The Spark That Kicked Off the strut

Picture a young Roderick Stewart in 1950s North London, a mop-haired lad kicking a football around Highgate’s streets, dreaming of glory at Arsenal. Music wasn’t the plan—soccer was. But fate had a different tune in mind. It was 1961, and Rod, then 16, stumbled into a life-altering moment: hearing Muddy Waters’ blues growl on a mate’s record player. That raw, soulful howl hit him like a header to the chest. “It was like discovering a secret world,” he’d later write in his 2012 memoir, Rod. A guitar from his dad and a stint busking with harmonica in hand turned a sports-obsessed kid into a singer. Music became his rebellion, his hustle, his way to charm the world—one gravelly note at a time.

From Train Tracks to Top of the Pops

Born January 10, 1945, in Highgate, London, Roderick David Stewart was the youngest of five in a tight Scots-Irish family. His dad, Robert, a builder, and mum, Elsie, a homemaker, filled their home with music—Scottish folk, big band swing, and post-war pop. A working-class lad, Rod dodged school for football trials and odd jobs—grave-digging, screen-printing—before music beckoned. By 1963, he was crooning with The Dimensions, a skiffle outfit, and busking on London’s Tube, where Long John Baldry spotted him and pulled him into the blues scene.

Rod’s career kicked into gear with The Jeff Beck Group in 1967, where his sandpaper voice met Beck’s searing guitar. Their 1968 album Truth was a proto-heavy blueprint, but Rod’s star was rising faster. In 1969, he joined Faces (born from Small Faces’ ashes), gigging alongside Ronnie Wood, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones. Parallel to Faces’ boozy rock, Rod’s solo career exploded with Every Picture Tells a Story (1971), blending folk, blues, and swagger. The Faces crumbled by 1975—too much whiskey, too many egos—but Rod was already a global icon.

The ’80s saw him pivot to disco (“Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”) and synth-pop, alienating some purists but cementing his chameleon status. He’s lived large—three marriages (Alana Stewart, 1979-1984; Rachel Hunter, 1990-2006; Penny Lancaster, 2007-present), eight kids, and homes from LA to Essex. A 2001 throat cancer scare nearly silenced him, but by 2002, he was back, rasp intact.

Career Highway and High-Profile Ties

Faces’ classic crew: Rod (vocals), Wood (guitar), Lane (bass), McLagan (keys), Jones (drums). Solo, he’s leaned on session aces like Jim Cregan (guitar) and producers from Trevor Horn to Kevin Savigar. Relationships? Rod’s love life is tabloid gold—affairs with Britt Ekland (1975-1977), Kelly Emberg (1983-1990), and a fling with Susie McQueen (1970s) kept headlines buzzing. His bromance with Wood endures—reunions in 2015 and 2021 prove it.

Onscreen, Rod’s “Maggie May” fueled Breaking Bad’s 2012 finale, and he played himself in a 1999 Boondock Saints cameo. Awards? A 1994 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nod (solo), a 2012 Faces induction, a 2007 CBE from the Queen, and a 2016 knighthood (Sir Rod!). Grammys include Best Traditional Pop Album for Stardust (2004).

Biggest hits:

• “Maggie May” (Every Picture Tells a Story, 1971) – Co-written with Martin Quittenton, this #1 US/UK folk-rock tale of a fling gone sour launched him.
• “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (Blondes Have More Fun, 1978) – Rod, Carmine Appice, and Duane Hitchings penned this #1 disco strut—love it or loathe it.
• “Forever Young” (Out of Order, 1988) – Co-written with Jim Cregan and Kevin Savigar, this #12 US ballad nods to Dylan with tender grit.
• “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (A Night on the Town, 1976) – Rod’s sultry #1 US seduction, written solo, oozes ’70s charm.

Scandals and Soccer Stumbles

Rod’s controversies are a playlist of excess and oops. In 1977, Britt Ekland’s $12.5 million palimony suit after their split—claiming she’d sacrificed her career—settled out of court, but it painted Rod as a heartbreaker. His 1980s disco shift drew sneers; Rolling Stone called it “a betrayal of his roots.” A 2004 paternity suit from a 1980s fling (settled quietly) and a 2019 scuffle at a Florida bar—where he and son Sean allegedly punched a guard—kept gossip mills churning (charges dropped). Football’s his other Achilles’ heel—a 2015 rant trashing Celtic rivals Rangers on live TV sparked fan fury. Yet, his charm disarms—cancer recovery and charity gigs soften the edges.

The Eternal Rocker

From a Highgate dreamer to a knighted legend, Rod Stewart’s life is a rollicking reel of highs and lows. At 80 in 2025, he’s eyeing more acoustic gigs, his voice a weathered treasure. He didn’t just sing the soundtrack to decades—he lived it, scars and all, a rascal who turned grit into gold.