Dave Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. Born in Sunderland he began recording whilst still in his teens. After leaving Wearside Stewart spent several years living in squats in London. In late 1976, he was introduced to Annie Lennox by Paul Jacobs. Soon, Stewart and Lennox became romantically involved. By 1977, the pair had teamed up with Sunderland musician Peet Coombes, releasing a single on Logo Records as The Catch. The band then developed into The Tourists who enjoyed modest success, including a hit in 1979 with a cover of the Dusty Springfield hit “I Only Want to be With You”.
The Tourists split up in 1980, as did Stewart and Lennox, though the pair continued to work together. They formed a new musical project named Eurythmics. After a string of hit singles and albums, the duo split in 1990, but reunited in 1999 for the album Peace and another world tour. Lennox and Stewart worked together again in 2005, recording two new tracks for the greatest hits package Ultimate Collection, released to coincide with Eurythmics’ 25th anniversary.
Stewart produced or co-produced all of Eurythmics’ albums and, once the band became established, he also became a producer of other artists. In 1985, as well as producing Eurythmics’ hit album Be Yourself Tonight, Stewart co-produced the album Southern Accents for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as well as co-writing several songs for the album including the hit “Don’t Come Around Here No More”. The same year, Stewart also produced the debut solo album by Feargal Sharkey, which included the UK number one hit “A Good Heart”. Due to these accomplishments, Stewart won “Best Producer” at the 1986 BRIT Awards in London.
Though he co-wrote the theme song for the 1986 comedy Ruthless People with Mick Jagger and Daryl Hall, Stewart took a greater involvement in the film industry in 1989 by writing and producing the soundtrack Lily Was Here for the Dutch film De Kassiere (English title Lily Was Here). The single, also called “Lily Was Here” and featuring saxophone player Candy Dulfer, topped the Dutch charts for five weeks. The single also reached the UK Top 10 and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard in the summer of 1990.
When Eurythmics dissolved in 1990, Stewart moved to France and immediately released an album with his new band, The Spiritual Cowboys. The song “Party Town” was featured in the 1990 film Flatliners. A second album followed in 1991. Both records went Gold in France, where Stewart concentrated his efforts. In 1994, Stewart released a solo album, Greetings from the Gutter. The album was not a commercial success, though Stewart scored a minor UK hit with the single “Heart Of Stone” which reached number 36. He then released another album, Sly-Fi, first on the internet. In 1997, Stewart released an album Come Alive with the actress and singer Rhona Mitra. In 1999, he produced a second album, Female Icon.
In July 2010, Stewart recorded his first solo album of new material since 1998’s Sly-Fi. Entitled The Blackbird Diaries, it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and includes duets with Stevie Nicks, Martina McBride, Colbie Caillat and The Secret Sisters. Stewart has made a film of the making of the album and also filmed a live concert in Nashville at The Belcourt Theatre in December 2010. In May 2012 it was announced that Stewart would be playing four UK shows in September 2012 to support the release of his new album The Ringmaster General. In October 2017 Stewart appeared on a German TV programme marking the 40th year of the stage career of the German singer Nena with whom he performed their jointly written track, “Be My Rebel”.
