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Dave Stewart

Dave StewartAKA Dave Lloyd Stewart

Born: 30-Dec-1950
Birthplace: London, England

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Jazz Musician

Nationality: England
Executive summary: Jazz/prog keyboardist

One of the leading names in the British jazz-rock (sometimes referred to as "Canterbury") scene of the 1970s, Dave Stewart began tickling ivories as a child, switching off to the more socially-impressive electric guitar as a teenager before again learning his place. While in school, he formed the band Uriel with schoolmate Steve Hillage; after Hillage moved on to pursue a university education, the band changed its name to Egg, and thus was begun Stewart's recording career and subsequent legend. Somewhere in the middle of its lifespan, Egg and Hillage briefly met up once more to record and perform as Arzachel.

Not long after Egg's demise in 1972, Stewart was invited to join Hatfield and the North by drummer Pip Pyle. After a year-and-a-half of live performance, Hatfield finally got around to releasing a pair of interesting records and then sadly bit the big one. This was followed by a short-lived ressurection of Egg, but by late 1975 "all the king's horses and all the king's men..." Stewart followed up by putting together National Health at the end of the year, again featuring the talents of Mr. Pyle on drums (although he was replaced for an instant by Bill Bruford in the early moments of National Health's existence).

National Health soldiered on until 1979, finally brought down by a change in public tastes. Dave Stewart then resumed his association with Bill Bruford, joining the latter's jazz-fusion combo Bruford (having already contributed to Bruford's first solo effort Feels Good to Me in 1977). This proved to be one of Stewart's more successful ventures. National Health, as with Egg, managed a period of resurrection before dispersing into the aether for good in 1983.

By 1981 Stewart had made a change in musical direction, and released the sophisticated pop record What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?, a cover of a Jimmy Ruffin tune. He also began a partnership with vocalist Barbara Gaskin, which continues to be his most productive and enduring musical vehicle. Other notable endeavors include a pair of music instruction books, and a Stewart/Gaskin collaboration with British comedian and Young Ones/Comic Strip alumnus Nigel Planer.

Wife: Barbara Gaskin (musician)

    Egg Keyboardist (1969-67 and 1975)
    Arzachel Keyboardist (1969)
    Hatfield and the North Keyboardist (1972-75)
    National Health Keyboardist (1975-83)
    Bruford Keyboardist (1977-80)
    Stewart/Gaskin Keyboardist (1981-)

Official Website:
http://www.davebarb.demon.co.uk/


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