Dave Stewart of Eurythmics Fame Resurfaces

    Dave Stewart, for years, was half of the hit Brit musical duo The Eurythmics in the 1980s but when the partnership with singer Annie Lennox (on her own for years) ended, the British artist found other means  to express his creativity.  The guitarist, singer and music producer released a new album, The Dave Stewart Songbook, Volume 1 on Tuesday and will embark on a tour with a "rock fabulous orchestra" in late August.

Visit davestewart.com/songbook to download four FREE Songbook tracks now and for a listen to the entire twenty one tracks!  You can own the entire cd here from MNN.  Stewart, 55, has sold over 75 million albums with Eurythmics. He and Ms Lennox disbanded the band in 1990 but reunited nine years later for the album Peace.  He described his role on Dave Stewart Songbook as being similar to a big band leader in he 1940s or 1950s, by bringing together the talents of several artists at one time. The album showcases songs Stewart co-wrote with Gwen Stefani, Jon Bon Jovi, Sinead O'Connor and Tom Petty, and is being released with a book describing how the songs came about.  Stewart states his collaboration with these top pop music's  names was a result of several lucky breaks.   For example, he bumped into rock singer, Jon Bon Jovi in the English countryside as Stewart was delivering photos to Demi Moore that he had taken of her while in India. The event turned into at a star-studded dinner party that ended up in  a jam session.  With Bon Jovi on guitar, Moore's at-the-time-husband, actor Bruce Willis, was on a harmonica with Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York chatting in the background. Stewart and Bon Jovi worked out a riff from the jam and the song  "Midnight in Chelsea," was born.  This tune found its' way Bon Jovi's 1997 album Destination Anywhere.  Other songs featured on the album include the timeless "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," a Eurythmics hit, "Don't Come Around Here No More," Tom Petty's classc, and "Underneath It All," which Gwen Stefani originally recorded when part of the band No Doubt.  Stewart plans to tour with a support band and an orchestra. How many members of the orchestra will depend on the space at each venue, the shows will have anywhere from 26 to 36 musicians on stage.

The North American tour begins in Kettering, Ohio, and has stops in San Francisco and New York. It ends on September 21 in Washington, D.C.