The Year of the Cat: Al Stewart at Edmonds Center for the Arts

Al Stewart, singer-songwriter

Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave N, Edmonds WA 98020, presents Al Stewart in concert Saturday, January 29, 7:30 pm.

Singer/songwriter and British folk fixture Al Stewart spins his historic folk-rock tales at Edmonds Center for the Arts Saturday January 29 at 7:30PM. Tickets are limited. Call the ECA box office 425-275-9595 to inquire about availability. Ticket prices are $15-$30.

A California resident since the mid-’70s, Al Stewart was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1945 and moved with his family to Bournemouth, a seaside town in the south of England. It was there that Al bought his first guitar – from future Police guitarist Andy Summers – and learned his first guitar licks from Robert Fripp, later the leader of King Crimson.

In 1965, Al moved to London, where he shared a flat with Paul Simon, and served as emcee at the famed Les Cousins folk club, fraternizing with rising young talents like Simon and Cat Stevens.

He was soon writing and performing his own songs at Les Cousins and other folk clubs and colleges across England, opening shows for groups such as Fairport Convention and Pentangle.

His first noteworthy recording was 1973’s Past, Present & Future. His next LP, Modern Times, cracked the US Top 40 charts in 1975 and led to a full-length US tour. Al’s next album exploded in America and elsewhere: Year of the Cat (1976) spun off two Top 20 hits (the indelible title song and “On the Border”) en route to becoming a million-selling release itself. Al’s next album, 1978’s Time Passages, repeated the success of its predecessor, selling a million copies and yielding the Top 10 title track and Top 30 single, “Song on the Radio.”

Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA), is a non-profit performing arts facility located in picturesque downtown Edmonds, Washington. Housed in the historic original Edmonds High School building, ECA was remodeled and opened in October 2006 to be a cultural resource for the Puget Sound region through performing arts presentations, community partnerships and education outreach programs.