Editing Rod Stewart (section)

==Music career==
===1961–1963: Early work and The Dimensions===
Stewart worked in the family shop and as a [[paperboy|newspaper delivery boy]].<ref name="eh-12-13">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', pp. 12–13.</ref> He then worked briefly as a labourer for [[Highgate Cemetery]], which became another part of his biographical lore.{{refn|group="nb"|For many years it was said that Stewart had been a gravedigger at Highgate, partly to face a childhood fear of death.<ref name="eh-12-13"/> In his 2012 autobiography he said that was a tale he had gone along with, but that in fact he had only measured out plots with string during a couple of Saturdays.<ref name="auto-22">Stewart, ''Rod: The Autobiography'', p. 22.</ref>}} He worked in a [[North Finchley]] [[funeral parlour]]<ref name="eh-12-13"/> and as a fence erector and sign writer.<ref name="gray4-5"/> In 1961, he went to [[Denmark Street]] with [[The Moontrekkers|the Raiders]] and got a singing audition with well-known record producer [[Joe Meek]], but Meek stopped the session with a rude sound.<ref name="eh-14-16">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', pp. 14–16, 20.</ref><!--TBD alt story has it in a church hall -->  Stewart began listening to British and American topical folk artists such as [[Ewan MacColl]], [[Alex Campbell (singer)|Alex Campbell]], [[Woody Guthrie]], [[Ramblin' Jack Elliott]], and especially [[Derroll Adams]] and the [[Bob Dylan (album)|debut album]] of [[Bob Dylan]].<ref name="eh-14-16"/><ref name="cby-375">Moritz (ed.), ''Current Year Biography 1979'', p. 375.</ref>

Stewart became attracted to [[beatnik]] attitudes and [[left-wing politics]], living for a while in a beatnik houseboat at [[Shoreham-by-Sea]].<ref name="eh-14-16"/> He was an active supporter of the [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]] at this time, joining the annual [[Aldermaston Marches]] from 1961 to 1963 and being arrested on three occasions when he took part in sit-ins at [[Trafalgar Square]] and [[Whitehall]] for the cause.<ref name="gray4-5"/><ref name="eh-14-16"/> He also used the marches as a way to meet and bed girls.<ref name="eh-14-16"/><ref>Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', p. 57.</ref> In 1962, he had his first serious relationship, with London art student Suzannah Boffey (a friend of future model and actress [[Chrissie Shrimpton]]); he moved to a [[bed-sit]] in [[Muswell Hill]] to be near her.<ref name="eh-17-19">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', pp. 17–19.</ref> She became pregnant, but neither Rod nor his family wanted him to enter marriage; the baby girl was given up for adoption and Rod and Suzannah's relationship ended.<ref name="eh-17-19"/>

In 1962, Stewart began hanging around folk singer [[Wizz Jones]], [[busking]] at [[Leicester Square]] and other London spots.<ref name="eh-24-28">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', pp. 24–28.</ref> Stewart took up playing the then-fashionable harmonica.<ref name="nb-58"/> On several trips over the next 18 months Jones and Stewart took their act to [[Brighton]] and then to Paris, sleeping under bridges over the [[River Seine]], and then finally to [[Barcelona]],<ref name="eh-24-28"/> from where he was deported from Spain for [[vagrancy (people)|vagrancy]] in 1963.<ref name="BBC04">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3964169.stm|title=Enduring career of Rod the Mod|work=BBC News|date= 29 October 2004}}</ref><ref name="eh-24-28"/><ref>{{Cite book|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|author2=Romanowski, Patricia|title=The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|publisher=[[Rolling Stone Press]]/[[Summit Books]]|year=1983|isbn=0-671-43457-8|page=530}}</ref> At this time, Stewart, who had been at William Grimshaw School with three of the members of the embryonic [[The Kinks|Kinks]], was briefly considered as their singer.<ref name="eh-7"/><ref name="cby-375"/><ref name="allday">Hinman, ''The Kinks – All Day and All of the Night'', p. 9.</ref><ref name="notlike">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/raydaviesnotlike0000kitt|url-access=registration|author= Thomas M. Kitts|title=Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else|page=[https://archive.org/details/raydaviesnotlike0000kitt/page/21 21]|publisher=Routledge|date=13 December 2008|isbn= 9781135867959}}</ref><ref name="bbc6-keaveny">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p016zmyf|title=Rod Stewart joins Shaun Keaveny|publisher=[[BBC Radio 6 Music]]|date=28 March 2013}} Dark period quote at 2:01, autobiography effect at 4:17, Ray Davies quartet quotes at 11:40.</ref>

In 1963, Stewart adopted the [[Mod (subculture)|Mod lifestyle and look]], and began fashioning the spiky rooster hairstyle that would become his trademark<ref name="eh-21-23"/> (it was made possible with sugar water or large amounts of his sisters' [[hair lacquer]], [[backcombing]], and his hands holding it in place to protect it from the winds of [[Highgate Underground station]]).<ref name="eh-21-23"/><ref>Stewart, ''Rod: The Autobiography'', p. 33.</ref><ref>Wooldridge, ''Rock 'n' Roll London'', p. 109.</ref>) Disillusioned by rock and roll, he saw [[Otis Redding]] perform in concert and began listening to [[Sam Cooke]] records; he became fascinated by [[rhythm and blues]] and [[soul music]].<ref name="eh-21-23">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', pp. 21–23.</ref>

After returning to London, Stewart joined a rhythm and blues group, the Dimensions, in October 1963, as a harmonica player and part-time vocalist.<ref name="mojo95">{{Cite news|url=http://www.willbirch.com/Rod%20Stewart%20-%20The%20Graveyard%20Shift.htm|title=Rod Stewart – The Graveyard Shift|author=Birch, Will|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=May 1995|access-date=4 May 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515012107/http://www.willbirch.com/Rod%20Stewart%20-%20The%20Graveyard%20Shift.htm|archive-date=15 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="Gray-7"/> It was his first professional job as a musician, although he was still living at home and working in his brother's painting and picture-frame shop.<ref name="eh-29-32">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', pp. 29–32.</ref><ref name="rs-intv-70">{{Cite book|title=The Rolling Stone Interviews: 1967–1980|first=Peter|last=Herbst|author-link=Peter Herbst|edition=reissued|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishing]]|year=1989|isbn=0-312-03486-5|pages=118–26}}</ref> A somewhat more established singer from Birmingham, Jimmy Powell, hired the group a few weeks later, and it became known as [[Jimmy Powell (singer)|Jimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions]] (which also included bassist [[Louis Cennamo]]), with Stewart as harmonica player.<ref name="mojo95"/><ref name="Gray-7">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', p. 7.</ref> The group performed weekly at the famed Studio 51 club on Great Newport Street in London, where [[The Rolling Stones]] often headlined;<ref name="Gray-7"/> this was Stewart's entrée into the thriving London R&B scene,<ref name="rshist-377"/> and his harmonica playing improved in part from watching [[Mick Jagger]] on stage.<ref name="nb-58">Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', p. 58.</ref> Relations soon broke down between Powell and Stewart over roles within the group<ref name="eh-29-32"/> and Stewart departed. Contrary to popular legend, during this time Stewart probably did not play harmonica on [[Millie (singer)|Millie Small]]'s 1964 hit "[[My Boy Lollipop]]"; that was probably Peter Hogman of the Dimensions, although Powell has also claimed credit.<ref name="mojo95"/><ref name="eh-33-39"/> Powell did record and release a single during this period, though Stewart did not appear on it.<ref name="Gray-7"/>

