The History Of Rod Stewart
A Brief History Of Rod Stewart.
HOT LEGS
Rod Stewart being discovered by Long John Baldry in 1964 while playing blues harp drunk at Twickenham station in London, England, has long passed into the annals of rock history.
Rod's journey to fame began in Baldry's Hoochie Coochie Men, which after re-forming as Steampacket added 1960's British matriarch Judy Driscoll to the front line. Rod shared lead vocals & played harmonica as well as the banjo. Steampacket sported such luminaries as Brian Auger (keyboards), Ronnie Wood (bass), Mick Fleetwood (drums), Elton John and Keith Richard's. He was in good company for his future rockin' role in the music scene.
Things went fairly fast for our Rod. After a year in Steam packet, he became lead singer in the Jeff Beck Group. 2 LPs were released, each with Stewart-penned originals. While still with Jeff Beck, Rod signed with Mercury Records and released his first solo album.
His next move was to The Faces who recorded 6 LPs, including A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse (`71) and "Stay With Me". In the same year Rod released the best selling album Every Picture Tells A Story, which made musical history as the first record to go to #1 in the UK and US simultaneously. Its first single, "Maggie May" b/w "Reason to Believe", was the 2nd record to do so. Rod continued to match each Faces release with an album of his own. Rod Stewart solo releases consistently did better on the charts.
These were the years when Rock `n' Roll was king. Rod penned classic tunes with Ron Wood ("Maggie May") and Martin Quittenton ("Every Picture Tells A Story") as well as covering songs by other great rock acts of the time, like "Sweet Little Rock & Roller" (Chuck Berry), "Twisting The Night Away" (Sam Cooke), and "Losing You" (The Temptations).
The Faces as a band would never fulfill its potential due to a bitter breakup. Ronnie Wood, having switched to guitar in the Faces, left in 1975 to join the Rolling Stones. Rod Stewart the solo artist was in full swing, and over the next 25 years would become a household name in 132 countries. Today he can claim 96 Top Ten hits spanning 35 albums, and has sold in excess of 250 million pieces of plastic. It has been said that of his greatest hits the best were those he wrote himself ("Forever Young", "I Was Only Joking", "You're In My Heart"), but some of the cover tunes have also now become Rod Stewart classics: "Reason To Believe" (Tim Hardin), "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (Van Morrison). A good ear for a hit is what counts.
On January 10, 2001, Rod Stewart celebrated his 56th year on the planet and 38 years in the music business. What a great achievement for any professional who has worked his way up from busking on the street: collecting your entire pension in one job.
Tonight we present a musical journey through Roderick David Stewart's career, from his 1970 solo debut to the 1999 CD When We Were The New Boys - Rod's retrospective album of cover songs in the style of The Faces.
Morag Makin keyboards (Ladies first - or else)
Mike White guitar (Ronnie Wood look alike …if Ronnie had red hair & put on a few kilos)
Ciro bass (Ronnie Wood look alike …if Ronnie had a red bass & lost a few kilos)
Matt Robinson drums (Being only 20 years old and who's Ronnie Wood? )
Vinnie Green vocals (Now if he could only get the words right we would be in business)
We the band wish you a memorable evening of entertainment. Thank you for your support.