Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dave Stewart
Stewart performing live in 2011
Background information
Birth name	David Allan Stewart
Also known as	David A. Stewart, Jean Guiot
Born	(1952-09-09) 9 September 1952 (age 72) Sunderland, England
Genres	Pop rock synthpop new wave electronica folk rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter musician record producer
Instruments	Guitar vocals bass keyboards
Years active	1971–present
Labels	RCA Anxious Surfdog The Artist Network Kobalt Weapons of Mass Entertainment

David Allan Stewart, born on September 9, 1952, is a famous English musician, songwriter, and music producer. He is most well-known for being one half of the super popular music duo, Eurythmics, with Annie Lennox. People sometimes call him David A. Stewart. He won the 'Best British Producer' award at the Brit Awards three times! Both Dave and Annie were honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. That's a big deal in music! Besides Eurythmics, Dave has also written and produced songs for many other famous artists like Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, and Mick Jagger.

Early Life and First Bands

Dave Stewart was born in Sunderland, England, in 1952. His parents, John and Sadie, were accountants. His dad loved music and played the harmonica. He even set up a cool stereo system that played music in every room of their house! Dave went to Barnes Infants and Junior School and Bede Grammar School for Boys.

When he was still a teenager, Dave got a record deal with a folk-rock band called Longdancer. They were signed to Elton John's record label, but they didn't become famous. Dave also made an EP (a short album) with Brian Harrison. After leaving his hometown, Dave lived in London for several years.

In 1976, he met Annie Lennox. Soon, they started a romantic relationship. By 1977, Dave and Annie teamed up with another musician, Peet Coombes. They released a song as a band called The Catch. This band then grew into The Tourists. The Tourists had some success, including a hit song in 1979 called "I Only Want to Be with You".

Eurythmics

The Tourists band broke up in 1980. Dave and Annie also ended their romantic relationship, but they decided to keep making music together. They formed a new music project called Eurythmics. They released many hit songs and albums. The duo stopped working together in 1990.

However, they reunited in 1999 for an album called Peace and went on a world tour. Dave and Annie worked together again in 2005. They recorded two new songs for a greatest hits album called Ultimate Collection. This album was released to celebrate Eurythmics' 25th anniversary.

Music After Eurythmics

When Eurythmics stopped in 1990, Dave Stewart moved to France. He quickly released an album with his new band, The Spiritual Cowboys. This album reached number 38 on the UK album charts. One of their songs, "Party Town," was even in the 1990 movie Flatliners. They released a second album, Honest, in 1991. Both albums sold very well in France.

In 1992, Dave worked with singer Terry Hall on a project called Vegas. They released one album, but it wasn't very successful. However, one of their songs, "Possessed," made it into the UK Top 40.

Dave also appeared in an Apple Inc. advertisement for the Power Macintosh computer in 1993. He even had a small acting role as a computer hacker in the 1995 movie Hackers.

In 1994, Dave released a solo album called Greetings from the Gutter. It didn't sell a lot, but his song "Heart Of Stone" was a small hit in the UK. He then released another album, Sly-Fi, which was first available online.

In 1995, Dave appeared in an advert for BT where he sang a song called 'Secrets' that he wrote just for the advert.

In 2002, Dave Stewart worked with former South African president Nelson Mandela. Dave had the idea to turn Mandela's prison number into a phone number. He then wrote and recorded songs with famous artists like Paul McCartney and Bono. You could only hear these songs by calling the number, and when you called, you were donating money to fight HIV/AIDS in South Africa. He helped organize the 46664 campaign and a series of concerts for this cause.

In 2007, Dave announced he would play live concerts to show off his whole career. He said he would have guest musicians and a 30-piece orchestra. He also started writing new songs on his guitar again.

For a project called The Dave Stewart Songbook, he wrote a big book with stories and photos. He also re-recorded 21 hit songs that he had helped write or produce over the years. These songs were originally by artists like No Doubt, Bryan Ferry, Celine Dion, and Eurythmics. He also included the song "American Prayer", which he wrote with Bono from U2. Dave made a video for this song to support Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Dave also released a new solo song, Let's Do It Again, in 2008.

In July 2010, Dave recorded his first solo album of new songs since 1998. It was called The Blackbird Diaries because it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. The album included duets with Stevie Nicks, Martina McBride, and Colbie Caillat. Dave also made a film about making the album and filmed a live concert in Nashville.

In May 2011, it was announced that Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones had formed a new supergroup called SuperHeavy. This band included Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, and A. R. Rahman.

In 2013, Dave released the album Lucky Numbers. He recorded it on a boat in the South Pacific over 12 days!

In 2017, Dave appeared on a German TV show to celebrate 40 years of the German singer Nena's career. They performed a song they wrote together called "Be My Rebel".

Other Creative Projects

Dave Stewart has done many other exciting things besides performing.

Writer and Producer

Dave produced or co-produced all of Eurythmics' albums. Once the band became famous, he also started producing music for other artists. In 1985, he helped produce the album Southern Accents for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He also helped write several songs for that album, including the hit "Don't Come Around Here No More". That same year, Dave produced the first solo album by Feargal Sharkey, which had the UK number one hit "A Good Heart". Because of these achievements, Dave won "Best Producer" at the 1986 BRIT Awards.

Dave continued to write and produce for many different artists over the years. In 1986, he worked with Bob Geldof on songs for his first solo album. They called themselves "The Brothers of Doom". Also in 1986, he helped produce the album Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine by Daryl Hall. He also co-wrote and produced the song "Is This Love?" by Alison Moyet, which reached number 3 in the UK.

Dave also helped write and produce several songs for Mick Jagger's 1987 album Primitive Cool.

In 1989, Dave produced the first album by Russian singer-songwriter Boris Grebenshchikov, called Radio Silence.