===1964–1967: Steampacket and "Rod the Mod" image===
In January 1964,{{refn|group="nb"|A much-written-about happenstance, some sources give the date of the Stewart–Baldry rail station meeting as 5 January,<ref name="mojo95"/> some as 7 January (but that may be confusing it with the date of Cyril Davies' death), some imply that it is after 7 January,<ref name="Gray-8"/> while some sources give no specific date.}} while Stewart was waiting at [[Twickenham railway station]] after having seen [[Long John Baldry]] and the [[All-Stars (band)|All Stars]] at [[Eel Pie Island Hotel|Eel Pie Island]],<ref name="mojo95"/><ref name="eh-33-39">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', pp. 33–39.</ref><ref>Wooldridge, ''Rock 'n' Roll London'', pp. 65–66.</ref> Baldry heard him playing "[[Smokestack Lightnin']]" on his harmonica, and invited him to sit in with the group; when Baldry discovered Stewart was a singer as well, he offered him a job for £35 a week, after securing the approval of Stewart's mother.<ref name="eh-33-39"/> Quitting his day job at the age of nineteen, Stewart gradually overcame his shyness and nerves and became a visible enough part of the act that he was sometimes added to the billing as "Rod the Mod" Stewart,<ref name="nb-58"/><ref name="eh-33-39"/><ref name="Gray-8">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', p. 8.</ref> the nickname coming from his [[dandy]]ish style of grooming and dress.<ref name="cby-375"/> Baldry touted Stewart's abilities to ''[[Melody Maker]]'' magazine and the group enjoyed a weekly residence at London's fabled [[Marquee Club]].<ref name="Gray-8"/> In June 1964, Stewart made his recording debut (without label credit) on "[[Up Above My Head]]", the B-side to a Baldry and Hoochie Coochie Men single.<ref name="Gray-9">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', p. 9.</ref> While still with Baldry, Stewart embarked on a simultaneous solo career.<ref name="nb-59">Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', p. 59.</ref> He made some demo recordings,{{refn|group="nb"|The demo recordings <!--with?--> were later released in 1976, against Stewart's wishes.<ref name="Gray-10"/>}} was scouted by [[Decca Records]] at the Marquee Club, and signed to a solo contract in August 1964.<ref name="Gray-10">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', pp. 10–12.</ref> He appeared on several regional television shows around the country and recorded his first single in September 1964.<ref name="nb-59"/><ref name="Gray-10"/>

Turning down Decca's recommended material as too commercial, Stewart insisted that the experienced session musicians he was given, including [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]], learn a couple of [[Sonny Boy Williamson I|Sonny Boy Williamson]] songs he had just heard.<ref>Tremlett, ''The Rod Stewart Story'', as quoted extensively in Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', pp. 60–61.</ref> The resulting single, "[[Good Morning Little Schoolgirl]]", was recorded and released in October 1964. Stewart performed it on the popular television show ''[[Ready Steady Go!]]'', but it did not enter the charts. Also in October, Stewart left the Hoochie Coochie Men after having a row with Baldry.<ref name="Gray-10"/>

Stewart played some dates on his own in late 1964 and early 1965, sometimes backed by the [[Southampton]] R&B outfit the Soul Agents.<ref>Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', p. 13.</ref> The Hoochie Coochie Men broke up, Baldry and Stewart patched up their differences (and became lifelong friends),<ref name="eh-41">Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', p. 41.</ref> and music manager [[Giorgio Gomelsky]] put together [[Steampacket]], with Baldry, Stewart, [[Brian Auger]], [[Julie Driscoll]], [[Micky Waller]], [[Vic Briggs]] and [[Ricky Fenson]]; their first appearance was in support of the Rolling Stones in July 1965.<ref name="Gray-14">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', p. 14.</ref> The group was conceived as a white soul revue, analogous to [[The Ike & Tina Turner Revue]], with multiple vocalists and styles ranging from jazz to R&B to blues.<ref name="nb-61">Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', p. 61.</ref> Steampacket toured with the Stones and [[the Walker Brothers]] that summer, ending in the [[London Palladium]];<ref name="nb-61"/> seeing the audience react to the Stones gave Stewart his first exposure to crowd hysteria.<ref>Pidgeon, ''Rod Stewart and the Changing Faces'', as quoted in Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', p. 61.</ref> Stewart, who had been included in the group upon Baldry's insistence, ended up with most of the male vocal parts.<ref name="nb-61"/> Steampacket was unable to enter the studio to record any material because its members all belonged to different labels and managers,<ref name="nb-61"/><ref name="amg-steam">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p20741|pure_url=yes}}|title=The Steampacket: Biography|website=AllMusic|first=Richie|last=Unterberger|author-link=Richie Unterberger|access-date=13 February 2010}}</ref> although Gomelsky did record one of their Marquee Club rehearsals.{{refn|group="nb"|These later surfaced in 1971 as part of Gomelsky's ''Rock Generation'' releases on [[BYG Records]]; the poorly recorded material has been repackaged as ''Rod Stewart and Steampacket'' many times since.<ref name="nb-61"/><ref name="amg-steam"/>}}

Stewart's "Rod the Mod" image gained wider visibility in November 1965, when he was the subject of a 30-minute [[Associated-Rediffusion|Rediffusion, London]] television documentary titled "An Easter with Rod" that portrayed the Mod scene.<ref name="BBC04"/><ref name="Gray-15-17">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', pp. 15–17.</ref> His parallel solo career attempts continued on [[EMI]]'s [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia label]] with the November 1965 release of "The Day Will Come", a more heavily arranged pop attempt, and the April 1966 release of his take on [[Sam Cooke]]'s "[[Shake (Sam Cooke song)|Shake]]", with the [[Brian Auger Trinity]].<ref name="Gray-15-17"/> Both failed commercially, and neither gained positive notices.<ref>Ewbank and Hildred, ''Rod Stewart: The New Biography'', p. 56.</ref> Stewart had spent the better part of two years listening mostly to Cooke; he later said, "I didn't sound like anybody at all ... but I knew I sounded a bit like Sam Cooke, so I listened to Sam Cooke."<ref name="rs-intv-70"/> This recording solidified that singer's position as Stewart's idol and most enduring influence; he called it a "crossing of the water".<ref name="cby-375"/><ref name="rs-intv-70"/><ref name="nb-61"/>

Stewart left Steampacket in March 1966,<ref name="Gray-15-17"/> with Stewart saying he had been sacked and Auger saying he had quit.<ref name="nb-61"/> Stewart then joined a somewhat similar outfit, [[Shotgun Express]], in May 1966 as co-lead vocalist with [[Beryl Marsden]].<ref name="nb-61"/><ref name="Gray-15-17"/> The other members included [[Mick Fleetwood]] and [[Peter Green (musician)|Peter Green]] (who went on to form [[Fleetwood Mac]]), and [[Peter Bardens]].<ref name="Gray-15-17"/> Shotgun Express released one unsuccessful single in October 1966, the orchestra-heavy "I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round", before disbanding.<ref name="nb-61"/><ref name="Gray-15-17"/> Stewart later disparaged Shotgun Express as a poor imitation of Steampacket and said, "I was still getting this terrible feeling of doing other people's music. I think you can only start finding yourself when you write your own material."<ref name="Gray-15-17"/> By now, Stewart had bounced around without achieving much success, with little to distinguish himself among other aspiring London singers other than the emerging rasp in his voice.<ref name="rshist-377"/>

===1967–1969: Jeff Beck Group period===
Guitarist [[Jeff Beck]] recruited Stewart for his new post-[[the Yardbirds|Yardbirds]] venture,<ref name="carson-71">Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', pp. 71–72.</ref> and in February 1967, Stewart joined [[the Jeff Beck Group]] as vocalist and sometime songwriter.<ref name="Gray-18-21">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', pp. 18–21.</ref> This would become the big break of his early career.<ref name="cby-375"/> There he first played with [[Ronnie Wood]]<ref name="nb-61"/> whom he had first met in a London pub in 1964;<ref name="Gray-10"/> the two soon became fast friends.<ref name="carson-71"/> During its first year, the group experienced frequent changes of drummers and conflicts involving manager [[Mickie Most]] wanting to reduce Stewart's role. They toured the UK and released a couple of singles that featured Stewart on their B-sides.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref name="carson-78">Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', pp. 75, 78, 83–86.</ref> Stewart's sputtering solo career also continued with the March 1968 release of non-hit "Little Miss Understood" on [[Immediate Records]].<ref name="Gray-18-21"/>

The Jeff Beck Group toured Western Europe in spring 1968, recorded, and were nearly destitute. Then assistant manager [[Peter Grant (music manager)|Peter Grant]] booked them on a six-week tour of the United States starting in June 1968 with the [[Fillmore East]] in New York.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref name="nyt061568"/><ref name="carson-81">Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', pp. 81–82.</ref> Stewart, on his first trip to America, suffered terrible stage fright during the opening show and hid behind the amplifier banks while singing. Only a quick shot of [[brandy]] brought him out front.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/> Nevertheless, the show and the tour were a big success,<ref name="cby-375"/><ref name="carson-81"/> with [[Robert Shelton (critic)|Robert Shelton]] of ''The New York Times'' calling the group exciting and praising "the interaction of Mr. Beck's wild and visionary guitar against the hoarse and insistent shouting of Rod Stewart",<ref name="nyt061568">{{Cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F40711FD38541B7B93C7A8178DD85F4C8685F9|title=Jeff Beck Group Cheered in Debut|first=Robert|last=Shelton|author-link=Robert Shelton (critic)|newspaper=The New York Times|date=15 June 1968|page=38|format=fee required}}</ref> and ''[[New Musical Express]]'' reporting that the group was receiving standing ovations and pulling receipts equal to those of [[Jimi Hendrix]] and [[the Doors]].<ref name="Gray-18-21"/>

