Hamish Stuart

James Hamish Stuart (born 8 October 1949) is a Scottish guitarist, bassist, singer, composer and record producer. He was an original member of the Average White Band.

Biography Born in 8 October 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland,Nite, Norm N.; Newman, Ralph N. (1974). Rock On: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock 'n Roll. HarperCollins. p. 14. . "Michael Rosen (guitar)/replaced by Hamish Stewart/born: Oct. 8, 1949/Glasgow, Scotland. Alan Gorrie (bass)/born: July 19, 1946/Perth, Scotland." Stuart was raised in the Muirend section.Bruce, Donald (20 May 1970). "The Big Night of Pop; Donald Bruce Introduces Our Stars; Pleased". Daily Record. p. 15. Retrieved March 30, 2026. "What had pleased the Police—Joe, Hamish Stuart, the lead guitarist, from Muirend, drummer Charlie Smith, from Kirkintilloch, and Matt Irving, the pianist, from Mount Florida–has been the help they've been getting from the Scots who made it big down there." He attended Queens Park School before leaving to form his first professional band, the Dream Police, in 1964, featuring himself on lead guitar.

The band recorded three singles on Decca Records before Stuart was invited to join the recently formed Average White Band (AWB) in the summer of 1972, replacing guitarist Michael Rosen.Brod, Doug (2020). They Just Seem a Little Weird: How KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll. Grand Central Publishing. . "Considering how knowledgeable Nielsen was of the late-'60s Brit scene, it comes as something of a surprise that the album title doesn't reference the Scottish band of the same name. Dream Police had three 1970 singles on Decca, shared bills with the Move, and featured singer-guitarist Hamish Stuart, who later played with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Their stirring psych-soul, reminiscent of Nielsen's beloved Family, would seem to be right up the guitarist's dark alley. Nielsen claims to have never heard of them."Case, Brian; Britt, Stan (1986). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz. London: Salamander Books. p. 20. . "Formed in Scotland early 1972 as a jazz and soul group, the Average White Band's [...] original members were Alan Gorrie (lead vocals, bass), Onnie Mcintyre (rhythm guitar, vocals), Malcolm ‘Molly’ Duncan (tenor sax), Roger Ball (alto, baritone sax, keyboards), Mike Rosen (trumpet)[sic] and Robbie Mclntosh (drums). Co-lead vocalist/guitarist Hamish Stuart joined six months later, replacing trumpeter[sic] Rosen."

Remaining with the band until its 1982 breakup,Madsen, Pete (2006). Funk Guitar & Bass: Know the Players, Play the Music. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 64. . "The players included Hamish Stuart, Alan Gorrie, Onnie McIntyre, Malcolm Duncan, Roger Ball, and Robbie McIntosh, the latter of whom died of a drug overdose in 1974, being replaced by Steve Ferrone, AFB's first black member. The band broke up in 1982, with Gorrie going solo, Stuart playing guitar with Paul McCartney in his Flowers in the Dirt band, and Ferrone joining Duran Duran." Stuart went on to work with Chaka Khan, George Benson, David Sanborn,Karlovits, Bob (3 May 1984). "Davis Sanborn's sound spells success and limitations". The Pittsburgh Press. p. C1. Retrieved March 30, 2026. "Sanborn will bring his familiar sound to the Stanley Saturday at 7:30 p.m. With him will be bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Buddy Williams, pianist Don Grolnick, guitarist Hiram Bullock and singer Hamish Stuart." and Aretha Franklin.

Stuart also wrote or co-wrote vehicles for other artists, such as Atlantic Starr's 1986 hit "If Your Heart Isn't in It", as well as songs for Jeffrey Osborne, George Benson, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross.

Stuart joined Paul McCartney’s band (where he switched between guitar and bass as necessary with McCartney) for McCartney's 1989 comeback album Flowers in the Dirt and went on to appear on several other albums and McCartney's world tours of 1989 and 1993.

After collaborating on numerous albums for other artists, he recorded his first solo album, Sooner or Later, in 1999, 17 years after leaving the Average White Band, which he released on his own record label, Sulphuric Records.

Apart from playing with his own group, the Hamish Stuart Band, and with his fellow Glaswegian guitarist and friend Jim Mullen, Stuart has also produced Gordon Haskell and the Swedish singer-songwriter Meja.

In 2006, Stuart toured as the bass player with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. He joined Starr again for a 2008 tour, where he performed "Pick Up The Pieces" and "Work to Do".Sarah Rodman, He once again toured with Ringo in 2019 playing "Pick Up the Pieces", "Work to Do", and "Cut the Cake". Although the tour paused because of COVID-19 precautions, it resumed in 2022, completing tour dates initially planned for 2020.

In 2007, he produced and appeared as a guest vocalist on the album All About the Music, by The AllStars collective.

In July 2015, Stuart reunited with his AWB bandmates Malcolm "Molly" Duncan and Steve Ferrone to form The 360 Band. This is in essence one third of the original Average White Band. They released an album titled Three Sixty in 2017 and have been performing live together along with supporting musicians.

Since 2019, he has toured as a featured member of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.

He is the curator, along with partner Claire Houlihan and friend Tom Sutton-Roberts, of the annual mOare Music festival, held in the village of Oare, Faversham, Kent.

In recognition of his unique contribution to music, Stuart was awarded with a BASCA Gold Badge award in 2016.

Personal life Since approximately 1996, Stuart has lived with his partner, New Zealand-born restaurateur Claire Houlihan.

Discography Albums + List of albums, with selected details Title Details Sooner or Later Released: 1999 Format: CD Label: Sulphuric Records (SUCCD001) Let It Snow Released: 2003 Format: CD Label: Sulphuric Records (SUCCD005)

Hamish Stuart

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