Wynn Stewart
Encyclopedia
Winford Lindsey Stewart better known as Wynn Stewart, was an American
country music
performer. He was one of the progenitors of the Bakersfield sound
. Although not a huge chart success, he was an inspiration to such greats as Buck Owens
and Merle Haggard
.
in 1934, during the Depression
. He spent most of his childhood moving around the country with his sharecropping
family. After World War II
, Stewart spent a year working at KWTO-AM
in Springfield, Missouri
. In 1948, he moved to California
with his family. Stewart originally wanted to become a professional baseball player, but suffered from a hand disease and was also too short to play professional baseball. In high school Stewart formed a band that played at clubs around California. He soon met steel guitar
ist Ralph Mooney
, who joined Stewart's band. The group's lineup consisted of guitarist Roy Nichols
and bassist
Bobby Austin.
In 1954, Stewart signed a recording contract with an independent record label called Intro Records. He released two singles on Intro. The first was called "I've Waited a Lifetime" and the second was called "Strolling". Both failed to chart on the country music charts. His second released single caught the attention of Skeets McDonald
, one of Stewart's idols. He liked the song so much, he arranged an audition with Capitol Records
for Stewart. By the summer of 1956, Stewart signed with Capitol. He soon recorded and released his first single from the label, "Waltz of the Angels", that same year. The song went to No. 14 on the country chart, and gave Stewart his first major hit. The song later became a duet hit for George Jones
and Margie Singleton
. However, Stewart did not stay with Capitol much longer as none of his other singles was gaining much success. His last single for Capitol (until his '60s return) was called "I Wish I Could Stay the Same", released in September 1957.
, nightclub called Nashville Nevada during the early 1960s. He performed there six nights a week and also hosted his own television show. A young Merle Haggard
sat in with the band while Stewart was out of town in 1962. Stewart returned early, was impressed with Haggard's performance, and hired him as his regular bass player. He wrote Haggard's first hit "Sing a Sad Song".
"Wynn's sound was what influenced Buck and me both," Haggard has said, "and in a strange twist of fate, his band was the heart of the old Frizzell band -- Roy Nichols was part of the Lefty band, and he went to Wynn Stewart and ran into Ralph Mooney, who played the steel, and they were the basis of the modern West Coast sound."
, Stewart signed with the record company Jackpot, part of Challenge Records
, in 1958. He recorded a string of singles that were a mix of different styles, ranging from pop
to rockabilly
. In 1959 he released a single called "Wishful Thinking". The song finally struck gold for Stewart when it reached No. 5 in 1960. Following the song's success, Stewart moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
, where he hosted a local TV show and was part owner of a nightclub, The Nashville Nevada.
Stewart continued to have sizable hits, including the Jan Howard
duet called "Wrong Company", and "Big, Big Love", among others. Stewart moved back to the center of the Bakersfield sound, California, in 1965. He re-signed with Capitol. His first couple of singles for the label proved unsuccessful once again for Stewart, but his fifth single was a different story. "It's Such a Pretty World Today
" was released in 1967 and became the biggest hit of his career. The song went to No. 1 on the country music chart and spent two weeks there. It was also the country music Song of the Year and a Gold record. Its follow-up, "Cause I Have You", was a Top 10 hit in 1967. Following his singles' success, Stewart recorded more soft, pop-friendly material, which gave Stewart his biggest hits into the 1970s.
By 1972, Stewart moved to RCA Records
with "Paint Me a Rainbow" being his biggest hit for the label. He also briefly signed with Atlantic Records
in 1974. Over the next three years, Stewart released singles but didn't break the country Top 40. In 1975, he signed with Playboy Records
and managed a Top 10 hit in 1976 called "After The Storm". Although he stayed with Playboy, he only had one other big hit, his version of "Sing a Sad Song", which went to No. 19 in 1977. "Sing a Sad Song" was a song he had written and given to Merle Haggard
several years earlier. Merle had played bass guitar for Wynn in his band at the Nashville Nevada club.
, he wasn't able to continue to achieve success, which was due to alcoholism
. In the early 1980s, Stewart quit performing. In the mid 80s, things changed when Stewart launched a comeback, with an extensive tour and a new album.
During the tour, Stewart suddenly died of a heart attack
on July 17, 1985. Following Stewart's death, his song "Wait 'Til I Get My Hands on You" became a minor hit.
used Stewart's song "Another Day, Another Dollar" in an ad for the Jetta
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
performer. He was one of the progenitors of the Bakersfield sound
Bakersfield sound
The Bakersfield sound was a genre of country music developed in the mid- to late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. The many hit singles were largely produced by Capitol Records country music head, Ken Nelson. Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly produced, string...
. Although not a huge chart success, he was an inspiration to such greats as Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
and Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
.