In August 1968, their first album, ''[[Truth (Jeff Beck album)|Truth]]'', was released, and by October, it had risen to number 15 on the [[Billboard 200|US albums chart]] but failed to chart in the UK.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/> The album featured Beck's masterly guitar technique and manipulated sounds as Stewart's dramatic vocalising tackled the group's varied repertoire of blues, folk, rock, and proto-[[heavy metal music|heavy metal]].<ref name="rshist-377"/><ref name="carson-78"/><ref name="amg-truth">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1564|pure_url=yes}}|title=Truth: Review|first=Bruce|last=Eder|author-link=Bruce Eder|website=AllMusic|access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref> Stewart also co-wrote three of the songs<ref name="amg-truth"/> and credited the record for helping to develop his vocal abilities and the sandpaper quality in his voice.<ref name="rs-intv-70"/> The group toured America again at the end of the year to a strong reception, then suffered from more personnel upheaval<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref>Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', p. 89.</ref> (something that would continue throughout Beck's career). In July 1969, Stewart left following his friend Wood's departure.<ref name="rs-intv-70"/><ref name="Gray-22">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', p. 22.</ref> Stewart later recalled, "It was a great band to sing with, but I couldn't take all the aggravation and unfriendliness that developed.... In the two and a half years I was with Beck I never once looked him in the eye – I always looked at his shirt or something like that."<ref name="Gray-18-21"/>

The group's second album, ''[[Beck-Ola]]'', was released in June 1969 in the US and in September 1969 in the UK, bracketing the time the group was dissolving; it also made number 15 in the US albums chart and reached number 39 in the [[UK albums chart]].<ref name="cby-375"/><ref name="Gray-22"/><ref>{{cite web| url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1566|pure_url=yes}}|title=Beck-Ola: Review|first=William|last=Ruhlmann|website=AllMusic|access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref> During his time with the group, Stewart initially felt overmatched by Beck's presence, and his style was still developing; but later Stewart felt the two developed a strong musical, if not personal, rapport.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref>''The New Rolling Stone Record Guide'', p. 34.</ref> Much of Stewart's sense of phrasing was developed during his time with the Jeff Beck Group.<ref name="rs-intv-70"/> Beck sought to form a new [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] with [[Carmine Appice]] and [[Tim Bogert]] (of the similarly just-breaking-up [[Vanilla Fudge]]) joining him and Stewart, but Stewart had other plans.<ref>Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', pp. 74, 76.</ref>

===1969–1975: Solo career established and Faces albums===
[[Mercury Records]] [[A&R]] man [[Lou Reizner]] had seen Stewart perform with Beck, and on 8 October 1968 signed him to a solo contract;<ref name="Gray-18-21"/> but contractual complexities delayed Stewart's recording for him until July 1969.<ref name="Gray-22"/><ref>Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', pp. 96–97, 100.</ref> Meanwhile, in May 1969, guitarist and singer [[Steve Marriott]] left English band [[the Small Faces]].<ref name="Gray-22"/> [[Ron Wood]] replaced him as guitarist in June and on 18 October 1969, Stewart followed his friend and became the band's new singer.<ref name="Gray-22"/> The two joined existing members [[Ronnie Lane]], [[Ian McLagan]], and [[Kenney Jones]], who soon decided to call the new line-up [[Faces (band)|Faces]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/06/arts/ronnie-lane-51-the-founder-of-small-faces-a-british-band.html|title=Ronnie Lane, the Founder Of Small Faces, a British Band|author=Jon Pareles|work=NY Times Archive|date=1997}}</ref>

''[[An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down]]'' became Stewart's first solo album in 1969 (it was known as ''The Rod Stewart Album'' in the US). It established the template for his solo sound: a heartfelt mixture of [[folk music|folk]], rock, and [[country blues]], inclusive of a British working-class sensibility, with both original material ("Cindy's Lament" and the title song) and cover versions ([[Ewan MacColl]]'s "[[Dirty Old Town]]" and [[Mike d'Abo]]'s "[[Handbags and Gladrags]]"). The backing band on the album included Wood, Waller and McLagan, plus [[Keith Emerson]] and guitarists [[Martin Pugh]] (of [[Steamhammer (band)|Steamhammer]], and later [[Armageddon (A&M band)|Armageddon]] and [[7th Order (band)|7th Order]]) and [[Martin Quittenton]] (also from [[Steamhammer (band)|Steamhammer]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rod-stewart-album-rod-stewart/73413?ean=731455805826|title=Rod Stewart Album by Umvd Special Markets, Rod Stewart – 731455805826 – CD – Barnes & Noble|author=JohnQ|date=1 October 2010|work=Barnes & Noble}}</ref>

[[File:Rod Stewart (1971).png|thumb|upright|Stewart in a trade advert for his 1971 album ''[[Every Picture Tells A Story]]'']]
Faces released their debut album, ''[[First Step (Faces album)|First Step]]'', in early 1970 with a rock and roll style similar to the Rolling Stones. While the album did better in the UK than in the US, the Faces quickly earned a strong live following. Stewart released his second album, ''[[Gasoline Alley (album)|Gasoline Alley]]'' that autumn. Stewart's approach was similar to his first album and [[mandolin]] was introduced into the sound. He then launched a US tour with the Faces. Stewart sang guest vocals for the Australian group [[Python Lee Jackson]] on "[[In a Broken Dream]]", recorded in April 1969 but not released until 1970. His payment was a set of seat covers for his car. It was re-released in 1972 to become a worldwide hit.

Stewart's 1971 solo album ''[[Every Picture Tells a Story]]'' made him a household name when the B-side of his minor hit "[[Reason to Believe]]", "[[Maggie May]]", (co-written with Martin Quittenton) started to receive radio play. The album and the single occupied the number one chart position simultaneously in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, a chart first, in September.<ref>Marcus, Greil. ''The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll.'' Second edition; Jim Miller, editor. New York: Random House, 1980, {{ISBN|0-394-51322-3}}, p. 379.</ref> ''Maggie May'' topped the single chart for five weeks in the US, and the UK and four weeks in Australia.  Set off by a striking mandolin part (by Ray Jackson of [[Lindisfarne (band)|Lindisfarne]]), "Maggie May" was also named in [[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]'s ''500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll''. The rest of the album was equally strong, with "[[Mandolin Wind]]" again showcasing that instrument; "[[(I Know) I'm Losing You]]" adding hard-edged soul to the mix; and "[[Tomorrow Is a Long Time]]", a cover of a [[Bob Dylan]] song. But the ultimate manifestation of the early Stewart solo style was the Stewart-Wood-penned "Every Picture Tells a Story" itself: powered by Mick Waller's drumming, [[Pete Sears]]'s piano and Wood's guitar work in a largely acoustic arrangement; it is a song relating to the [[picaresque]] adventures of the singer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=every picture tells a story - Record Collector Magazine |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/every-picture-tells-a-story |access-date=2025-05-03 |language=en}}</ref>

The second Faces album, ''[[Long Player (album)|Long Player]]'', was released in early 1971 and enjoyed greater chart success than ''First Step''. Faces also got their only US Top 40 hit with "Stay With Me" from their third album ''[[A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse]]'' released in late 1971.<ref name="BillboardChart"/> This album reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic on the back of the success of ''Every Picture Tells A Story''.<ref name="BillboardChart"/><ref name="Roberts">Roberts, David (2006). [[British Hit Singles & Albums]]. London: Guinness World Records Limited</ref> [[Steve Jones (musician)|Steve Jones]] from [[The Sex Pistols]] regarded the Faces highly and named them as a main influence on the British [[punk rock]] movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/The%20Sex%20Pistols_%20Steve%20Jones|title=The Sex Pistols' Steve Jones: 'I lost everything, hit bottom, and had to work my way back up.'|publisher=Gibson.com|access-date=11 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324183836/http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/The%20Sex%20Pistols_%20Steve%20Jones_|archive-date=24 March 2012}}</ref>

The Faces toured extensively in 1972 with growing tension in the band over Stewart's solo career enjoying more success than the band's. Stewart released ''[[Never a Dull Moment (Rod Stewart album)|Never a Dull Moment]]'' in the same year. Repeating the ''Every Picture'' formula, for the most part, it reached number two on the US album charts and number one in the UK,<ref name="RockHall"/> and enjoyed further good notices from reviewers. "You Wear It Well" was a hit single that reached number 13 in the US and went to number one in the UK, while "Twisting the Night Away" made explicit Stewart's debt to [[Sam Cooke]].

For the body of his early solo work Stewart earned tremendous critical praise. ''Rolling Stone'''s 1980 ''Illustrated History of Rock & Roll'' includes this in its Stewart entry:<ref name="rshist-377">Marcus, "Rod Stewart", in ''Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll'', p. 377.</ref>

<blockquote>Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely. Once the most compassionate presence in music, he has become a bilious self-parody – and sells more records than ever [... A] writer who offered profound lyricism and fabulous self-deprecating humour, teller of tall tales and honest heartbreaker, he had an unmatched eye for the tiny details around which lives turn, shatter, and reform [...] and a voice to make those details indelible. [... His solo albums] were defined by two special qualities: warmth, which was redemptive, and modesty, which was liberating. If ever any rocker chose the role of everyman and lived up to it, it was Rod Stewart.</blockquote>
[[File:Rod Stewart and Ron Wood - Faces - 1975.jpg|thumb|left|Stewart (right) while in [[Faces (band)|Faces]], with [[Ronnie Wood]] (left)]]
The Faces released their final album ''[[Ooh La La (Faces album)|Ooh La La]],'' which reached number one in the UK and number 21 in the US in 1973.<ref name="BillboardChart"/><ref name="Roberts"/> During the recording of the album, the rift between Stewart and the rest of the Faces grew further, as (according to [[Ian McLagan]]), Stewart did not participate until two weeks into the sessions, "and then complained that some songs were in the wrong key for him. So we recorded them again and waited a week for him to come back. We cut the track for 'Ooh La La' three times before he eventually passed on it, leaving it for [[Ronnie Wood|Woody]] to sing. [...] The week the album came out he did all he could to scuttle it and told anyone who would listen how useless it was."<ref name="mac-206">McLagan, Ian, ''All The Rage'' (2011), p. 206.</ref> The band toured Australasia, Japan, Europe and the UK in 1974<ref name="nzentgrafwoodworks">{{cite web|last=Zentgraf|first=Nico|title=Woodworks 1957–1975|url=http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm|access-date=14 June 2008}}</ref> to support the album and the single "Pool Hall Richard".

In late 1974, Stewart released his ''[[Smiler (album)|Smiler]]'' album. In Britain, it reached number one, and the single "Farewell" number seven, but only number 13 on the ''Billboard'' pop album charts and the single "Mine for Me" only number 91 on the ''Billboard'' pop singles charts. It was his last original album for Mercury Records. After the release of the double album compilation ''The Best of Rod Stewart'' he switched to [[Warner Bros. Records]] and remained with them throughout the vast majority of his career (Faces were signed to Warner Bros., and Stewart's solo releases in the UK appeared on the Riva label until 1981). In 1975, Faces toured the US twice (with Ronnie Wood joining [[the Rolling Stones]]' US tour in between).<ref name="nzentgrafwoodworks"/> With Ronnie Wood having released his second solo album in 1975 and also having joined the Rolling Stones (first as a temporary replacement for the departing [[Mick Taylor]], and later as a permanent member), as well as Stewart's own burgeoning solo career, it became impossible to maintain the Faces as a viable band, so the Faces broke up at the end of the year.<ref name="tioos-chronicle75">{{cite web|last=McPherson|first=Ian|title=The Rolling Stones Chronicle: 1975|url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/chron1975.html|access-date=14 June 2008}}</ref>

===1975–1988: Height of fame and critical reaction===
[[File:Rod-Stewart.jpg|thumb|upright|On stage in [[Dublin]], 1981]]
In 1975, Stewart moved to [[Los Angeles]]; that year, he released the ''[[Atlantic Crossing]]'' album for his new record company, using producer [[Tom Dowd]] and a different sound based on the [[Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section]]. ''Atlantic Crossing'' marked both a return to form and a return to the Top 10 of the ''Billboard'' album charts. The first single, a cover of the [[Sutherland Brothers]] song "[[Sailing (Sutherland Brothers song)|Sailing]]", was a number-one hit in the UK, charted high in other European countries and in Australia, but only reached the Top 60 of the US and Canadian charts. The single returned to the UK Top 10 a year later when used as the theme music for a BBC documentary [[Sailor (TV series)|series]] about {{HMS|Ark Royal|R09|6}}. Having been a hit twice over, "Sailing" became, and remains, Stewart's biggest-selling single in the UK. His [[Holland-Dozier-Holland]] cover "[[This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)#Rod Stewart and Ronald Isley version|This Old Heart of Mine]]" was also a Top 100 hit in 1976.<ref name="BillboardChart"/> In 1976, Stewart covered [[the Beatles]]' song "[[Get Back]]" for the musical documentary ''[[All This and World War II]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/all-this-and-world-war-ii-r230229/review|title=All This and World War II|website=AllMusic|access-date=4 December 2011}}</ref>

Later in 1976, Stewart topped the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for eight weeks and the Australian [[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]] chart with the ballad "[[Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)|Tonight's the Night]]", with an accompanying music video featuring actress [[Britt Ekland]].<ref name="BillboardChart"/> It came from the ''[[A Night on the Town (Rod Stewart album)|A Night on the Town]]'' album, which went to number two on the ''Billboard'' album charts and was Stewart's first album to go platinum. By explicitly marking the album as having a "fast side" and a "slow side", Stewart continued the trend started by ''Atlantic Crossing''. "[[The First Cut Is the Deepest]]", a cover of a [[Cat Stevens]] song, went number one in the UK in 1977, and top 30 in the US.<ref name="BillboardChart"/><ref name="RockHall"/> "[[The Killing of Georgie]] (Part 1 and 2)", about the murder of a gay man, was also a Top 40 hit for Stewart during 1977.<ref name="BillboardChart"/>

''[[Foot Loose & Fancy Free]]'' (1977) featured Stewart's own band, the original Rod Stewart Group that featured Carmine Appice, Phil Chen, Jim Cregan, Billy Peek, [[Gary Grainger]] and [[John Barlow Jarvis|John Jarvis]]. It continued Stewart's run of chart success, reaching number two. "[[You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)|You're in My Heart]]" was the hit single, reaching number four in the US.<ref name="BillboardChart"/>

"[[Hot Legs]]" achieved a lot of radio airplay as did the confessional "[[I Was Only Joking]]". In appearance, Stewart's look had evolved to include a [[glam rock|glam]] element, including make-up and spandex clothes. Stewart scored another UK number one and US number one single with "[[Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?]]", which was a crossover hit reaching number five on the ''Billboard'' black charts due to its [[disco]] sound.<ref name="BillboardChart"/> This was the lead single from 1978's ''[[Blondes Have More Fun]]'', which went to number one on the ''Billboard'' album charts and sold three million albums.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Rod+Stewart&ti=Blondes+Have+More+Fun|title=Recording Industry Association of America|website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] }}(RIAA)®</ref>

A focal point of criticisms about this period was his biggest-selling 1978 disco hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", which was atypical of his earlier output, and disparaged by critics.<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t4062480|pure_url=yes}}|author=Mason, Stewart|title=Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?|website=AllMusic}}</ref> In interviews, Stewart, while admitting his accompanying look had become "tarty", has defended the lyrics by pointing out that the song is a [[third-person narrative]] slice-of-life portrayal, not unlike those in his earlier work, and that it is not about him. The song's refrain was identical to Brazilian [[Jorge Ben Jor]]'s earlier "Taj Mahal" and a lawsuit ensued. Stewart donated his royalties from "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" to [[UNICEF]], and he performed it with his band at the [[Music for UNICEF Concert]] at the [[United Nations General Assembly]] in 1979.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

Stewart moved to a more [[New wave music|new wave]] direction in 1980 by releasing the album ''Foolish Behaviour''. The album produced one hit single, "[[Passion (Rod Stewart song)|Passion]]", which reached No. 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Charts. In August 1981, MTV was launched in the US with several of Stewart's videos in heavy rotation. Later in 1981, Stewart added further elements of new wave and [[synthpop]] to his sound for the ''[[Tonight I'm Yours]]'' album. The title song reached No. 20 in the US, while "[[Young Turks (song)|Young Turks]]" reached the Top 5 with the album going platinum.<ref name="BillboardChart"/> On 18 December 1981, Stewart played the Los Angeles Forum, along with [[Kim Carnes]] and [[Tina Turner]], in a concert broadcast worldwide via satellite.<ref>{{cite web |title=1981 – Rod Stewart's concert at the Los Angeles Forum is beamed |url=http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1981-rod-stewarts-concert-at-the-los-angeles-forum-is-beamed/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017202701/http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1981-rod-stewarts-concert-at-the-los-angeles-forum-is-beamed/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=17 October 2017 |work=thisdayinrock.com |access-date=17 June 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Rod Stewart 86.jpg|thumb|upright|Stewart performing in [[Paris]], 1986]]
Stewart was criticised by the [[Anti-Apartheid Movement|anti-apartheid movement]] for breaking a widely observed cultural boycott of [[apartheid]] South Africa by performing at the [[Sun City, North West|Sun City]] resort complex in Bophuthatswana as part of his [[Body Wishes]] (1983) and [[Camouflage (Rod Stewart album)|Camouflage]] (1984) tours.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Elton-John-South-Africa-tour-jogs-memories-of-Sun--30061905.html | title= Elton John South Africa tour jogs memories of Sun City gigs | work= The Nation | date= 11 January 2008 | access-date= 6 August 2019 | url-status=dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131219073038/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Elton-John-South-Africa-tour-jogs-memories-of-Sun--30061905.html | archive-date= 19 December 2013 }}</ref>

Stewart had four US Top 10 singles between 1982 and 1988; "Young Turks" (No. 5, carrying over from 1981 into 1982), "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (No. 10, 1984), "Infatuation" (No. 6, 1984) and "Love Touch" (No. 6, 1986, a Holly Knight/Mike Chapman collaboration). "[[Baby Jane (Rod Stewart song)|Baby Jane]]" reached No. 14 in 1983, but went to No. 1 in the UK, his final chart-topping single there to date.<ref name="BillboardChart"/> The corresponding ''[[Camouflage (Rod Stewart album)|Camouflage]]'' album went gold in the UK, and the single "Infatuation" (which featured his old friend Jeff Beck on the guitar) received considerable play on MTV. The second single "[[Some Guys Have All The Luck]]" reached No. 15 in the UK and No. 10 in the US.<ref name="BillboardChart"/>

A reunion with Jeff Beck produced a successful take on [[Curtis Mayfield]]'s "[[People Get Ready]]", but an attempt to tour together fell apart after a few dates. In the UK, "[[Every Beat of My Heart (Rod Stewart song)|Every Beat of My Heart]]" reached number two in 1986. In January 1985, Stewart performed to a large audience at the [[Rock in Rio]] festival in [[Rio de Janeiro]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Hundreds of thousands turn out for Rock in Rio festival |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110924-brazil-rock-rio-music-festival-draws-thousands-katy-perry-rihanna |access-date=17 June 2017 |work=france24.com |date=24 September 2011}}</ref>

===1988–1994: Out of Order Tour, ''Vagabond Heart'' and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame===
In 1988, Stewart returned with ''[[Out of Order (Rod Stewart album)|Out of Order]]'', produced by [[Duran Duran]]'s [[Andy Taylor (guitarist)|Andy Taylor]] and by [[Bernard Edwards]] of [[Chic (band)|Chic]]. "[[Lost in You (Rod Stewart song)|Lost in You]]", "[[Forever Young (Rod Stewart song)|Forever Young]]", "Crazy About Her", and "[[My Heart Can't Tell You No]]" from that album were all top 15 hits on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and mainstream rock charts, with the latter even reaching the Top Five. "Forever Young" was an unconscious revision of [[Bob Dylan]]'s song of the same name; the artists reached an agreement about sharing royalties. The song reached No. 12 in the US.<ref name="BillboardChart">[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=rod stewart|chart=all}} Rod Stewart Album & Song Chart History]''Billboard'', 23 August 2011.</ref> In September 1988, Stewart performed "Forever Young" at the [[1988 MTV Video Music Awards]] at the [[Universal Amphitheatre]] in Los Angeles, and in 1989 he received a [[Grammy Award]] nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance|Best Male Rock Vocal Performance]] for the song.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/grammy/rockmale.htm|title=Grammy Awards: Best Rock Vocal Performance – Male|access-date=26 April 2010|publisher=Rock on the Net}}</ref>

In January 1989, Stewart set out on the South American leg of the [[Out of Order Tour]] playing to sell-out audiences throughout Americas. There were 80,000 people at his show at Corregidora Stadium, [[Querétaro]], México (9 April), and 50,000 at Jalisco Stadium, [[Guadalajara, Jalisco]] (12 April). In [[Buenos Aires]], the audience at the [[Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti|River Plate Stadium]], which seats 70,000+, was at over 90,000, with several thousand outside the stadium. Firehoses were sprayed on the crowd to avoid [[heat prostration]].

Stewart's version of the [[Tom Waits]] song "[[Downtown Train]]" went to number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1990.<ref name="BillboardChart" /> This song was taken from a four-CD compilation set called ''[[Storyteller – The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990]]''.

Released in 1991, the ''[[Vagabond Heart]]'' album continued Stewart's renewal and inspiration.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Don McLeese|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/vagabond-heart-19910516|title=Vagabond Heart &#124; Album Reviews|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=16 May 1991|access-date=23 April 2014}}</ref> The lead single, "[[It Takes Two (Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston song)|It Takes Two]]", with [[Tina Turner]], was released in 1990 in advance of the full album's release, and reached number five on the UK charts, but did not chart in the US. The follow-up songs from ''Vagabond Heart'' both reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991, with "[[Rhythm of My Heart]]" peaking at No. 5 and "[[The Motown Song]]" peaking at No. 10.<ref name="BillboardChart"/> 
[[File:Rod Stewart concert ticket - 1993 - Stierch.JPG|thumbnail|Concert ticket, 1993]]

At the [[List of BRIT Awards ceremonies#1993|1993]] [[Brit Awards]] in London, Stewart picked up the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music.<ref name="Brits">{{cite web|url=http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1993|title=Brit Awards 1993|publisher=Brit Awards|access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> Stewart brought back the Faces on stage for an impromptu reunion.<ref name="Brits"/> In 1993, Stewart recorded "[[All for Love (song)|All For Love]]" with [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] and [[Bryan Adams]] for the soundtrack to the movie ''[[The Three Musketeers (1993 film)|The Three Musketeers]]''; the single reached number one in the US and number two in the UK.<ref name="Roberts"/> Also in 1993, he reunited with Ronnie Wood to record an ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' special that included "[[Handbags and Gladrags]]", "[[Cut Across Shorty]]", and four selections from ''[[Every Picture Tells a Story]]''. The show featured an acoustic version of [[Van Morrison]]'s "[[Have I Told You Lately]]", which topped the ''Billboard'' adult contemporary chart and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="BillboardChart"/> A rendition of "[[Reason to Believe]]" also garnered considerable airplay. The resulting ''[[Unplugged...and Seated]]'' album reached number two on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] album charts.<ref name="BillboardChart"/>

Stewart was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1994, presented by [[Jeff Beck]].<ref name="RockHall">{{cite news|url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/rod-stewart/timeline|title=Rod Stewart: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum|newspaper=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |publisher=Rockhall.com|access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> On 31 December 1994, Stewart played in front of 3.5 million people on [[Copacabana (Rio de Janeiro)|Copacabana beach in Rio]], and made it into the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'' for staging the [[List of largest concerts|largest free rock concert attendance in history]].

===1995–2001: New ventures and record labels===
[[File:Rod Stewart 1995.jpg|thumb|left|Stewart in Paris, 1995]]
By the early 1990s, Stewart had mostly abandoned creating his own material, saying that he was not a natural songwriter and that the tepid response to his recent efforts was not rewarding.<ref name="bbc122306">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6193284.stm|work=BBC News|author=Young, Kevin|title=Stewart goes beneath the covers|date=23 December 2006|access-date=1 January 2007}}</ref> In 1995, Stewart released ''[[A Spanner in the Works]]'' containing a single written by [[Tom Petty]], "[[Leave Virginia Alone]]", which reached the Top 10 of the adult contemporary charts. The latter half of the 1990s was not as commercially successful though the 1996 album ''[[If We Fall in Love Tonight]]'' reached number 8 in the UK and went gold and hit No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' album chart.<ref name="BillboardChart"/>

''[[When We Were the New Boys]]'', his final album on the [[Warner Bros.]] label released in 1998, contained versions of songs by [[Britpop]] acts such as [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] and [[Primal Scream]], and reached number two on the UK album charts. That same year, he recorded the song "[[Faith of the Heart]]", written by Diane Warren, for the film ''[[Patch Adams (film)|Patch Adams]]''. In 2000, Stewart left Warner Bros. and moved to [[Atlantic Records]], another division of [[Warner Music Group]].{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} In 2001, he released ''[[Human (Rod Stewart album)|Human]]''. The single "I Can't Deny It" went Top 40 in the UK and Top 20 in the adult contemporary. Stewart then signed to [[Clive Davis]]' new [[J Records]] label. ''[[The Very Best of Rod Stewart|The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart]]'', a greatest hits album compiled from his time at Warner Bros., is certified four times platinum in the UK with over 1.2 million copies sold and reached number one in 2001 in Belgium and France.<ref>[https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/ “British album certifications – Rod Stewart – The Story So Far"]. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 August 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Story So Far in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter</ref>

