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REDD STEWART-THE MAN & HIS MUSIC: A New Tribute Site Launched In Memory
of Redd Stewart, Country Musician/Songwriter/Performer
NORFOLK, VA., January 26, 2004 "The Tennessee Waltz composer may no
longer be with us, but he will never be forgotten", states his
son Billy. "We have been hard at work building a new website in honor
of my father. This site will allow people from all over the world
to get an in depth view of his music and life. There are a lot of people
in country music that have made it what it is today, but never got the
recognition they deserve. My father was one of them. We hope this site
will show the many great contributions that he has made to country music.
We will be bringing back all of his recordings on CD's, complete with lyrics
of each song, his history, and some great photos of him! Also, we will be
continuing the work of his company, Ambridge Music, which will be dedicated
to helping other independent artists launch their music careers."
May 27, 1923 - Born Henry Ellis Stewart in Ashland City, Tennessee; the
son of musical parents and raised in Louisville, Ky., Redd's family moved
to Louisville, Kentucky, while he was still young. He learned to play
the banjo, piano, fiddle and guitar as a child, then dropped out of
junior high to perform in local bands. He legally changed his first name to
Redd because of his red hair, freckles and fair complexion. In 1935 Redd was
contracted to write a song for a car dealer's commercial in
Louisville, Kentucky at the age of 14. He then formed and played in
various bands around Louisville, including the Prairie Riders. In 1937
Pee Wee King came to Louisville, Ky. to play on WHAS and signed Redd
on as a musician with the Golden West Cowboys. At the time, Eddy Arnold
was the band's vocalist. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Redd was
drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to the South Pacific. While stationed
there with the rank of sergeant, Redd wrote "A Soldier's Last Letter," which
Ernest Tubb worked on and recorded in 1944, making it a No.1 hit staying
at the top for four weeks out of a seven month stay on the Country charts and crossing over to the Pop chart Top 20. When Redd returned to Pee Wee's Golden West Cowboys at the end of WW II, he became the band's vocalist, Arnold having gone solo. Now Redd started to take songwriting seriously. His music career took off from there.
With such great hits as, Tennessee Waltz, You Belong To Me, Bonaparte's
Retreat, Soldiers Last Letter, and Slow Poke, Redd Stewart became a
country music legend. “We hope that you will visit his site and talk
a walk down memory lane! Please sign our guest book and let us know
you stopped by!” says Billy.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Billy Stewart available for interviews. Photos of
Redd Stewart available.
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