979. The album peaked at No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' album chart and yielded three Top 40 singles: "Gold" (No. 5), "Midnight Wind" (No. 28), and "Lost ...

'', which made it to #10 on ''Billboards album chart and included the #5 hit, "

," in 1979. (Perhaps fittingly, considering the song's cynical attitude, Stewart later stopped performing "Gold" in concert, calling it "vapid" and "empty". The artist further claimed the tune meant nothing to him, having done it for the money and to please his record company.) Two other tracks from ''Bombs Away'', "Midnight Wind" and "Lost Her in the Sun", also hit the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

, making Stewart a sudden pop star at the age of 40. However, the follow-up album, ''

Dream Babies Go Hollywood ''Dream Babies Go Hollywood'' is a studio album released in 1980 by folk musician John Stewart, former member of the Kingston Trio. This was Stewart's first studio album since '' Bombs Away Dream Babies'', his biggest commercial success as a so ...

'' (1980), proved to be a commercial disappointment, hitting only #85 on the album chart. None of the singles from that LP (or any of his subsequent albums) made the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

, though Stewart continued to perform right up to the time of his death.

Later years

Stewart's later and most significant success was as a songwriter. Several of his songs were recorded by a number of popular acts, including

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award f ...

("Sweet Dreams Will Come"),

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...

("Runaway Train", "Dance with the Tiger"),

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 ...

("Strange Rivers"). He also continued to record new material, producing CDs on his own "Neon Dreams" label in between commercial releases. They usually coincided with one of his tours. His last album was '' The Day the River Sang'' in 2006. In his later years, Stewart teamed up with former Kingston Trio member Nick Reynolds to offer fans the ultimate Trio Fantasy: performing for and with Stewart and Reynolds. In 2005 and 2006 Bob Shane attended and performed a few songs with Stewart and Reynolds at the Trio ''Fantasy Camp'', which is held annually in Scottsdale, Arizona. A tape of Stewart's 1969 song "Mother Country" from ''California Bloodlines'' was played on the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

during its return to Earth. The production team of CNN's 2019 film "

" heard the song while listening to archival footage of the flight and included a blend of the astronaut's tape with the original studio recording of the tune in the soundtrack as the craft approached the Earth's atmosphere. In 2001, Stewart was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Folk Music Association.

Personal life

Stewart had a passion for painting, doing art shows and covers for his recordings and books. He continued to be a prolific songwriter and toured the United States and Europe regularly. He resided in Marin County, California with his wife,

Buffy Ford Stewart Buffy Ford Stewart is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She is best known for her solo work, and her work with John Stewart. Biography Buffy Ford and John Stewart Buffy and John met in 1967 when John left the Kingston Trio and soug ...

. Stewart's brother Mike, who died in 2002, founded the folk-rock group

We Five We Five was a 1960s folk rock musical group based in San Francisco, California. Their best-known hit was their 1965 remake of Ian & Sylvia's " You Were on My Mind", which reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart, #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and ...

in the mid 1960s. He was the uncle of Jamie Stewart of the band

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of Stewart (the only constant member since formation) and Angela Seo. The band's name co ...

Death

In 2007, Stewart was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, but resolved to continue performing for as long as he was able. On January 19, 2008, he died from a stroke at a San Diego hospital, ten days before a scheduled performance in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 68 years old. In addition to his wife, Buffy, he was survived by their son Luke, along with three children from a previous marriage: Amy, Jeremy, and Mikael (a sound technician).

Discography

The Cumberland Three

*''Folk Scene U.S.A.'', 1960 *''Civil War Almanac - "Yankees" Vol. 1'', 1960 *''Civil War Almanac - "Rebels" Vol. 2'', 1960

The Kingston Trio

Solo

*'' Signals Through the Glass'', John Stewart and Buffy Ford, 1968 *''

'', 1969 #193 *'' Willard'', 1970 *'' The Lonesome Picker Rides Again'', 1971 *'' Sunstorm'', 1972 *'' Cannons in the Rain'', 1973 #202 *'' The Phoenix Concerts'', 1974 *''

'', 1975 *'' Fire in the Wind'', 1977 *''

'', 1979 *''Gold'', 1979 (compilation) *'' John Stewart in Concert'', version of Phoenix Concerts, 1980 *'' Forgotten Songs of Some Old Yesterday'', 1980 *''

'', 1980 *'' Blondes'', 1982 *'' Revenge of the Budgie'', John Stewart and Nick Reynolds, 1983 *'' Trancas'', 1984 *''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

'', 1984 *''The Last Campaign'', 1985 *''Punch the Big Guy'', 1987 *''The Complete Phoenix Concerts, 1990 *''American Sketches (re-release of Centennial), 1990 *''Deep in the Neon'', 1991 *''Neon Beach'', 1991 *''Bullets in the Hour Glass'', 1992 *''American Originals'', 1992 *''Chilly Winds'', 1993 *''Airdream Believer'', 1995 *''Bandera'', 1995 *''Turning Music into Gold - The Best of John Stewart'', 1995 *''American Journey ox: The Last Campaign, The Trio Years, An American Folk Song Anthology', 1996 *''The Trio Years, 1996 *'' An American Folk Song Anthology, 1996 *''Live at The Turf Inn, Scotland'', John Stewart and Buffy Ford, 1996 *''Rough Sketches'', 1997 *''Teresa and the Lost Songs'', 1998 *''One Night in Denver'', 1998 *''Gold'', 1999 *''John Stewart & Darwins Army'', 1999 *''Rocket Roy in the Real World'', 1999 *''Way Too Much Fun'', 2000 *''Buster'', 2000 *''Wires from the Bunker'', 2000 *''Savannah'', 2000 *''Johnny Moonlight'', 2000 *''Front Row Music: Before the War'', 2001 *''Armstrong'', 2001 *''The Americans'', 2002 *''A Night at Jimmy Duke's - Johnny and the Nasty Britches'', 2002 *''The Runner'', 2002 *''Secret Tapes'', 2002 *''Ballads'', 2003 *''Havana'', 2003 *''Tanforan'', 2003 *''Earth Rider'', 2003 *''Songs to Drive By'', 2003 *''The Complete Blondes'', 2003 *''The Day the River Sang'', 2006 *''An Introduction to John Stewart (California Bloodlines + Willard)'', 2006 *''Bite My Foot'', 2009 *''

The Amazing ZigZag Concert The Amazing Zig Zag Concert was a rock concert held at The Roundhouse on April 28, 1974 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Zig Zag Magazine. Described as "one of the gigs of the decade", the concert "has taken on legendary proportions over the ...

'', 2010 (Disc 3 of 5-CD box set, recorded in April, 1974) *''Summer's Child'', 2012 (Radio show broadcast live from Ebbet's Field, Denver, Colorado, 1975) *''One Night in Prescott'', 2016 *''Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos'', 2020

References

External links

The Kingston Trio
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, John 1939 births 2008 deaths American banjoists American folk singers American folk-pop singers American male singer-songwriters Musicians from San Diego Singer-songwriters from California Capitol Records artists Warner Records artists RCA Records artists RSO Records artists Polydor Records artists 20th-century American singers Deaths from intracranial aneurysm 20th-century American male singers Shanachie Records artists The Kingston Trio members