===2002–2010: ''The Great American Songbook'' series and ''Soulbook''===
In June 2002, Stewart performed "[[Handbags and Gladrags]]" at the [[Party at the Palace]] held at [[Buckingham Palace Garden]], a concert which celebrated the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II]] and featured stars from five decades of music.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2024042.stm|title=Partying at the palace|work=BBC News|date=4 June 2002|access-date=28 August 2014}}</ref>

By 2002, Stewart had sold over 100 million records during his career.<ref name="total-sales">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2006/dec/30/uk.monarchy2|title=Five decades of rocking and 62 hits|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=30 December 2006|location=London, UK|first=Matthew|last=Taylor|access-date=22 May 2010}}</ref> While growing up, he heard in his home classic songs written by songwriters such as [[Cole Porter]], [[Gus Kahn]] and [[George Gershwin|George]] and [[Ira Gershwin]]. Stewart joined others who had recorded the classic songs.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=853792|title=Rod Stewart's Set of Standards|work=[[NPR]]|date=23 November 2002|access-date=3 September 2019}}</ref> He concentrated on singing 1930s and 1940s pop standards from the [[Great American Songbook]] with great popular success. These albums have been released on [[Clive Davis]]'s [[J Records]] label and have seen Stewart enjoy album sales equal to the 1970s.

The first album from the songbook series, ''[[It Had to Be You: the Great American Songbook]]'', reached number four on the US album chart, number eight in the UK and number ten in Canada when released in late 2002. The track "[[These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)|These Foolish Things]]" (which is actually a British, not American, song) reached number 13 on the [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|Billboard adult contemporary chart]], and "[[They Can't Take That Away From Me]]" went Top 20.<ref name="Adult">{{cite magazine|title=Adult Contemporary Charts|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/367145/rod-stewart/chart?f=341|magazine=Billboard|date=17 June 2016}}</ref>

The second series album, ''[[As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2]]'', reached number two in the US, number four in the UK and number one in Canada. "[[Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered]]", a duet with [[Cher]], went Top 20 on the US adult contemporary charts. "[[Time After Time (1947 song)|Time After Time]]" was another Top 30 track on the US adult contemporary charts.<ref name="Adult"/> A musical called ''[[Tonight's The Night (2003 musical)|Tonight's The Night]]'', featuring many of Stewart's songs, opened 7 November 2003 at London's [[Victoria Palace Theatre]]. It is written and directed by [[Ben Elton]], who previously created a similar production, ''[[We Will Rock You (musical)|We Will Rock You]]'', with music by [[Queen (band)|Queen]].<ref>''We Will Rock You The Musical by Queen and Ben Elton: The Official Book''. pp. 10–27</ref> The musical tells about a "[[Goethe's Faust|Faustian]] pact between Detroit gas station mechanic Stu Clutterbuck and [[Satan]]."<ref>{{cite web|first1=Alan|last1=Bird|author-link1=Alan Bird|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/tonights-the-night|title=Tonight's The Night|date=8 June 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171102092622/https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/tonights-the-night|archive-date=2 November 2017|url-status=live|access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref>

In 2004, Stewart reunited with Ronnie Wood for concerts of [[Faces (band)|Faces]] material. A Rod Stewart and the Faces best of album, ''Changing Faces'', reached the Top 20 of the UK album charts. ''[[Five Guys Walk into a Bar...]]'', a Faces box set compilation, was released. In late 2004, ''[[Stardust: the Great American Songbook 3]]'', the third album in Stewart's songbook series, was released. It was his first US number one album in 25 years, selling over 200,000 albums in its first week. It also debuted at number one in Canada, number three in the UK and Top 10 in Australia. His version of [[Louis Armstrong]]'s "[[What a Wonderful World]]", featuring [[Stevie Wonder]], made the Top 20 of the world adult charts. He also recorded a duet with [[Dolly Parton]] for the album – "[[Baby, It's Cold Outside]]". Stewart won his first ever [[Grammy Award]] for this album.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=%22Rod+Stewart%22&title=&year=All&genre=All |title=Past Winners Search |work=[[Grammy Award|Grammy.com]] |publisher=[[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences|The Recording Academy]] |access-date=17 June 2016}}</ref>

2005 saw the release of the fourth songbook album, ''[[Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook 4]]''; it included duets with [[Diana Ross]] and [[Elton John]]. Within weeks of its release, the CD made it to number two on the Top 200 list. In late 2006, Stewart made his return to rock music and his new approach to country music with the release of ''[[Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time]]'', a new album featuring rock and southern rock milestones from the last four decades, including a cover of [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]]'s "[[Have You Ever Seen the Rain?]]", which was released as the first single. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts with 184,000 copies in its first week. The number one debut was helped by a concert in New York City that was on [[MSN Music]] and an appearance on ''[[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series)|Dancing with the Stars]]''. He performed tracks from his new album live from the Nokia Theater on 9 October. Control Room broadcast the event Live on MSN and in 117 cinemas across the country via National CineMedia. In November 2006, Stewart was inducted into the [[UK Music Hall of Fame]].<ref name="UKinduction">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5338196.stm|title=Led Zeppelin make UK Hall of Fame|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref>
[[File:657105w.jpg|thumb|right|Performing in [[Zaragoza]], Spain, November 2006]]
On 1 July 2007, Stewart performed at the [[Concert for Diana]] held at [[Wembley Stadium]], London, an event which celebrated the life of [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]] almost 10 years after her death.<ref>{{cite news|title=What is the Concert for Diana?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/concertfordiana/features/about.shtml|publisher=BBC|date=13 August 2015}}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6257986.stm Diana concert a 'perfect tribute'] BBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2012</ref> He performed "[[Sailing (Sutherland Brothers song)|Sailing]]", "[[Baby Jane (Rod Stewart song)|Baby Jane]]" and "[[Maggie May]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6259822.stm|title=Old and new stars celebrate Diana|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> On 12 December, he performed for the first time at the ''[[Royal Variety Performance]]'' at the [[Coliseum Theatre|London Coliseum]] in front of HRH [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] and The Duchess of Cornwall, singing another Cat Stevens number, "Father and Son", and [[Bonnie Tyler]]'s song "[[It's a Heartache (song)|It's a Heartache]]". On 22 December 2006, Stewart hosted the 8th Annual ''A Home for the Holidays'' special on CBS at 8:00 pm (PST).

On 20 May 2009, Stewart performed "Maggie May" on the grand finale of ''[[American Idol]]'' season 8. On 2, July 2009 Stewart performed his only UK date that year at [[Home Park]], [[Plymouth]]. On 29 September 2009 a 4-CD, 65-track compilation entitled ''Rod Stewart Sessions 1971–1998'' was released; it is composed of previously unreleased tracks and outtakes from the bulk of his career. Stewart has also mentioned plans for a compilation of covers of soul classics, the possible release of another edition of the ''Great American Songbook'' album and a country covers album.<ref name="Rod Stewart living the good life">{{cite web|title=Rod Stewart living the good life |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/Stewart+living+good+life/1872044/story.html |access-date=9 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811130450/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Stewart%2Bliving%2Bgood%2Blife/1872044/story.html |archive-date=11 August 2009 }}</ref>

On 17 October 2009, Stewart released the studio album ''[[Soulbook]]'' which was composed of covers of soul and Motown songs. On 14 November 2009, Stewart recorded a TV program in the UK for ITV that was screened on 5 December 2009.  The music in the programme featured tracks from his new album and some old favourites. On 14 January 2010, Rhino records released Stewart's ''Once in a Blue Moon'', a "lost album" originally recorded in 1992, featuring ten cover songs including the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", Bob Dylan's "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar" and Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back", as well as Tom Waits' "Tom Traubert's Blues". On 19 October 2010, Stewart released another edition of his [[Great American Songbook]] series titled ''[[Fly Me to the Moon...The Great American Songbook Volume V]]'' on [[J Records]].

