Rod Stewart Biography Quotes 12 Report mistakes

Early Life and Heritage
Roderick David Stewart was born on 10 January 1945 in Highgate, north London, the youngest of five children of a Scottish father and an English mother. His father, Robert, brought a strong Scottish identity to the family, and Stewart would carry that pride throughout his life, cheering Scotland in international football and later becoming a well-known supporter of Celtic FC. Growing up in postwar London, he was drawn early to football and music, captaining school teams and idolizing skiffle and American rhythm and blues. He briefly held odd jobs, including a short stint as a gravedigger, before music and the Mod scene became his true calling.

Formative Years in Music
In the early 1960s Stewart busked around Europe with guitarist Wizz Jones, learning stagecraft and blues phrasing the hard way. Upon returning to Britain, he sang in a succession of groups that honed his rasping, soulful voice. He worked with blues bandleader Long John Baldry in the Hoochie Coochie Men and then in the revue-style outfit Steampacket alongside Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger. He also fronted Shotgun Express with Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green shortly before they formed Fleetwood Mac. Press and fans started calling him Rod the Mod for his sharp suits and spiky style, but it was his gravelly, emotive delivery that would soon define him.

Breakthrough with the Jeff Beck Group and Faces
Stewart's first major leap came with guitarist Jeff Beck, whose Jeff Beck Group, featuring Ronnie Wood on bass, cut the incendiary albums Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969). These records, blending blues roots with hard-edged rock, influenced the rise of heavy rock and brought Stewart international attention. When that lineup unraveled, Stewart and Ronnie Wood joined the Faces with Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Ian McLagan. The Faces became a raucous live attraction in the early 1970s, even as Stewart launched a solo career in parallel. The push-and-pull between band loyalty and solo success defined these years.

Solo Stardom
Stewart's solo albums quickly eclipsed everything else. An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969) and Gasoline Alley (1970) set a template of folk-rock warmth and soul, but Every Picture Tells a Story (1971) made him a star. Its runaway hit, Maggie May, paired his storytelling with mandolin-led rock and topped charts in both the UK and US. Never a Dull Moment (1972) consolidated the success, and Smiler (1974) closed his first phase in Britain. After the Faces dissolved in 1975 and Ronnie Wood joined the Rolling Stones, Stewart shifted his base to the United States. With producer Tom Dowd, he crafted Atlantic Crossing (1975), whose soaring version of Sailing became a signature song, and A Night on the Town (1976), which yielded Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) and The Killing of Georgie, the latter a tender, groundbreaking narrative about a gay friend.

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Stewart embrace sleek, radio-ready pop-rock without losing his grit. Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) spun off You're in My Heart and Hot Legs; Blondes Have More Fun (1978) delivered the disco-tinged Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, co-written with drummer Carmine Appice and keyboardist Duane Hitchings. The 1980s brought hits like Young Turks, co-written with Jim Cregan and Kevin Savigar, Passion, and Love Touch, as well as the album Out of Order (1988), produced with Andy Taylor and Bernard Edwards. Always adaptable, Stewart kept one eye on changing sounds while leaning on collaborators who understood his strengths, notably guitarist-writers Jim Cregan and Kevin Savigar, and longtime manager Arnold Stiefel.

Vagabond Heart, MTV Unplugged, and Reinvention
The 1990s opened with Vagabond Heart (1991), featuring Rhythm of My Heart and The Motown Song, a nod to his roots in American soul. His MTV Unplugged special in 1993, reuniting him onstage with Ronnie Wood, reintroduced the warmth of his early catalog to a new generation and yielded beloved versions of Have I Told You Lately and Reason to Believe. Stewart balanced reverence for classic songcraft with the arena-scale presence he had cultivated over decades.

The Great American Songbook and Later Work
In the 2000s Stewart undertook a surprising and successful turn to pre-rock standards with the multi-volume Great American Songbook series, championed by music executive Clive Davis and produced by a team including Richard Perry and Phil Ramone. His reading of the standards connected him with a broad audience and earned him a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. After recovering from thyroid cancer surgery in 2000, he regrouped artistically, eventually returning to original songwriting with Time (2013) and Another Country (2015), projects that leaned on his partnership with Kevin Savigar. Later releases like Blood Red Roses (2018) and The Tears of Hercules (2021) showed him still engaged with storytelling, melody, and the themes that made him enduring.

Personal Life and Family
Stewart's personal life has been part of his public story, not least because it involved other prominent figures. He married Alana Hamilton in 1979; their children include Kimberly and Sean. A longtime relationship with model Kelly Emberg produced a daughter, Ruby. He married model Rachel Hunter in 1990, and they had two children, Renee and Liam, before separating. In 2007 he married Penny Lancaster, with whom he has sons Alastair and Aiden. He also has an eldest daughter, Sarah, from an earlier relationship. His friendship and friendly rivalry with Elton John became a pop-culture staple, reflecting Stewart's humor and sense of camaraderie. Even at his most glamorous, he remained rooted in family rituals, football loyalties, and the values he associated with his parents.

Style, Influences, and Legacy
Stewart's voice, sandpapered yet tender, bridges Sam Cooke's gospel-inflected soul and British folk-rock storytelling. From mandolin-led narratives to glossy pop choruses, he relied on empathetic collaborators: guitarists Ronnie Wood and Jim Cregan; arrangers and producers like Tom Dowd and Richard Perry; and writers and players such as Kevin Savigar, Carmine Appice, and Duane Hitchings. Commercially, he sold well over 100 million records worldwide while placing enduring songs in the canon: Maggie May, Sailing, You're in My Heart, Tonight's the Night, Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Young Turks, Forever Young, and Rhythm of My Heart among them.

Honors and Philanthropy
Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1994, and again in 2012 as a member of the Small Faces/Faces cohort alongside Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan, and Ronnie Wood. He was appointed CBE in 2007 and was knighted in 2016 for services to music and charity. He has supported cancer research and children's health causes, participating in charity concerts and appeals in the UK and the US. These honors formalized a stature he had earned on stage and on record over five decades.

Beyond Music
Away from touring and recording, Stewart is an avid model railway enthusiast who painstakingly built a sprawling layout over decades, reflecting a craftsman's patience and an eye for detail. Football remains a lifelong passion; he has kicked off charity matches and cheered Scotland and Celtic with the zeal of a terrace regular. The through line in his life is the blend of spectacle and sincerity: an entertainer who can fill arenas, a storyteller who can quiet a room, and a bandmate who never forgot the charge of trading riffs with Jeff Beck or harmonies with Faces brothers-in-arms.

Enduring Presence
From London clubs to global stadiums, Stewart carried the pulse of blues and soul into mainstream rock and pop, evolving without losing his core. The people around him shaped that journey: mentors like Long John Baldry, catalysts like Jeff Beck, comrades like Ronnie Wood, and the producers and managers who helped steer his course. Through shifting eras and styles, Rod Stewart remained unmistakably himself, giving popular music one of its most distinctive voices and one of its longest, most surprising careers.

Our collection contains 12 quotes who is written by Rod, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Music - Knowledge - Heartbreak - Romantic.

Other people realated to Rod: Ben Elton (Comedian), Clive Davis (Businessman), Britt Ekland (Actress), Bryan Adams (Musician)