— “Bob Stewart is a great talent with an artistic body of work worthy of being heard,” “an adult guitar player and singer,” and “a bona fide artist.” Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna)
— "Stewart channels the spirit of classic Americana while continuing to sharpen a voice rooted in empathy, wit, and social reflection." MusicCrowns.org (read full review of "Down on the Border Tonight" song).
— “There will always be a place for songwriters and storytelling, and the way Stewart does it, with humor and irony similar to John Prine and Guy Clark, mixed with blues and ragtime finger-picking, is a really powerful skill." Psychedelic Baby! (read full review of "It's Snowing in Bangkok" album).
— "Once this solo artist has brushed on his sounds, they remain captured on the canvas, unforgettable." Jammerzine.com (read full review of "Sukhumvit Haze" song).
— “I feel a special connection to Bob Stewart and his music.” jw Smith (The Blind Boys of Alabama).
— “Bob Stewart is a great talent.” Jimmy & Anna-Lisa (hosts, Nashville Songwriter’s Showcase).
Bob Stewart has been writing and performing songs for more than 50 years. The long-time frontman for the Ohio-based Bob Stewart Band,
Stewart's strongest musical influences include such Americana icons as John Prine and James Taylor (and of late, Jimmie Rodgers).
His use of humor and irony in songwriting has been likened to Prine and Guy Clark.
In addition to writing/performing his ever-growing catalog of songs, Stewart composes and plays original guitar tunes heavily influenced by ragtime finger-style picking.
Recent live appearances:
NASHVILLE:Commodore Grille, Sid Gold's Nashville and Bobby's Idle Hour;
AUSTIN:Cactus Cafe, Hole in the Wall, Cotton Country Club, Mozart’s Coffee Roasters and NeWorlDeli (Austin);
CHICAGO:FolkYou! (Montrose Saloon);
ROANOKE, VA:3rd Street Coffeehouse;
KEY WEST:Kava Culture;
WYTHVILLE, VA:Oracle Books;
ASHEVILLE, NC:The Social, One World Brewing, Flood Gallery & Fine Art Center;
COLUMBUS, OH:Ramblin’ House; Listening Room Showcase (Wanderlust Studio);
New York City:Graffiti Church; Pete's Candy Store;
WARSAW, Poland:Embassy of Folk;
ROCK ISLAND, IL:Grace Church;
ATHENS, OH:PorchFest, Casa Cantina, Uncorked, First Presbyterian Church and Donkey Coffee;
MCCONNELSVILLE, OH:The Twin City Opera House.
Bob Stewart's music is available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and YouTube (see links below). Check back periodically for announcements about new releases.
NEW RELEASE (2/7/26): "Down on the Border Tonight" is a response to the Trump Administration's heavy-handed, ham-fisted efforts to impose a so-called "America First" immigration agenda. I am thankful to all of the other songwriters who are making their voices heard at this critical moment in American history.
Performing on the song are John Borchard (dobro) and Gay Dalzell (vocal harmony). Co-produced with Bernie Nau (Peachfork Studios).
Cover art by John Grimwade.
"It's Snowing in Bangkok" begins with the absurd, then moves to more familiar weather (and political) catastrophes we experience on all-too-frequent bases.
"In the Middle of a Little While" reflects life during the pandemic, when we faced long and uncertain separations from family members.
"Hoppin' Around" is a musical memoir, noting experiences I have had moving about the world over the course of my life.
"Hitchhiking to Paris" was inspired by an early 1960s photo posted in a Gibson Guitar Facebook group. Two young men are seen in the photo, one with his thumb out and the other lying by the road playing his J35. The caption: "We were hitchhiking to Paris."
"Do You Believe?" was inspired by a story I read in the New York Times about Congressional hearing on UFOs. That begged the question: "Do you believe in UFOs?" (and related matters).
"Waltzing with Rona" was another spin around the dance floor on the pandemic topic.
The tunes in the medley came to me after I acquired a small-body Gibson (an L00). Lots and lots of new "granny" tunes started pouring out of that guitar, including these three.
Finally, "Back in the Day" was inspired by a drive through scenic Southwest Virginia, near the Cumberland Gap. My wife was driving, which allowed me to study the bucolic landscapes.
One church sign in particular impressed me, simply stating: "King James Bible." The sign and the picturesque scenery conjured up the nostalgic vibe that makes for a nice sing-along on the chorus.
Performing on the album are Zeke Hutchison (mandolin), Jason Smith (tuba), Terry Douds (bass), Mark Hellenberg (percussion) and John Borchard (dobro). Recorded, mixed and produced by Bernie Nau (Peachfork Studios).
Cover art by Sandy Plunkett (formerly with Marvel Comics) captures the whimsical nature of the title track.
"VOICES+" features five of my songs as well as a piano composition.
Stewart gave the EP the name "VOICES+" because of the several singers featured on the project. jw Smith (The Blind Boys of Alabama) sings two of the songs; Sharell Arocho-Wise sings one and Ohio University voice professor Debra Rentz sings another.
Stewart invited renowned artist Jorma Kaukonen to sing "Sukhumvit Haze," a song inspired by the artist's memoir, Been So Long: My Life and Music. After listening to the demo track with my voice, Jorma advised me to keep my own voice, suggesting that he could play a guitar part.
While I would have loved to have Jorma sing the song, I was delighted to accept his advice, which is how his guitar is included on the track. "Changes" was inspired by a lyric offered to me by former high school band mate, Robert Lucas. "Tell Me Your Troubles" came to me when I saw folks in need while walking down a street in Nashville.
