Folkobit: John Stewart

The death has been announced of John Stewart, songwriter and member of the Kingston Trio.

Born in 1939, Stewart's earliest musical performances were driven by the-then young and vibrant rock music, leading his own band (called, with only slight derivativeness, Johnny Stewart and the Furies) before eventually turning folkier and winding up in The Cumberland Trio alongside Gil Robbins (father of Tim).

In 1961, Stewart was invited to join the Kingston Trio, who had just separated from Dave Guard. The band had briefly considered offering the job to Roger McGuinn, but Stewart's skills (and an ability to look good wearing the band's trademarks striped shirts, apparently) got him the gig.

He remained with the group for six years, during which they continued to be a regular chart presence - although never quite achieving the heights of their Guard-era Tom Dooley. By 1967, though, the Trio decided their future lay as three solo artists instead, and went their separate ways.

Retained by Capitol Records, Stewart started to write songs - most notably, Daydream Believer for The Monkees, although his work has been recorded by artists including Nanci Griffith and John Baez. In total, he wrote over 600 songs; although his fan base wasn't large enough to propel him to the charts, it was dedicated and he continued to record and play up until his final year.

In recent years, Stewart had been suffering from health problems - a series of ministrokes, and a diagnosis of the onset of Alzheimer's. It's believed that he suffered an aneurysm or major stroke; he died in the same hospital he was born in. He is survived by a wife, Buffy, and four children.