John Stewart

A prolific songwriter, Californian musician John Stewart began his music career with The Kingston Trio, a group of American 'folkies' who emerged from the vibrant folk scene which had grown up in the San Francisco area in the late 1950s. The Kingston Trio were a variety act who would combine elements of Calypso, pop, folk and comedy within their live performances and they became one of the best known US folk acts of the era. Stewart joined the band in 1961 and performed with them until they split in 1967, unable to compete with the new wave of music sweeping America led by bands such as The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Embarking upon a solo career, Stewart wrote and recorded for Capitol and during this period composed the Monkees' transatlantic hit 'Daydream Believer' which went to number one in the Billboard Charts and made the top five in the UK. Despite writing more than six hundred songs and recording some 48 solo albums Stewart, with the exception of his 1979 hit single 'Gold', has never enjoyed much success as a solo artist. Fortunately this has been offset by artists such as Nanci Griffith, Rosanne Cash and Joan Baez recording his songs and achieving the commercial success which evaded Stewart. He continued to write and perform right up until his death from a stroke in 2008 at the age of 68.

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