===2011–2012: Christmas album and autobiography===

In 2011, Stewart performed with [[Stevie Nicks]] on their Heart & Soul Tour. Starting on 20 March in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the tour visited arena concerts in North America – with performances in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa and Montreal, among others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iknowjack.radio.com/2011/01/13/rod-stewart-stevie-nicks-announce-the-heart-soul-2011-north-american-tour/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709164512/http://iknowjack.radio.com/2011/01/13/rod-stewart-stevie-nicks-announce-the-heart-soul-2011-north-american-tour/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 July 2012 |title=Rod Stewart & Stevie Nicks Announce The Heart & Soul 2011 North American Tour }}</ref>

Stewart headlined the Sunday show at the [[Hard Rock Calling#Hard Rock Calling 2011|2011 Hard Rock Calling]] Festival on 26 June in London's [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/celebrity/festivals/celebrities-at-festivals/hard-rock-calling/rod-stewart-at-hard-rock-calling-2011|title=Hard Rock Calling|publisher=Glamourmagazine.co.uk|access-date=28 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823090600/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/celebrity/festivals/celebrities-at-festivals/hard-rock-calling/rod-stewart-at-hard-rock-calling-2011|archive-date=23 August 2014}}</ref> Stewart signed on to a two-year residency at the [[Colosseum at Caesars Palace]], Las Vegas, commencing on 24 August.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rod-stewart-announces-two-year-las-vegas-residency-20110510|title=Rod Stewart Announces Two-Year Las Vegas Residency|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=28 September 2014|date=10 May 2011}}</ref><ref name="LasVegas"/> Performing his greatest hits, the residency also saw him perform selected tracks from his upcoming, untitled blues album.<ref name="LasVegas">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/live/471655/rod-stewart-to-begin-two-year-las-vegas-residency-in-august|title=Rod Stewart To Begin Two-Year Las Vegas Residency in August|date=10 May 2011|magazine=Billboard|access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref>

On 7 June 2012, Stewart signed a recording agreement with [[Universal Music Group]].<ref name="UMG Recording Agreement">{{cite web|title=Rod Stewart signs recording agreement with UMG|url=http://www.universalmusic.com/corporate/detail/2033|publisher=UMG|access-date=10 October 2012}}</ref> Stewart released his first Christmas album, titled ''[[Merry Christmas, Baby (album)|Merry Christmas, Baby]]'', on the [[Verve Music Group]] label (a division of Universal Music Group) on 30 October 2012. The album was produced by [[David Foster]] and contained several duets, as well as an original song written by Stewart, Foster and Amy Foster called "Red-Suited Super Man".<ref>{{cite web|title=Rod Stewart to release Christmas album|url=http://www.rodstewart.com/2012/09/04/stewart-to-release-debut-christmas-album-on-verve-music-group/|access-date=10 October 2012}}</ref> According to [[IFPI]], ''Merry Christmas, Baby'' was the seventh best-selling album worldwide in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.org/best-sellers.php|title=Best Sellers|publisher=IFPI|access-date=15 February 2014|archive-date=7 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107201323/http://www.ifpi.org/best-sellers.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> In October 2012, Stewart's autobiography titled ''Rod: The Autobiography'' was released (exact dates vary worldwide).<ref>{{cite web|title=Random House announces global release of Rod Stewart's autobiography|url=http://www.rodstewart.com/2012/09/10/random-house-announces-global-release-of-rod-stewarts-autobiography/|access-date=21 October 2012}}</ref>

In November 2012, Stewart performed "[[Auld Lang Syne]]" from his Christmas album and his hit "[[Sailing (Sutherland Brothers song)|Sailing]]" at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, which was attended by [[Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Festival of Remembrance 2012|url=http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/calendar-of-events/general/festival-of-remembrance-2012|access-date=10 November 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015154447/http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/calendar-of-events/general/festival-of-remembrance-2012|archive-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref> Later that month, Stewart again performed at the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Queen during the 100th [[Royal Variety Performance]], singing "[[When You Wish upon a Star]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/pressreleases/programmepressreleases/theroyalvarietyperformance2012/default.html|title=Press releases|publisher=Itv.com|access-date=11 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201091533/http://www.itv.com/presscentre/pressreleases/programmepressreleases/theroyalvarietyperformance2012/default.html|archive-date=1 December 2012}}</ref> On 26 November, Stewart's recording of "[[Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!]]" reached the top of the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Adult Contemporary Chart]]. Stewart had the number one song on this chart three times previously, the last being in 1993 with "[[Have I Told You Lately]]", giving him the second-largest hiatus between number ones in the history of the chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Trust|first=Gary|title=Rod Stewart Scores First AC No. 1 Since 1993 With 'Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow'|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/chartbeat/474019/rod-stewart-scores-first-ac-no-1-since-1993-with-let-it-snow-let-it-snow|magazine=Billboard|access-date=26 November 2012|date=26 November 2012}}</ref> The song remained in the No. 1 spot for five weeks, tying it for the longest-leading holiday title in the chart's 51-year history.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Trust|first=Gary|title=Chart Moves: 2012's Twelve Hot 100 No. 1s; Taylor Swift Back in Country Airplay Top 10; Dropkick Murphys Xmas Song Charts|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/chart-moves-2012-s-twelve-hot-100-no-1s-1008063472.story|magazine=Billboard|access-date=8 January 2013|archive-date=19 February 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130219182556/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/chart-moves-2012-s-twelve-hot-100-no-1s-1008063472.story|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 10 December 2012, Stewart was a guest singer on [[Michael Bublé]]'s television ''Home for the Holidays'' Christmas special.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2012/12/10/michael-buble-welcomes-rod-stewart-carly-rae-jepsen-blake-sh.html|title=Michael Buble Welcomes Rod Stewart, Carly Rae Jepsen & Blake Shelton to Christmas Special|work=ABC News Radio online|access-date=11 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801085956/http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2012/12/10/michael-buble-welcomes-rod-stewart-carly-rae-jepsen-blake-sh.html|archive-date=1 August 2013}}</ref> Stewart was the tenth best-selling artist in Canada in the year 2012, according to year-end sales data from [[Nielsen Soundscan]] Canada.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Bliss|first=Karen|title=Adele, Gotye Top SoundScan Year-End Charts in Canada|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/global/adele-gotye-top-soundscan-year-end-charts-1008085162.story|magazine=Billboard|access-date=10 January 2013|archive-date=19 February 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130219182325/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/global/adele-gotye-top-soundscan-year-end-charts-1008085162.story|url-status=dead}}</ref> In February 2013, Stewart was nominated for a Canadian [[Juno Award]] in the [[Juno Award for International Album of the Year|International Album of the Year]] category for his album ''Merry Christmas, Baby''.<ref>{{cite web|title=2013 Juno Award Nominees|url=http://junoawards.ca/nominees-winners|publisher=CARAS|access-date=20 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221085934/http://junoawards.ca/nominees-winners|archive-date=21 February 2013}}</ref>

===2013–2015: Return to songwriting – ''Time'' and ''Another Country''===
[[File:Rod Stewart at Xcel Center DSC 0456 (14905955393).jpg|thumb|upright|Performing in [[Hamburg]] in September 2013]]
In May 2013, Stewart released ''[[Time (Rod Stewart album)|Time]]'', a rock album of his own original material. It marked a return to songwriting after what Stewart termed "a dark period of twenty years"; he said that writing his autobiography gave him the impetus to write music again.<ref name="bbc6-keaveny"/> The album entered the [[UK Albums Chart]] at number 1, setting a new British record for the longest gap between chart-topping albums by an artist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/rod-stewart-enjoys-first-number-1-album-in-nearly-40-years-__3044/|title=Rod Stewart enjoys first Number 1 album in nearly 40 years!|website=Officialcharts.com|language=en|access-date=7 March 2019}}</ref> Stewart's last No. 1 on the chart had been ''[[Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (Rod Stewart album)|Greatest Hits Volume 1]]'' in 1979 and his last studio album to top the chart was 1976's ''[[A Night on the Town (Rod Stewart album)|A Night on the Town]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kreisler|first=Lauren|title=Rod Stewart enjoys first Number 1 album in nearly 40 years!|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/rod-stewart-enjoys-first-number-1-album-in-nearly-40-years-2227/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=19 May 2013}}</ref>

In September 2013, Stewart presented his friend [[Elton John]] with the first [[Brit Awards|Brits Icon award]] in a special show at the [[London Palladium]], recognising John's "lasting impact" on UK culture. Stewart quipped that John was "the second-best rock singer ever", before the two performed a duet on stage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23935217|title=Sir Elton John wins first Brits Icon award|work=BBC News|date=2 September 2013|access-date=18 September 2013}}</ref>

A new studio album, ''[[Another Country (Rod Stewart album)|Another Country]]'', was released on 23 October 2015. The video for the first single "Love Is" is available on his Vevo account.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rodstewart.com|title=Rod Stewart official website|access-date=7 November 2015}}</ref>

