Rod Stewart began singing with folk and R&B bands in London in the early 1960s, joining the Jeff Beck Group in 1966. In 1969 the band broke up, and Stewart and Jeff Beck’s bassist, future Rolling Stones member Ron Wood, joined the Small Faces (later changed to the Faces). Stewart signed a solo contract at the same time, which ultimately proved more profitable than the Faces. In 1971 Stewart released his hugely successful third solo album, Every Picture Tells a Story, featuring the classics “Reason to Believe” and “Maggie May.” Stewart left the Faces in ’75 to focus on his solo career, and he released his platinum-selling A Night on the Town in 1976. His 1978 album, Blondes Have More Fun, which contained the hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” had many questioning his artistic credibility. In the 1980s he became notorious for his free-wheeling partying lifestyle, and his career fell into a slump until 1988’s Out of Order.

PHOTO GALLERY: Tartan Army

Reviews

• The Great American Songbook, Volume III
• As Time Goes By…The Great American Songbook Volume II
• Encore: The Very Best Of — Vol. 2
• The Great American Songbook

Features

• Dear Superstar: Rod Stewart
• Goal!

Blogs related to Rod Stewart

• Celebrate Tartan Week!