|
Craggy-faced rock singer Rod Stewart is thought to be one of the biggest-selling artists of all time, with recent estimates suggesting he has sold around 250 million records.
Stewart was born and raised in London, but has often asserted the sense of Scottish identity instilled in him by his parents. After several hit-and-miss stints in small blues and rock bands, his distinctive gravelly voice first made an impression with The Jeff Beck Group, whose debut album Truth (1968) was a massive influence on Led Zeppelin and a seminal album in the development of hard rock. The group toured widely and released a second album, Beck-Ola (1969), before splitting just as they were being tipped to take Cream's place as the biggest heavy blues-rock band in the world.
Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood joined The Faces (previously The Small Faces), and Stewart also launched his solo career with debut album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1970). In the same year The Faces released debut album First Step. Stewart became a household name the following year when a single, "Maggie May", and the accompanying solo album Every Picture Tells a Story, topped both the singles and albums charts in the UK and USA simultaneously. The Faces continued to release material and enjoy moderate success, but tension was building over Stewart's more successful solo exploits, finally leading to a split in 1975. Wood became The Rolling Stones' guitarist, while Stewart's solo career went from strength to strength.
His single "Sailing" became a massive hit in the UK, and "Tonight's the Night" topped the US singles chart for eight weeks. In 1976, "The First Cut is the Deepest" controversially kept The Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" off No.1; many music fans suspect that this result was doctored to avoid embarrassment to the British monarchy. Stewart's success continued, with 1978's disco-flavoured Blondes Have More Fun selling over four million copies, partly thanks to the international No.1 hit "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?".
Stewart continued to enjoy sporadic chart success in the 80s and 90s, while his albums always sold in huge numbers despite criticism from the music press. "Baby Jane" topped the UK charts in 1983, while a cover of Tom Waits' "Downtown Train" (1990), "This Old Heart Of Mine" (1990, with Ronald Isley), "All For Love" (1993, with Sting and Bryan Adams), and a cover of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately"(1993) were also hugely successful singles. In the new millennium, Stewart has concentrated on performing tracks from the Great American Songbook.
Aside from his music, Stewart is also well known for being an avid football (soccer) fan, a model railway enthusiast, and a collector of prized long-legged women. He has been married three times and has often been pictured with a model or actresses on his arm, earning him a reputation as a ladies man: an image that is reinforced by the lyrics to his most famous song, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Rod Stewart has seven children, born between 1964 and 2005.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
1 True Blue 3:36
2 Lost Paraguayos 4:01
3 Mama You Been On My Mind 4:30
4 Italian Girls 4:57
5 Angel 4:07
6 Interludings 0:40
7 You Wear It Well 4:24
8 I'd Rather Go Blind 3:57
9 Twistin' The Night Away 3:18
|