The beautiful lyrics for "Look for Me" were written by a former work colleague, John Brady. "In the Winter," which uses the bones of an old church hymn melody ("Beach Spring"), was written following the death of a dear friend.
"Black and White" is a piano piece I composed back in college when I was still majoring in Theory/Composition. It's clearly an outlier on this project. Indeed, for all my music for that matter. It is basically a twelve-tone piece, and is now coming up on 50 years of age!
"Washed Away" features seven Stewart songs and five instrumentals (three as a medley). Stewart wrote the title track, "Washed Away," following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The cover art is provided by Kira Bursky (allaroundartsy.com), an Asheville-area artist who sketched 31 original pieces of art as a way of processing the damage to her region.
Several other songs on the album also were inspired by "current events": "Just Another Day Boys" was written following the Uvalde, Texas school shooting in 2021. "For Now" was written in the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. "Santa Ain't Comin' This Year" was written after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and the retaliatory attacks on Gaza. Stewart began composing the final instrumental, "Hymn for Cambodia," in the late-1970s, as Cambodian refugees escaping Pol Pot's crumbling regime told of the horrors of the Killing Fields. The composition originally had lyrics, but after some 45 years, the music held up better than the long-out-of-date words.
Stewart performs "Hymn for Cambodia" on accordion and ranat-ek, a Thai instrument (also common in Cambodia). The xylophone-like instrument was owned and played by Stewart's mother, who did refugee resettlement work and wrote about the travails of the refugees during her career as a missionary in Thailand.
Performing on the album with Stewart are Zeke Hutchison (mandolin), Kent Jolley (harmony vocals and bass), Bernie Nau (organ) and John Borchard (dobro). Recorded, mixed and produced by Bernie Nau (Peachfork Studios).
"Born and Buried" features three of Stewart's songs about his
family lore. "Kenwood Kid" tells the unlikely story of how Stewart's father, from small-town Nebraska, met his mother, from rural Alabama,
fall in love and together go overseas as missionaries. "Saints and Strangers" looks at the different communities entwined in the Mayflower voyage,
culminating in the founding of the Plymouth Colony in 1620.* The third song is the story of "William Henry Belieu," Stewart's great-great-grandfather,
born in 1849 and orphaned in 1862, at the height of the Civil War.
Performing on the album in addition to Stewart (vocals and guitar) are Benya Stewart (vocals and fiddle) and Terry Douds (bass). Recorded, mixed and produced by Bernie Nau (Peachfork Studios).
*Stewart's 12th great-grandfather, Isaac Allerton, was a passenger on the Mayflower.
"Mended Bones," released in 2022 by the Bob Stewart Band, is a full album with songs written by Stewart (guitar/keys), Elliot Abrams (guitar) and Greg Bikowski (bass/guitar). Other band members included John Ortman (harmonica) and Ned Ashbaugh (drums). Recorded and mixed by Josh Antonuccio at 3 Elliot Studio. Mastered by Eric Conn at Independent Mastering (Nashville). (See more.)
Watch video of Bob Stewart Band songwriters at work.
Stewart's second full album, "A Million Miles Away from Home," was released in 2006 and re-released in 2024.
Performers on the album include fellow band members Elliot Abrams (guitar), Greg Bikowski (bass) and John Ortman (harmonica), as well as Tasha Attaway (vocals), Christine Beam (vocals), John Borchard (pedal steel), W. Otis Crockron Jr. (vocals), Jannelle Cummings (vocals), Terry Douds (bass), Zeke Hutchison (mandolin), Keely Flaherty (vocals), Daniel Lopez (vocals), Nick Nesbitt (vocals), Alli Purcell (vocals), Benya Stewart (vocals), Bodie Stewart (vocals), Molly Stewart (vocals), Mike Radcliffe (drums), Debra Rentz (vocals), Scott Schell (harmonica), David Tadlock (vocals) and Chris Weibel (organ). A special thank you to Friederich Pohl for making it possible for Bodie to record his vocal track from a million miles away; Molly Stewart, for her photograph of Devil's Golf Course in Death Valley (taken in March 2006); Sarah Nix and Stella Lee, for the late-night, last-minute scan of Molly's photograph; W. Otis Crockron Jr., for arranging backup vocal parts for "A Million Miles Away from Home"; Claudia Strong, for her design and commitment to making the CD and jacket visually powerful; Chris Weibel, for the passion he showed day after day on this project; Rosemary Palmer and Paul Schroeder, for not being afraid to express both their grief and gratitude to a total stranger (see credits/liner notes).
To mark the 20th anniversary of its original release in 2004, Stewart has re-released his first full album, "Don't Think You Know." All songs written by Bob Stewart or Stewart (music) and Stacy Puzo (lyrics). Performing on the album in addition to
Stewart (lead vocals, guitar) are Elliot “El” Abrams (lead guitar), John Borchard (pedal steel & lap steel guitar), Terry Douds (bass), Bryan Gibson (drums), Zeke Hutchison (mandolin), John “Sugar Boy” Ortman (harmonica), Friedrich “Fripoh” Pohl (cello), Susan Quińones & Jeff Smith (backup vocals) and Chris Weibel (organ). Don't Think You Know was produced, engineered and mixed by Chris Weibel.
Bob Stewart has been writing and performing songs for more than 50 years. The long-time frontman for the Ohio-based Bob Stewart Band,
Stewart's strongest musical influences include such Americana icons as John Prine and James Taylor (and of late, Jimmie Rodgers).
