Rod Stewart

British musician Rod Stewart (full name Roderick David Stewart) was born in 1945 in the capital of England. He began studying how to play the guitar at the age of eleven, but for some time Rod had been thinking seriously about the career of a professional football player. Nevertheless later Stewart understood that he wanted to become a part of the world of music. Thereby in late fifties Rod started to improve his guitar skills and soon after that he formed the skiffle-band together with his school friends. The important feature of that style was the simplicity: group members did not have to be experienced musicians and the complex musical theory was not the obligatory element as well.

Stewart was one of the founders of The Ray Davies Quartet that later was renamed into The Kinks. That band launched the subculture of Mods and the signature sound predetermined the development of British and world rock. The Kinks released the single You Really Got Me in 1964 and it immediately peaked at the top of British chart: the group was gaining the popularity. A bit later Rod became a member of the famous band The Jeff Beck Group, whose debut album Truth (1968) was very well received by the listeners. The following long play Beck-Ola (1969) proved to be as interesting as its predecessor, however The Jeff Beck Group was disbanded (Jeff Beck reformed his band with the new line-up in 1970). Later Stewart noted that participation in The Jeff Beck Group had a huge influence on him and helped to invent his style.

In late sixties Rod joined The Faces, but at the same time he found strength for the solo career – his debut record titled An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down saw the light in 1969 and it attracted music lovers’ attention due to interesting and distinctive sound. Stewart had plenty of ideas that he successfully realized in the following works: Gasoline Alley (1970), Every Picture Tells A Story (1971) and in many others. Numerous fans really enjoyed Rod’s creativity, while the highest level of his albums was proved by the top positions in charts.

In spite of the long career, the artist still has new thoughts to share with the listeners. Stewart has a reputation of an incredible teller who delicately notices details and who can easily recount any story in an interesting way. Thus in 2002 Rod started the project The Great American Songbook, presenting his unique interpretations of famous songs, including Moonglow, That Old Feeling, Our Love Is Here To Stay and many other classical compositions. The fifth record of that project, titled Fly Me To The Moon… The Great American Songbook Volume V was released in 2010. There is absolutely no doubt that wonderful choice of cover-versions and the highest level of performance will please the musician’s old fans and all the connoisseurs of high quality and honest music.