Billy Stewart was an R&B singer active in the 1960s.

He met Marvin Gaye through the Rainbows, a Washington, DC vocal group. Bo Diddley has been credited with discovering Stewart in Washington, DC. This led to a recording with Bo Diddley’s label Chess Records.

Amazing: I didn’t know that Marvin Gaye and Bo Diddley had ties to Washington DC.

Here’s Billy Stewart singing what Wikipedia calls his “radical interpretation” of Summertime from George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess. Forgive the blurriness of this video.

Not sure about the 10-gallon hat and the folks sitting around on hay bales. 🤔

Billy Stewart died in an automobile accident in 1970. He was 32.

Shout-out to the Sunday Kind of Love program on WPFW 89.3 FM for introducing me to Billy Stewart.

Sources:

(2019, August 22). Billy Stewart. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Stewart

HappyDuckk. (2010, August 17). Billy Stewart – Summertime – HQ. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VkA8HoB5m8

Trouble Man: Marvin Gaye’s Life In Washington. Retrieved from https://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2019-04-03/trouble-man-marvin-gayes-life-in-washington

Kojo Nnamdi interviews Rev. Sandra Butler-Truesdale Founder and Chair, the D.C. Legendary Musicians, Inc. As broadcast on The Kojo Show on April 3, 2019. Transcript included.

WPFW 89.3 FM. Retrieved from https://wpfwfm.org/radio/