Dave Stewart

David Allan Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. He won Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards. Stewart (along with Lennox) was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Outside of Eurythmics, Stewart has written and produced songs for artists such as Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty.

Stewart was born in 1952 in Sunderland, England, son of John ("Jack") and Sadie Stewart. Distantly related both to the Dukes of Northumberland and to pirates, Stewart was from a middle-class, "well-off family", with accountant parents; he "always wanted to play with the working-class kids, but they'd always call [him] 'richie' and whack [him] on the head with cricket bats and things." His father was a "keen harmonica player" with a "dedication to music of all types", having "invested in the latest hi-tech stereo system and wired it up to every room in the house." He attended Barnes Infants and Junior School and Bede Grammar School for Boys.

Stewart began "dropping acid" by the age of 15 and carried on taking it up to 3 times a week during his teenage years. He later told The Guardian newspaper "Everything changed at that moment, It’s a speeded-up version of sitting on a mountain for 60 years and meditating. 'Ah, now I get it.' The trouble is, it doesn’t last".

Whilst still in his teens, he secured a record deal as part of folk-rock band Longdancer. Despite being signed to Elton John's record label, The Rocket Record Company, they did not achieve commercial success. He also collaborated with Brian Harrison to produce an EP on the Sunderland Multicord label (label number MULT-SH-1, producer Ken McKenzie), recording two songs ("Girl" and "Green She Said") from a school musical production written by English teacher Dick Bradshaw, one traditional number ("A Blacksmith Courted Me") and a song written by Dave and Brian ("Deep December"). After leaving Wearside, Stewart spent several years living in squats in London. In late 1976, he was introduced to Annie Lennox by Paul Jacobs. Soon, Stewart and Lennox became romantically involved. By 1977, the pair had teamed up with Sunderland musician Peet Coombes, releasing a single on Logo Records as the Catch. The band then developed into the Tourists, who enjoyed modest success, including a hit in 1979 with a cover of the Dusty Springfield hit "I Only Want to Be with You".