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Rod Stewart is touring this summer, spreading his interpretations of classics across the country.
Stewart is a British pop-rocker known for his raspy voice and enduring music style, which has helped his career to span successfully over five decades. He is certainly among the best-selling acts of all time - some say that his album and single sales total more than 250 million copies.
Stewart was raised in London, England, and had a number of odd jobs before hitting it big in the music industry. He played with a number of bands, including The Ray Davies Quartet and Jimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions.
Stewart released some solo albums while recording with bands, but found breakthrough success with "Every Picture Tells a Story" in 1971. The album included "Reason to Believe" and "Maggie May." Before hitting his commercial stride, Stewart was wowing critics with his vocal ability and writing talents, particularly after the release of "Never a Dull Moment" in 1972. Rolling Stone praised the artist, saying that his "full and unique talent?[as]? he had an unmatched eye for the tiny details around which lives turn, shatter, and reform ?and a voice to make those details indelible."
Over the next 15 years, Stewart released a number of successful albums with a number of No.1 singles, including "Tonights The Night (Gonna Be Alright)," "Do Ya Think Im Sexy," "Downtown Train," "This Old Heart of Mine," "All for Love" with Bryan Adams and Sting and "Have I Told You Lately."
In the past decade, Stewart has released two alums of 1930s and 1940s standards in his "Great American Songbook" collection. The first album, "It Had to Be You?The Great American Songbook" hit No.4 on the Billboard charts and the second album, "As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2" reached the No.2 spot.
In 2005, "Stardust?The Great American Songbook 3" hit shelves, and it sold 200,000 copies in its first week, marking a No.1 chart position. The fourth and final album in the collection, "Thanks for the Memory: Great American Songbook 4" also hit the No.2 spot.
While the collection ended, Stewart wasnt finished with interpreting songs from the past. In 2006 he released "Still the Same?Great Rock Classics of Our Time." The album was very popular and included the single, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover.
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