Jermaine Stewart
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| Jermaine Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Jermaine Stewart |
| Born | September 7, 1957 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 17, 1997 (aged 39) Homewood, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, funk, dance |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, dancer |
| Years active | 1984–1997 |
| Labels | Arista Records, Reprise Records |
| Associated acts | Shalamar, Culture Club |
William Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an American R&B singer best known for his Billboard hits "The Word Is Out" (from his 1984 debut album of the same name) and "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" (in 1986, from the album Frantic Romantic).
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[edit] Early life and career
Born in Columbus, Ohio,[1] to parents Ethel M. and Eugene Stewart, the family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1972, where Stewart took his first steps toward a career in entertainment. Eventually he gained recognition as a dancer on the nationally syndicated TV show Soul Train. He became a backing vocalist and dancer for R&B/disco group Shalamar, and a few years later he recorded backing vocals for Culture Club's 1983 album Colour by Numbers. The band allowed Stewart to record some demos at their studio. As a result of this, the group helped him land a recording contract with Arista Records.
Stewart saw success with the single "The Word Is Out" from the album of the same name. The album was a moderate success with the title track becoming an American hit. The 1986 Frantic Romantic album, which included the hit single "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off," went on to become a million seller, and a second single, "Jody", was released, the inspiration of the song being Jody Watley of Shalamar. A modest success, "Jody" reached both the United Kingdom and United States Top 40.
Stewart's third album was his most successful internationally. Titled Say It Again, the production was handled largely by André Cymone.[2] Supported by international live dates with his band The Party, the title track "Say It Again" became Stewart's second U.S. Top 40 Billboard hit,[3] and also reached the U.S. R&B Top 10. In the UK Singles Chart it reached number 7,[4] helping the album achieve Top 40 status.
The next three singles all received remixes by Phil Harding. "Get Lucky" (UK #13), "Don't Talk Dirty to Me" (UK #61), and "Is It Really Love?" found European success, particularly in Germany, where "Don't Talk Dirty to Me" was one of the biggest selling records of 1988, making the Top 5.
His fourth and final album under his contract with Arista Records was What Becomes a Legend Most. The album failed to make any impact in America whilst the lead single "Tren de Amor" just reached the top 100 in the UK. In 1989, Stewart sang "Hot and Cold," co-written by Andy Summers, which was featured over the closing credits of the film Weekend at Bernie's.
In 1991, Stewart teamed up with Chicago producer Jesse Saunders for his last recorded work, an album for Reprise Records, Set Me Free. The title track "Set Me Free" was released as a single in the U.S., but sold poorly. The album remains unreleased.
Shortly before his death, Stewart returned to the studio to record a new album titled "Believe In Me". Although the album wasn't completed, the finished tracks were released on the 2005 compilation "Attention: A Tribute to Jermaine Stewart" which was released under BFG Records, owned by Stewart's brother.
On October 18, 2010, Cherry Red Records re-issued his album Frantic Romantic on CD for the first time since 1986. It includes bonus tracks, most notable of which are the 12" mixes of "Jody" and "Dance Floor", making their CD debut.
In 2011 the song We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off was used in a Cadbury advert in the UK called The Charity Shop.[5] This exposed the song to a new generation who downloaded the track and returned it to the UK Top 40 so far reaching No.29.
[edit] Death
Stewart died of AIDS-related liver cancer on March 17, 1997 at age 39 in the Chicago suburb of Homewood, Illinois.[6]
In 2005, a compilation album was released by BGF Records, an Ohio record label run by Stewart's brother.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1984: The Word Is Out (US Pop #90, US R&B #30)
- 1986: Frantic Romantic (US Pop #34, US R&B #31, UK #49)[7]
- 1987: Say It Again (US Pop #98, US R&B #45, UK #32)[7]
- 1989: What Becomes a Legend Most
- 1992: Set Me Free (unreleased)
- 1999: A Tribute to Jermaine Stewart, Attention
- 2005: Greatest Hits
[edit] Singles
- 1983: "The Word Is Out" (US Pop #41, US R&B #17)
- 1985: "I Like It"
- 1986: "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" (US Pop #5, US R&B #64, UK #2)[7]
- 1986: "Frantic Romantic"/"Versatile"
- 1986: "Jody" (US Pop #42, UK #50)[7]
- 1987: "Don't Ever Leave Me" (UK #76)
- 1987: "Say It Again" (US Pop #27, US R&B #15, UK #7)[7]
- 1988: "Get Lucky" (US R&B #69, UK #13)[7]
- 1988: "Don't Talk Dirty to Me" (UK #61)[7]
- 1989: "Is It Really Love?"
- 1989: "Tren de Amor" (UK #97)
- 1990: "Every Woman Wants To" (UK #95)
- 1992: "Set Me Free"
[edit] References
- ^ a b Simmonds, Jeremy (2008). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches. Chicago Review Press. pp. 370. ISBN 1-556-52754-3.
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Jermaine-Stewart-Say-It-Again/master/131249
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/jermaine-stewart/chart-history/20178?f=379&g=Singles
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=14768
- ^ "Cadbury advert The Charity Shop". YouTube. 6 May 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk4U2uJuFAI.
- ^ Easley, Terri. Seasons of Destiny. Xulon Press. p. 123. ISBN 1-606-47152-X.
- ^ a b c d e f g Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 531. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
[edit] External links
- Jermaine Stewart at the Internet Movie Database
- Jermaine Stewart discography at Discogs
- Jermaine Stewart at Allmusic
- Jermaine Stewart at Find a Grave
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- African American musicians
- African American singers
- American dance musicians
- American dancers
- American male singers
- American pop singers
- American singer-songwriters
- AIDS-related deaths in Illinois
- Infectious disease deaths in Illinois
- Musicians from Ohio
- People from Chicago, Illinois
- People from Columbus, Ohio
- 1957 births
- 1997 deaths
