![]() ![]() Gary Stewart was playing a show at a club called the Wagon Wheel in Okeechobee, Florida, when Mel Tillis heard him and took a shine to his songs. In fact it was songwriting that officially got Stewart into the country music business. Gary Stewart’s unique vibrato-like high tenor didn’t hurt his prospects either, and helped set him apart from other singers, especially in the way he wielded his voice to covey emotion on a superior level. Despite so many of Gary Stewart’s signature songs being about breakups and broken hearts-including his sole #1 hit called “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles)”-it was the love of Mary Lou that set the foundation for all of Gary Stewart’s success. Their marriage would be tested for a spell as drugs and alcohol got the best of Gary, but they always came back together. A friend once said of Gary Stewart that he couldn’t put his pants on without Mary Lou. Gary would spend three weeks shy of the rest of his life with Mary Lou. She was three years Stewart’s senior, but at the ripe age of 17, he knew he’d met the love of his life, and asked her to marry him. Around that time is when Gary met the love of his life, Mary Lou Taylor. ![]() They would tour around the region and write songs together. Soon Stewart started picking guitar and singing, and formed a band called The Tomcats with a Fort Pierce police officer and musical veteran named Bill Eldridge. With his dad injured, the family moved to Fort Pierce, Florida to be closer to relatives. It was 1959 and Stewart was 12 years old at the time. His dad was a coal miner who was injured in an accident when the mine he was working in caved in on him. Named after the famous actor Gary Cooper, he was born in the tiny town of Jenkins, Kentucky right in the heart of coal country. Gary Stewart’s early life played out like a country song. And despite never becoming a country superstar, the cult following for Stewart’s music is strong. But when you talk about a guy that influenced his peers and gained their mad respect, Gary Stewart is right up there with anyone. “The King of Honky Tonk” as he’s known by some may have not had a string of #1 hit songs or albums, may never have become a household name beyond diehard country music fans, and may never grace the walls of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Of all the country music greats of the past, of all the performers who for whatever reason suffered from their careers or legacies sliding criminally under the radar, there is perhaps no artist, no performer in the history of country music whose impact, influence, appeal, and footprint so far outpaced the recognition he received in life and death than Gary Stewart. Listen to this story on the Country History X podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all other major podcast networks. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |