Often overlooked as a purveyor of essential Soul, Billy Stewart stands alongside such icons as Sam Cooke, Solomon Burke, and even fellow Washingtonian Marvin Gaye. Look no further than such delicacies as “I Do Love You”, “Sitting In The Park”, and “Summertime”.
A commanding presence, both physically and vocally, Stewart possessed an unorthodox but highly dramatic style that combined Jazz-influenced scat singing with Gospel’s testifying fervor. All of which afforded him an authoritative presence, and everything came together flawlessly on his riveting adaptation of “Summertime”.
Gershwin would have approved.
Stewart’s crucial first break arrived courtesy of Bo Diddley who had sought him out for piano duties in 1957.
That led to Billy’s first sessions at Chess Records and a couple of interesting sides. “Billy Blues” was a hybrid: Stewart’s patented vocals married up to “Bo Diddley-style” guitar. However “Fat Boy” said as much about Billy’s future music directions as it did about his corpulent build.
Recording success finally coincided with Stewart’s second Chess go-round in 1962. He proclaimed his re-emergence with “I Do Love
You” followed thereafter by the equally shimmering “Sitting In The Park”. In 1966, “Summertime” broke huge internationally and along with “Secret Love” (originally done by Doris Day) provided
Stewart worldwide recognition. Billy posted 10 songs on Billboard’s Top 100 from 1962 until his untimely death in a car crash in 1970 at age 37. Inclusion of Stewart’s splendid contributions is a required addition to any meaningful Soul music library.
