Art Stewart (producer) facts for kids

Art Stewart is an American music expert. He is known as a record producer, audio engineer, and songwriter. He has worked on many famous Motown recordings.

Art Stewart helped create the Blue album by Diana Ross. He also worked on songs by Teena Marie, including her album Wild and Peaceful from 1979. With Marvin Gaye, he helped with the Let's Get It On album. He also worked on Gaye's popular song "Got to Give It Up".

He teamed up with Rick James for his first Motown album, Come Get It!. He also worked on James's second Motown album, Bustin' Out of L Seven.

His Music Journey

Stewart was a staff engineer for Motown Records. He worked on many recording sessions with stars like Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross. His work as a producer can be heard on the Motown Grammy Rhythm & Blues Performances Of The 1960s & 1970s album.

He is also a songwriter. He wrote songs for the group Platypus. These songs appeared on their Cherry album, released in 1980. He also mixed the Has Arrived album for The Whole Darn Family. In 1977, Billboard magazine ranked him among the top pop producers. He was number 45 on their list of 100.

After his time at Motown, Stewart worked in video production at a television station. He is also the president of a music publishing company called Famosonda Music / A. Stewart Publications. This company has published music for artists like the Eboni Band, Jack Ashford, and Platypus.

As a Producer

Working with Rick James

Rick James was very impressed by Art Stewart's work. He especially liked the song "Got To Give It Up" by Marvin Gaye, which Stewart produced. James found Stewart to be humble and easy to work with. He saw a special talent in Stewart's studio work.

James said that Stewart made small but important suggestions. These included ideas for placing horns or changing bass lines. James felt Stewart was exactly the person he needed. Stewart co-produced Rick James's 1978 album Come and Get It. This album was released in April 1978.

According to James, Suzanne de Passe praised his choice of Stewart. Jet Magazine said Stewart helped create the album that made James famous overnight. Stewart worked with James again. He co-produced Bustin' Out of L Seven and the single "Bustin' Out" in 1979. He also worked on James's song "Spacey Love".

Working with Marvin Gaye

Art Stewart and Marvin Gaye worked together for almost ten years. In his book, Michael Eric Dyson wrote that Stewart worked on some of Gaye's best recordings. He had a big impact on Gaye's "Bobby Scott sessions."

Stewart was the producer and engineer for Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up." He even made a coke bottle sound like a cowbell! He did this by adjusting the sound frequencies.

Other Artists

In the 1970s, Stewart also produced music for Jack Ashford. He co-produced Ashford's Hotel Sheet album, released in 1977. He produced the single "Let's Do It" for Jimmy Sterling in 1981. He had also produced "At Least I Tried" for Sterling earlier.

Stewart also produced the Lil' Suzy album for the group Ozone. This album came out on Motown in 1982. It featured other artists like Mel Carter and Syreeta Wright. In 2010, he was the engineer and producer for Connections by The Charades.

Songs and Productions

Here are some of the songs Art Stewart helped create or produce:

As an Engineer

In the early 1970s, Stewart worked on the Lady Sings The Blues album by Diana Ross. He also worked on the Chameleon album by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. Both albums were released in 1972.

Stewart was the engineer and remixed the soundtrack album for the 1974 film Hell Up in Harlem. This soundtrack was by Edwin Starr. In the late 1970s, he recorded Bonnie Pointer's Bonnie Pointer album in 1978. In the 1980s, he worked on the Shadow album, Shadows In The Streets. This album was produced by Leon Ware and released in 1981.