music
‘His ache is real’: Bob Dylan and more on the wild genius of honky-tonk hellraiser Gary Stewart
Worshipped by everyone from Willie Nelson to Joe Strummer, the country star with the amazing voice imploded in a blaze of guns, knives, drugs and infidelities. What’s behind his astonishing posthumous rediscovery?
TL;DR
- Gary Stewart, a country music maverick, is being rediscovered years after his death.
- Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Waters are among those who praised Stewart's expressive vocal talent.
- Stewart's life was marked by drug addiction, shared with his wife Mary Lou, which led to his exile from the music business.
- A new biography, "Gary Stewart: I Am from the Honky Tonks," and a collection of demos, "One Track Mind," have contributed to his rediscovery.
- Rising stars like Charley Crockett and Karly Hartzman are singing Stewart's praises and songs.
- Stewart's daughter, Shannon Ashburn, is dedicated to getting him recognized, including an effort to induct him into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- His son, Joey, died by suicide in 1988, and his wife Mary Lou died in 2003, after which Stewart also took his own life.
- Despite his struggles, Stewart was known to captivate audiences in smaller venues like honky-tonks and juke joints.