===2016–present: Continuing to record – ''Blood Red Roses'' and ''The Tears of Hercules''===
Stewart recorded vocals with [[Joe Walsh]] on the [[Frankie Miller]] album ''[[Frankie Miller's Double Take]]'', which was released on 30 September 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dingwall |first=John |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/music/music-news/music-greats-unite-help-stricken-8665777 |title=Music greats unite to help stricken singer Frankie Miller storm charts with lost album |work=Daily Record |access-date=18 September 2016 |date=21 August 2016}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=tabloid|date=December 2021}} He sang his cover of the [[Beatles]]' "[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (song)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]" as Sgt. Pepper for ''[[Beat Bugs]]'' episode 17b, which debuted 18 November 2016 on [[Netflix]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7453530/rod-stewart-jennifer-hudson-beat-bugs-beatles|title=Rod Stewart, Jennifer Hudson & More Added to 'Beat Bugs' Beatles Kids Series|magazine=Billboard|access-date=7 March 2019}}</ref> At the same, Stewart was quoted responding to [[John Lennon]]'s 1980 assertion that Stewart's hit "The Killing of Georgie (Part 1 and 2)" plagiarised his song "[[Don't Let Me Down (Beatles song)|Don't Let Me Down]]", declaring to ''[[The Guardian]]'': "It does sound like it, [...] Nothing wrong with a good steal!".<ref>{{cite web|first1=Eric|last1=Schaal|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-beatles-song-john-lennon-accused-rod-stewart-of-plagiarizing.html/|title=The Beatles Song John Lennon Accused Rod Stewart of Plagiarizing|date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200104013855/https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-beatles-song-john-lennon-accused-rod-stewart-of-plagiarizing.html/|archive-date=4 January 2020|url-status=live|access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first1=Jenny|last1=Desborough|url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1355622/John-Lennon-Rod-Stewart-feud-what-happened-The-Beatles-evg|title=John Lennon and Rod Stewart feud: What happened between Beatles star and Sir Rod?|date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201104083216/https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1355622/John-Lennon-Rod-Stewart-feud-what-happened-The-Beatles-evg|archive-date=4 November 2020|url-status=live|access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first1=Claudio|last1=Pezzella|url=https://www.r3m.it/2020/04/13/beatles-quella-volta-john-lennon-accuso-rod-stewart-plagio/|title=Beatles: quella volta che John Lennon accusò Rod Stewart di plagio|trans-title=Beatles: when John Lennon charged Rod Stewart of plagiarism|language=Italian|date=13 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718134125/https://www.r3m.it/2020/04/13/beatles-quella-volta-john-lennon-accuso-rod-stewart-plagio/|archive-date=18 July 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 28 September 2018, Stewart released his 30th studio album, ''[[Blood Red Roses]]'', on [[Republic Records]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-rod-stewart-preview-new-album-with-stirring-didnt-i-701252/ |title=Hear Rod Stewart Preview New Album With Stirring 'Didn't I' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=19 July 2018 |access-date=4 August 2018 |author=Blistein, Jon}}</ref> He duets with Welsh singer [[Bonnie Tyler]] on the track "Battle of the Sexes" from her 2019 studio album, ''[[Between the Earth and the Stars (Bonnie Tyler album)|Between the Earth and the Stars]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/bonnie-tyler-speaks-out-ahead-15394159 |title=Bonnie Tyler speaks out ahead of very first Coventry gig |last=Sandford |first=Elis |publisher=[[Coventry Telegraph]] |date=10 November 2018 |access-date=18 January 2019}}</ref> Stewart collaborated with the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]] for the release of ''[[You're in My Heart: Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|You're in My Heart]]'' in November 2019. The album contains new versions of the hit songs "[[Maggie May]]", and "[[It Takes Two (Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston song)|It Takes Two]]" with [[Robbie Williams]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Rod Stewart Preps New Orchestral LP 'You're in My Heart |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rod-stewart-orchestral-album-youre-in-my-heart-886997/ |access-date=21 November 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

On 22 November 2019, Stewart released ''[[You're in My Heart: Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]]'', produced by [[Trevor Horn]]. The album contains vocal tracks from UK number one hits "Sailing", "[[I Don't Want To Talk About It]]" and "The First Cut is the Deepest" with new arrangements performed by the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rod Stewart {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/20537/rod-stewart/|access-date=19 May 2021|website=Officialcharts.com|date=4 September 1971 }}</ref> as well as 1971 chart toppers in both the UK and US "[[Maggie May]]" and "[[Reason to Believe|Reasons to Believe]]". The release of ''You're In My Heart'' coincided with Stewart's biggest-ever UK stadium tour throughout November and December 2019, a continuation of his successful summer stadium tour. ''You're In My Heart'' also included "Stop Loving Her Today", a new song, as well as a new recording of "[[It Takes Two (Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston song)|It Takes Two]]" featuring Robbie Williams.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Reed|first=Ryan|date=19 September 2019|title=Rod Stewart Preps New Orchestral LP 'You're in My Heart'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rod-stewart-orchestral-album-youre-in-my-heart-886997/|access-date=19 May 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> ''You're in My Heart'' topped the [[UK Albums Chart]], staying in the number one position for three weeks and making it his tenth UK chart-topping album.<ref>{{Cite web|title=You're in My Heart {{!}} Full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/you%27re%20in%20my%20heart/|access-date=19 May 2021|website=Officialcharts.com|language=en}}</ref> Stewart released his 31st studio album ''[[The Tears of Hercules]]'' in November 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 September 2021|title=Sir Rod Stewart album news! 'The Tears of Hercules' MarkMeets|url=https://markmeets.com/music/sir-rod-stewart-album-news-the-tears-of-hercules/|access-date=16 September 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> Stewart is only the fifth British act in UK chart history with 10 or more number-one albums, and BPI Certified – Gold.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rod Stewart sees off Stormzy and Harry Styles to score Christmas Number 1 album|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/rod-stewart-sees-off-stormzy-and-harry-styles-to-score-christmas-number-1-album__28034/|access-date=19 May 2021|website=Officialcharts.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Rod Stewart claims tenth Number 1 album|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/rod-stewart-claims-tenth-number-1-album-with-youre-in-my-heart-and-sets-a-new-chart-record__27970/|access-date=19 May 2021|website=Officialcharts.com|language=en}}</ref>

In June 2022, Stewart performed at the [[Platinum Party at the Palace]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/diana-ross-lin-manuel-miranda-alicia-keys-nile-rodgers-queen-platinum-jubilee-party-palace-1235038504/|title=Platinum Jubilee: Diana Ross, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers Join UK Stars For Party At The Palace|work=Deadline|first=Caroline|last=Frost|date=4 June 2022|access-date=23 May 2023}}</ref> In November 2022, he revealed that he had refused to perform in [[Qatar]] the year before, despite an offer of "over $1m", citing the country's [[Human rights in Qatar|human rights record]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dua Lipa: Singer denies she is performing at Qatar World Cup |work=BBC News |date=14 November 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63620686 |access-date=14 November 2022}}</ref> In 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Stewart at No. 49 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=1 January 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/rod-stewart-10-1234643124/|access-date=24 August 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> In May 2023, Stewart performed at the [[Jeff Beck]] tribute concerts held at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], sharing the stage with Ronnie Wood, [[Eric Clapton]], [[Kirk Hammett]] and [[Johnny Depp]] among others.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eric Clapton Leads Jeff Beck Tribute Concerts in London |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/eric-clapton-jeff-beck-tribute-concerts-london-2023/ |access-date=23 May 2023 |work=Ultimate Classic Rock}}</ref>

In late 2023, [[Warner Music]] announced a new album, ''[[Swing Fever (album)|Swing Fever]]'', recorded with [[Jools Holland]]'s Rhythm And Blues Orchestra, for 23 February 2024 release. A single from the album, "[[Almost Like Being in Love]]", was released on 5 December.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/in-music-there-aren-t-any-rules-rod-stewart-jools-holland-unveil-swing-fever/088935 | title='In music, there aren't any rules': Rod Stewart & Jools Holland unveil Swing Fever }}</ref>

In February 2024, [[Irving Azoff]]'s Iconic Artists Group acquired Stewart's catalogue for close to $100M.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geraghty |first=Hollie |date=16 February 2024 |title=Rod Stewart sells back catalogue for near $100million |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/rod-stewart-sells-back-catalogue-for-near-100million-3588728 |access-date=18 February 2024 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rod Stewart Reportedly Sells Rights to His Song Catalog for Nearly $100 Million |url=https://people.com/rod-stewart-sells-rights-song-catalog-nearly-100-million-8584062 |access-date=18 February 2024 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}</ref>

In November 2024, Stewart was confirmed to play the Glastonbury Legends slot in 2025, 23 years after his last appearance at the festival.<ref>{{cite news|last=Savage |first=Mark |title=Rod Stewart to play Glastonbury's legends slot |date=26 November 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy1zv753v2o |website=BBC News |access-date=26 November 2024}}</ref>