1937-
1970. (Not to be confused with the still-living
classical guitarist of the same name). The
conked,
rotund, scat-singing
tenor who probably should have been the lead singer of
The Rainbows; he was the first group member to achieve solo success, not long after their brief existence. From
Washington, DC, but he made his name in
Chicago, singing for
Chess Records (
Bo Diddley may have been the one to bring him into the fold), with hits like "I'm No Romeo", "I Do Love You" (later a hit for a group called
GQ, years after Stewart's
1965 original), "Sitting in the Park" (also GQ-ified, with less success), and perhaps the most unique (and breezy) version of
George Gershwin's "Summertime".
Ballads and
blues a specialty. Stewart died in a 1970
auto accident.