John Stewart (musician)
| John Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Coburn Stewart |
| Born | September 5, 1939 |
| Origin | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 2008 (aged 68) San Diego, California |
| Genres | Folk, pop |
| Instruments | Guitar, banjo |
| Labels | Capitol, Decca, Warner Bros., RCA, RSO, Polydor |
| Associated acts | The Cumberland Three, The Kingston Trio |
John Coburn Stewart (September 5, 1939 – January 19, 2008) was an American songwriter and singer. He is known for his contributions to the American folk music movement of the 1960s while with The Kingston Trio (1961–1967) and as a popular music songwriter of The Monkees' No. 1 hit "Daydream Believer" and his own No. 5 hit "Gold" during a solo career spanning forty years that included almost four dozen albums and more than six hundred recorded songs.
Born in San Diego, Stewart was the son of horse trainer John S. Stewart and spent his childhood and adolescence in southern California, living mostly in the cities of Pasadena and Claremont. He graduated in 1957 from Pomona Catholic High School, which at the time was a coeducational school. Following graduation from High School, John went on to attend Mt. San Antonio Junior College in Pomona, California. There he was active in music and theater programs. Attendance at Mt. SAC was 1957-1958. He demonstrated an early talent for music, learning the guitar and banjo. He composed his first song, "Shrunken Head Boogie," when he was ten years old. In an interview in Michael Oberman's Music makers column (The Washington, DC Star Newspaper) on Oct. 30, 1971, Stewart said, "I bought a ukulele when I was in Pasadena. I would listen to Sons of the Pioneers records. Tex Ritter really turned me on to music. 'I Love My Rooster' was Top Ten as far as I was concerned."
Stewart's first venture into popular music was with a high school garage band known as Johnny Stewart and the Furies. Influenced by the reigning icons of the day, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, the Furies toured southern California colleges and coffee houses, releasing one single, "Rockin' Anna," which was a minor, regional hit.
...
Wikipedia