In 1992, he co-wrote the Shakespears Sister hit song "Stay" with his wife at the time, Siobhan Fahey. He used the name "Jean Guiot" for this. He also worked on other songs for their album Hormonally Yours.

In 1993, Dave co-wrote two songs for German punk rock singer Nina Hagen. He also played keyboards and sang background vocals on her album.

In 1996, Dave produced the first album by Alisha's Attic, Alisha Rules the World. He also wrote some songs on the third Shakespears Sister album.

In 1997, Dave helped produce the album Destination Anywhere for Jon Bon Jovi and co-wrote two songs. That same year, he produced and co-wrote the album Come Alive with actress and singer Rhona Mitra. In 1999, Dave and Rhona worked together on a second album.

Dave worked with Bryan Ferry on his 2002 album Frantic, helping to write and produce several songs.

He also co-wrote "Friend or Foe" for the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u., which is on their 2005 album.

In 2008, Ringo Starr asked Dave to produce his album Liverpool 8.

In 2010, Dave announced he was co-writing and producing a new album for Stevie Nicks. The album, In Your Dreams, was released in May 2011.

On February 24, 2011, Dave tweeted that he had just produced a new album by Joss Stone and that they wrote 10 songs together.

On October 10, 2011, Dave released a new song called "Leap of Faith" with Greek singer Anna Vissi.

He has worked with the American ska-punk band No Doubt, co-writing "Underneath It All" for their 2001 album and "Sparkle" for their 2012 album.

In 2013, he worked with singer Lauren Harris on a pop rock project called Kingdom of I.

Dave co-wrote and produced New Zealand singer Jon Stevens' album Starlight, released in 2017. He also co-wrote and produced Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi's album, Memphis Love, released in 2023.

Film, TV, and Soundtracks

Dave Stewart helped write the theme song for the 1986 comedy film Ruthless People with Mick Jagger and Daryl Hall. He became more involved in movies in 1989 by writing and producing the soundtrack Lily Was Here for the Dutch film De Kassière. The song "Lily Was Here", featuring saxophone player Candy Dulfer, was number one in the Dutch charts for five weeks! It also reached the UK Top 10 and was a hit in the US.

Although he had directed music videos before, he directed his first full-length movie in 2000. It was a comedy called Honest, set in London in the 1960s, and starred three members of the British girl group All Saints.

Dave also sang the song "Everybody, All Over The World (Join The Celebration)" for the 2004 film Around the World in 80 Days.

Dave, his brother John J. Stewart, and others made a documentary about Delta Blues music called Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads. It was released in 1991 and filmed in Memphis, Tennessee and Mississippi.

Dave was the main interviewer for the HBO series Off the Record, which focused on songwriting and featured famous musicians.

He worked with Mick Jagger to record songs for the soundtrack of the 2004 movie Alfie. The soundtrack included the popular song "Old Habits Die Hard", which won a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song.

In 2012, Dave was an executive co-producer for the TV series Living The Life on Sky Arts. He also made music for the new episodes.

Dave is the co-creator and executive producer of the 2012 ABC TV show Malibu Country, starring Reba McEntire.

Dave also created and is an executive producer for the NBC show Songland. This show gives new songwriters a chance to have their songs recorded by famous artists. The show was very popular and was renewed for a second season.

Musical Theatre

Dave Stewart wrote the musical Barbarella, based on the 1968 film. It first opened in Vienna in 2004. Dave later wrote music and lyrics for Ghost the Musical, which opened in Manchester in 2011 and then moved to London's West End and Broadway.

In 2021, Dave teamed up with Joss Stone to write and produce a new stage show called The Time Traveller's Wife, based on the famous novel. The show premiered in Chester in 2022 and then moved to London's West End in 2023.

Record Label

Most of Dave's own music, especially with Eurythmics, was released through the RCA label. However, he also started his own record label in the 1980s called Anxious Records. This label has released music by artists like Terry Hall and Londonbeat.

Platinum Weird

In 2006, Dave brought back a band called Platinum Weird. He said he had formed this band in the 1970s with a singer named Erin Grace. However, the band was actually created in 2004. The story was that Erin was mysterious and disappeared before the band's album was released in 1974. Platinum Weird now features songwriter Kara DioGuardi on vocals. They have re-recorded some of the "old" songs and made new ones for an album.

In July 2006, VH1 showed a fake documentary called Rock Legends – Platinum Weird. It told the band's unusual story and included famous rock stars like Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, and Ringo Starr, who pretended to remember the band's short time of fame. The album was also promoted with fake fan websites for the "lost" group.

Personal Life

Dave Stewart was married to Pamela Wilkinson from 1972 to 1977.

He was in a relationship with Annie Lennox for three years in the late 1970s, before they formed Eurythmics.

Dave married former Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey in 1987. She later formed the band Shakespears Sister. Dave and Siobhan have two sons, Sam and Django. They divorced in 1996.

On August 4, 2001, Dave married Dutch photographer Anoushka Fisz. They have two daughters, Kaya and Indya. In 2004, Dave and Anoushka moved to Hollywood so Dave could focus on making music for movies. They renewed their marriage vows in 2013.

Dave is a big fan of the Sunderland A.F.C. football team and still watches their games. When he was a child, he dreamed of playing for the club.

He went with his daughter, Kaya, when she auditioned for the TV show American Idol in 2023.

Awards and Recognition

In 2000, Dave Stewart received the O2 Silver Clef Award. He was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2015, he won the Music Producers Guild Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award. Eurythmics were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and were officially inducted in 2022.

Grammy Awards

Brit Awards

Ivor Novello Awards

Film, Publishing and Soundtrack Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

Discography

Studio Albums

Singles

Collaborations