Michael Stewart
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Michael Stewart,
pop music pioneer, dies at 57 Locally raised Michael Stewart, leader of 60's group the We Five and early producer of Billy Joel, died Wednesday at 57. Michael Stewart, two-time
Grammy nominee who lead the popular 1960s folk-rock group We Five and produced Billy
Joel's breakthrough "Piano Man' album, died Wednesday at age 57 after a long illness.
Stewart grew up in Claremont and
attended St. Joseph's Elementary School in Pomona, Pomona Catholic Boys' High School in La
Verne, Mt. San Antonio Junior College and the University of San Francisco. "He was the first guy to
really do a good job producing my songs,' Billy Joel said Thursday. "Michael was a
very sweet human being, a wonderful man who loved music.' Born in Riverside in 1945,
Stewart's family made their way first to Pasadena, then to the Inland Valley where the
budding musician, songwriter and arranger completed grammar school at St. Joseph's. His high intelligence was
recognized early on when he achieved the highest IQ score in his 7th grade class. When Stewart graduated in 1963
from Pomona Catholic Boys, later to become Damien High School, his musical career was
already well under way. Along with his friend and classmate Jerry Burgan, Stewart formed The Ridgerunners folk music group, which played regularly
at The Meeting Place, a folk music club in Upland. The quintet, recognized for its
original and complex harmonies, changed its name to We Five in early 1965 when playing at
the Hungry i, a San Francisco club. It was there the group was discovered by the record
industry. Later that year, We Five
released its blockbuster song, "You Were on My Mind' - which reached No. 1 in Cashbox
and No. 2 on Billboard's hits list. "`You Were on My Mind' is
still one of our biggest songs,' KEARTH 101 radio disc jockey "Shotgun Tom' Kelly
said Thursday. We Five earned a Best New Group
Grammy nomination in 1965 for the song. The quintet's original sound
represented a transition between the folk music era and folk-influenced groups such as The
Byrds and The Mamas and Papas. However, We Five's first album,
with its sophisticated vocal arrangements, daringly explored jazz and showtunes as well as
folk and folk-rock. "He had a great sense of
arranging,' Burgan said of his former partner. "He was one of the few creative
geniuses I've known in my life.' The original We Five contributed
one more Top 40 hit, "Let's Get Together,' in 1966. Stewart eventually moved into
record producing. In addition to Billy Joel's double platinum "Piano Man' album, he
produced more than 20 albums and singles for such artists as Tom Jones, Kenny Rankin and
Amad Jamal. Always on the cutting edge,
Stewart moved into the world of digital music, educating himself in computer programming. He designed systems for
Digidesigns of Daly City and Adobe. His technological creations,
used daily by musicians and arrangers, include the Session8 Digital Audio Workstation for
PC, the Impulse Drum Trigger, and the Human Clock, which instructs computerized musical
devices to follow a human tempo. Through music and technology,
Stewart touched the lives of many people, Stewart's son James said. "He had something that
related to so many people in such a deep way,' he said. Stewart's older brother John
also achieved fame in music, first as a member of the Kingston Trio, then as a solo
artist. Stewart is survived by his wife Kate and three children, James, Molly, and Joseph. A memorial service and funeral is scheduled for noon Monday, Nov. 18 at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4701 Marysville Blvd., Sacramento. Donations can be made in Michael's name to the Truck of Love Ministries. L.C. Greene can be reached via e-mail [email protected] or by phone at (909) 483-9337. |  Photo by Lisa Law. Used by permission: flashingonthesixties.com
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