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.

Born in 8 October 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland, Stuart was raised in the Muirend section. 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.

Remaining with the band until its 1982 breakup, Stuart went on to work with Chaka Khan, George Benson, David Sanborn, 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.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.