Early life and rise to fame
Wynn Stewart was born in Morrisville, MissouriMorrisville, Missouri
Morrisville is a city in Polk County, Missouri, United States. The population was 376 at the 2009 census, at which time it was a town. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in 1934, during the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. He spent most of his childhood moving around the country with his sharecropping
Sharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...
family. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Stewart spent a year working at KWTO-AM
KWTO
KWTO refers to two radio stations in Springfield, Missouri, USA. On AM, KWTO can be found at 560 kHz, where it airs a news-talk format. On FM, KWTO operates at 98.7 MHz and carries a sports talk format....
in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. In 1948, he moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with his family. Stewart originally wanted to become a professional baseball player, but suffered from a hand disease and was also too short to play professional baseball. In high school Stewart formed a band that played at clubs around California. He soon met steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
ist Ralph Mooney
Ralph Mooney
Ralph Mooney was a well known steel guitar player. He played with many country and western artists, including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and played in Waylon Jennings' band for two decades....
, who joined Stewart's band. The group's lineup consisted of guitarist Roy Nichols
Roy Nichols
Roy Nichols was an American country music guitarist best known as the lead guitarist for Merle Haggard for more than two decades. He was known for his guitar technique, a mix of fingerpicking and pedal steel-like bends, usually played on a Telecaster.-Biography:Roy Ernest Nichols was born in...
and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Bobby Austin.
In 1954, Stewart signed a recording contract with an independent record label called Intro Records. He released two singles on Intro. The first was called "I've Waited a Lifetime" and the second was called "Strolling". Both failed to chart on the country music charts. His second released single caught the attention of Skeets McDonald
Skeets McDonald
Enos William McDonald , better known as Skeets McDonald, was an American country and rockabilly musician popular during the 1950s and 60s...
, one of Stewart's idols. He liked the song so much, he arranged an audition with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
for Stewart. By the summer of 1956, Stewart signed with Capitol. He soon recorded and released his first single from the label, "Waltz of the Angels", that same year. The song went to No. 14 on the country chart, and gave Stewart his first major hit. The song later became a duet hit for George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
and Margie Singleton
Margie Singleton
Margaret Louis Ebey , known professionally as Margie Singleton, is an American country music singer and songwriter. In the 1960s, she was a popular duet and solo recording artist, working with country stars George Jones and Faron Young. Singleton had her biggest hit with Young called "Keeping Up...
. However, Stewart did not stay with Capitol much longer as none of his other singles was gaining much success. His last single for Capitol (until his '60s return) was called "I Wish I Could Stay the Same", released in September 1957.
Nightclub owner
Stewart was part owner of a Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, nightclub called Nashville Nevada during the early 1960s. He performed there six nights a week and also hosted his own television show. A young Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
sat in with the band while Stewart was out of town in 1962. Stewart returned early, was impressed with Haggard's performance, and hired him as his regular bass player. He wrote Haggard's first hit "Sing a Sad Song".
"Wynn's sound was what influenced Buck and me both," Haggard has said, "and in a strange twist of fate, his band was the heart of the old Frizzell band -- Roy Nichols was part of the Lefty band, and he went to Wynn Stewart and ran into Ralph Mooney, who played the steel, and they were the basis of the modern West Coast sound."
The height of his career
With the help of songwriter Harlan HowardHarlan Howard
Harlan Perry Howard was a prolific American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists...
, Stewart signed with the record company Jackpot, part of Challenge Records
Challenge Records
Challenge Records has been the name of at least three different record labels in the 20th century:* Challenge Records - a US based company* Challenge Records - a US based company* Challenge Records - a Netherlands based company...
, in 1958. He recorded a string of singles that were a mix of different styles, ranging from pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
to rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
. In 1959 he released a single called "Wishful Thinking". The song finally struck gold for Stewart when it reached No. 5 in 1960. Following the song's success, Stewart moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, where he hosted a local TV show and was part owner of a nightclub, The Nashville Nevada.
Stewart continued to have sizable hits, including the Jan Howard
Jan Howard
Lula Grace Johnson , known professionally as Jan Howard, is an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry star. She attained moderate success as a country female vocalist during the 1960s and early 1970s...
duet called "Wrong Company", and "Big, Big Love", among others. Stewart moved back to the center of the Bakersfield sound, California, in 1965. He re-signed with Capitol. His first couple of singles for the label proved unsuccessful once again for Stewart, but his fifth single was a different story. "It's Such a Pretty World Today
It's Such a Pretty World Today
"It's Such a Pretty World Today" is the title of a popular song released in 1967. The song was written by songwriter Dale Noe.The song was originally a country music single by singer Wynn Stewart...
" was released in 1967 and became the biggest hit of his career. The song went to No. 1 on the country music chart and spent two weeks there. It was also the country music Song of the Year and a Gold record. Its follow-up, "Cause I Have You", was a Top 10 hit in 1967. Following his singles' success, Stewart recorded more soft, pop-friendly material, which gave Stewart his biggest hits into the 1970s.
