Alice Stuart (June 15, 1942[1] – July 31, 2023) was an American blues and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. She toured the UK with Van Morrison and throughout the United States with Mississippi John Hurt.[2][3]
She was born in Chelan, Washington, United States.[4] Stuart started taking piano lessons at the age of five. She picked up the guitar at age 18 and also played banjo, auto harp, parade snare drum, and bass.[2]
At the age of 22, Stuart played the Berkeley Folk Festival in 1964.[1] She was then invited back by creator/producer Barry Olivier to perform in 1966, and 1970.[3] It was there that she formed a friendship with Mississippi John Hurt, which led to the two touring together.[3]
Stuart's first album, All the Good Times, 1964.
Billboard magazine reviewed her debut release in 1964 with: "A beautiful new female voice is now on the folk horizon. Its owner's name is Alice Stuart. She sings with a clean freshness that is exciting in its simplicity. A folk find!"
In 1964, Alice met Frank Zappa by chance in a Santa Monica, California coffeehouse, as they both were waiting to meet guitarist Steve Mann. She became a member of Zappa's band, The Mothers of Invention, which at the time played mostly blues.[1] Zappa said he wanted to combine certain modal influences into a basically country blues sound.[5] Alice lasted only a few months and did not make any recordings with the Mothers.[2] She left before their debut album Freak Out!.[1] In 1968 Zappa sarcastically said he fired Alice from the band because she could not play "Louie Louie". However, at the same he also complimented her, saying "she played guitar very well and sang well."[5]
On November 28, 1971, Stuart appeared on BBC Television's Old Grey Whistle Test, a television program that aired in Europe. In addition to Stuart, a group named Redwing appeared, which among others, featured Timothy B. Schmit (later of The Eagles). Stuart and Redwing were both on the Fantasy label.
In 1972, Stuart sang the title theme song to the X-rated cartoon movie Fritz the Cat, with music done by Ed Bogas.
"Beautiful melodies and clean, countryish, somewhat static postfolk arrangements transform these lyrics into memorable statements of feeling and principle. A bit male-identified, I admit, but the salutory synthesis of small voice and independent spirit proves that a woman doesn't have to be macho to be autonomous. Now who'll prove it for men?"
In the autumn 2006, Stuart contributed her song "Highway" to the album project Artists for Charity – Guitarists 4 the Kids, produced by Slang Productions, to assist World Vision Canada in helping underprivileged kids in need.[8]
She lived in the Seattle area and toured with her band, The Formerlys, which consists of Marc Willett, who was in The Kingsmen from 1984 to 1992, and Steven Flynn, formerly of Chuck Berry's band and Jr. Cadillac.
Stuart had a stroke in August 2013, but fought her journey back to creating music. She died in 2023, aged 81.[4]
