A multi-media entrepreneur, Dave Stewart is recognized as one of the most respected and accomplished talents in the music industry today. Beyond his creative work as a musician, Stewart is a renowned producer, author, director, photographer, filmmaker, and philanthropist.
Stewart’s music career spans three decades and more than 100 million album sales, highlighted by his collaboration with Annie Lennox in the groundbreaking pop-rock duo Eurythmics (“Sweet Dreams [Are Made of This],” “Here Comes The Rain Again,” “Would I Lie to You?” and dozens more). Behind the scenes he’s produced albums and co-written songs for Bono, Bryan Ferry, Gwen Stefani, Tom Petty, Katy Perry, Mick Jagger, and Sinead O’Connor, racking up numerous Producer, Songwriter, Golden Globe, and Grammy Awards along the way.
As an entrepreneur, Stewart has established Weapons of Mass Entertainment (WME), a “media company for the new world” (The LA Times), linking creative ideas to a host of projects in music, film, television, books, theatre, and new media.
As the creator of content for WME, Stewart has recently married his passion for music, film and television by creating a number of high profile projects. Dave created and wrote the story for Malibu Country, an upcoming American comedy starring Reba McEntire and Lily Tomlin. Stewart is also Executive Producer for the series as well as creator of the music for Malibu Country, which will air all across America, Friday nights on Primetime ABC.
With a Paramount Pictures deal recently signed, Stewart’s musical feature, Hole in the Fence, is an imaginative story written by Dave Stewart & Ringo Starr. About a group of small town high school outcasts in the backwaters of Virginia who use their love of country music to explore and connect with one another as they go on an adventure beyond “the hole in the fence” – the uplifting story showcases the power of music to provide healing in the past, present, and future.
Stewart has also signed a deal with Cinedigm (the world’s largest aggregator of independent digital content) to bring a series of documentary style films to movie theaters in a regular, recurring time slot. Each segment will feature a superstar guest from the world of country music. The films will be produced by WME, with each installment in the “Dave Stewart Presents…” series featuring Stewart as host and curator of a live performance with country legends.
In 2011, Stewart co-wrote and co-produced Stevie Nicks’ critically acclaimed solo album, In Your Dreams, marking the first time Nicks has ever collaborated on a solo effort. Stewart also took Joss Stone to Nashville, where they wrote and recorded her fifth studio album LP1. A lover of film and photography, Stewart shot full-length documentary feature films for both projects.
Also a founder of the aptly-titled heavyweight musical group, SuperHeavy, Stewart’s collaboration with Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, and A.R. Rahman was released in September 2011. Their self titled album, SuperHeavy, was hailed as one of the “Best Albums of 2011” by Rolling Stone.
The August 2011 release of Stewart’s own record, The Blackbird Diaries was his first solo project in over 13 years, and was recorded with some of Nashville’s top players in a whirlwind five-day session at John and Martina McBride’s Blackbird Studios. The album, written by Stewart (with a co-write assist by Bob Dylan and guest appearances by Stevie Nicks, Martina McBride, Colbie Caillat, and the Secret Sisters) is a reflective and story-driven journey, with nods to his blues inspirations, the price of success, and relationships both lost and found. With The Blackbird Diaries receiving rave reviews around the world. Dave is soon to release a follow-up album, The Ringmaster General, featuring duets with Alison Krauss, Jessie Baylin and Diane Birch. On the upcoming The Ringmaster General, Stewart creates a potent and distinctive musical gumbo, mixing rock, blues, country, rhythm & blues, and psychedelia.
Additionally, Stewart filmed a companion movie for both albums entitled The Ringmaster General: The Making of Two Explosive Albums in One Rocking Documentary, premiering at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre in August 2012. Featuring performances of the songs and a look at the whirlwind recording process, the tongue-in-cheek film follows Stewart’s adventures in songwriting, letting the viewer witness his eccentric but compelling methods of creativity. The days are filled with mayhem and martinis, while a circus of characters cross Stewart’s path; many muses appear to join in the fun including Alison Krauss, Martinia McBride, Colbie Caillat, The Secret Sisters, Joss Stone, Stevie Nicks, Jessie Baylin, Diane Birch, and Orianthi. For Stewart, the film is simply another creative outlet. “I used to document everything, even back in the Eurythmics days,” he says. “I think filming and writing music are all part of the same process.”
Stewart has scored films for several directors, including Robert Altman, Paul Verhoven, and Ted Demme, and has written and produced the title songs for many hit movies including the No 1 movie in USA this week Madagascar 3. Together with Mick Jagger, he wrote and produced the score for Alfie, starring Jude Law, which won the pair a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
Stewart along with songwriter/producer Glen Ballard recently wrote the music for the musical adaptation of the 1990 Jerry Zucker film Ghost, which opened to rave reviews in London’s West End July 2011, and premiered on Broadway April 23, 2012.
In 2010 Stewart released The Business Playground: Where Creativity and Commerce Collide (Financial Times / Pearson). With a foreword by Sir Richard Branson, The Business Playground is a highly regarded business tome now available in eight languages.
Described by Bob Dylan as “a fearless innovator,” Stewart has worked with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to create The Hospital Club, a highly successful multimedia creative centre and members club in London. Stewart is also a founding partner in F*, a new technology company offering monetization solutions for users with above average reach and influence.