By 1972, Stewart moved to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
with "Paint Me a Rainbow" being his biggest hit for the label. He also briefly signed with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1974. Over the next three years, Stewart released singles but didn't break the country Top 40. In 1975, he signed with Playboy Records
Playboy Records
Playboy Records was a record label in Los Angeles, California, and a unit of Playboy Enterprises. Artists recording for the label included Barbi Benton, Blue Ash, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, Brenda Patterson, Jeanne French , Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, Ivory, Wynn Stewart, Mickey Gilley...
and managed a Top 10 hit in 1976 called "After The Storm". Although he stayed with Playboy, he only had one other big hit, his version of "Sing a Sad Song", which went to No. 19 in 1977. "Sing a Sad Song" was a song he had written and given to Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
several years earlier. Merle had played bass guitar for Wynn in his band at the Nashville Nevada club.
Later career and death
Stewart started his own label in 1978 called WIN. His first single, "Eyes as Big as Dallas", broke the Top 40. Although country music was changing in the late 70s, moving to the smooth sounds of country popCountry pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
, he wasn't able to continue to achieve success, which was due to alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. In the early 1980s, Stewart quit performing. In the mid 80s, things changed when Stewart launched a comeback, with an extensive tour and a new album.
During the tour, Stewart suddenly died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on July 17, 1985. Following Stewart's death, his song "Wait 'Til I Get My Hands on You" became a minor hit.
Commercials
In 2010, VolkswagenVolkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
used Stewart's song "Another Day, Another Dollar" in an ad for the Jetta
Volkswagen Jetta
Although the Golf had reached considerable success, in the North American markets, Volkswagen observed that the hatchback body style lacked some of the appeal to those who preferred the traditional three-box configuration...
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1962 | Wynn Stewart | Wrangler | ||
| 1965 | Songs | Capitol | ||
| 1967 | It's Such a Pretty World Today | 1 | 158 | |
| Love's Gonna Happen to Me | 13 | |||
| 1968 | Something Pretty | 28 | ||
| In Love | ||||
| 1969 | Let the Whole World Sing It with Me | 41 | ||
| Yours Forever | ||||
| 1970 | You Don't Care What Happens to Me | |||
| It's a Beautiful Day | ||||
| 1971 | Baby It's Yours | |||
| 1976 | After the Storm | 24 | Playboy |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1956 | "Waltz of the Angels" | 14 | — | Wynn Stewart |
| 1960 | "Wishful Thinking" | 5 | — | |
| "Wrong Company" (with Jan Howard Jan Howard Lula Grace Johnson , known professionally as Jan Howard, is an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry star. She attained moderate success as a country female vocalist during the 1960s and early 1970s... ) |
26 | — | single only | |
| 1961 | "Big, Big Love" | 18 | — | Wynn Stewart |
| 1962 | Another Day, Another Dollar | 27 | — | single only |
| 1964 | "Half of This, Half of That" | 30 | — | Songs of Wynn Stewart |
| 1965 | "I Keep Forgettin' That I Forgot About You" | 43 | — | It's Such a Pretty World Today |
| 1967 | "It's Such a Pretty World Today It's Such a Pretty World Today "It's Such a Pretty World Today" is the title of a popular song released in 1967. The song was written by songwriter Dale Noe.The song was originally a country music single by singer Wynn Stewart... " |
1 | — | |
| "'Cause I Have You" | 9 | — | ||
| "That's the Only Way to Cry" | 68 | — | Love's Gonna Happen to Me | |
| 1968 | "Love's Gonna Happen to Me" | 7 | — | |
| "Something Pretty" | 10 | 20 | Something Pretty | |
| "In Love" | 16 | 14 | In Love | |
| 1969 | "Strings" | 29 | — | Let the Whole World Sing It with Me |
| "Let the Whole World Sing It with Me" | 20 | — | ||
| "World Wide Travelin' Man" | 19 | — | ||
| "Yours Forever" | 47 | — | Yours Forever | |
| 1970 | "You Don't Care What Happens to Me" | 55 | — | You Don't Care What Happens to Me |
| "It's a Beautiful Day" | 13 | 33 | It's a Beautiful Day | |
| 1971 | "Heavenly" | 32 | — | |
| "Baby It's Yours" | 55 | — | Baby It's Yours | |
| "Hello Little Rock" | 53 | — | ||
| 1972 | "Paint Me a Rainbow" | 49 | — | singles only |
| 1973 | "Love Ain't Worth a Dime Unless It's Free" | 51 | 50 | |
| "It's Raining in Seattle" | 62 | — | ||
| 1975 | "Lonely Rain" | 80 | — | After the Storm |
| 1976 | "After the Storm" | 8 | — | |
| 1977 | "Sing a Sad Song" | 19 | 32 | |
| 1979 | "Eyes as Big as Dallas" | 37 | — | singles only |
| "Could I Talk You Back Into Loving Me Again" | 59 | — | ||
| 1985 | "Wait 'Til I Get My Hands on You" | 98 | — | |
External links
- Official website
- [ Allmusic]