No musician makes it to the top entirely on their own. Even the biggest stars rely on countless people behind the scenes before they step on stage to bask in the applause. Rod Stewart was no different. While he had the talent and drive, he credits one man in particular for giving him the break that launched his career.
By the early 1960s, the UK blues scene was exploding. Inspired by American greats like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, young British musicians were eager to put their own spin on the genre. While guitarists like Eric Clapton were becoming the face of the movement, singers with a raw, bluesy edge—like Terry Reid, Robert Plant, and a young Rod Stewart—were trying to find their own place in the scene.
Stewart spent his early days scraping by, playing in clubs and jamming with future legends like Jeff Beck and Ronnie Wood. But his real break came when he crossed paths with Long John Baldry, a blues pioneer who helped bring the American sound to British audiences. Baldry wasn’t just a musician; he was a gatekeeper for the blues in the UK, introducing young players to the raw emotion and storytelling at the heart of the genre.
For Stewart, their encounter was nothing short of life-changing. Recalling the moment years later, he said, “He heard me singing on a railway station, playing the harmonica. You know, I’d had a few drinks, and he said— I was 18 at the time— ‘Why don’t you join our band? I need someone to sing.
I need someone to warm the audience up.’” Despite his nerves, Stewart took the plunge. “I was absolutely petrified, but I gave it a go, you know, and that’s how I got started, and that was 1963, ’64.”
From that moment on, Stewart’s career was set in motion. He evolved from a hopeful blues singer into one of the most distinctive voices in rock history. His time with the Jeff Beck Group helped lay the groundwork for hard rock before Led Zeppelin took it mainstream, and his work with Faces solidified his reputation as one of the era’s most electrifying performers.
Long John Baldry’s influence extended far beyond Stewart. Even Elton John borrowed his surname from the bluesman. Baldry wasn’t just another musician; he had an ear for greatness and the generosity to lift others up. For Stewart, his success might never have happened without that fateful meeting on a railway station—and the man who believed in him before anyone else did.
