The Stewarts are a musical duo consisting of brothers Del and Garry K. They’ve been in the music business since 1975 and naturally, have watched it go through a plethora of changes in real time. They’ve won several local awards and others throughout the midwest. However, they know the best music is timeless and timely, and that’s exactly the idea their single “The Truth - Remix” captures. Additionally, one aspect of their music and their lives has been a constant across the decades - their faith in God.
When speaking with Del Stewart, there was a presence about him that showed he had lived life and was still living it. With so much experience in the music world, he knew what worked for him and his brother and also how they could adapt and change with the musical landscape and not get left behind while still sticking to the techniques they were already familiar with and excelled at. This is why “The Truth” is actually a remix.
“We redid the bass line, added a little string and horn section and made the guitar portion stronger. But, we kept the lyrics of the song the same.” he said.
The subject matter of “The Truth - Remix” is one that will always be relevant to society. Originally recorded and released around seven years ago, the commentary and lyrics on the government and society remain relevant today. This is a reflection of how while society is changing and evolving every day, some things remain stagnant and unfortunately some things regress. Still, a message of endurance, faith and positivity remains a constant and that’s what The Stewarts wanted to provide for listeners.
“We just want to present a positive image and positive message that will resonate with people. And, hopefully open up some minds too. We also want people to know they should stand up for their beliefs.” he said.
As aforementioned, The Stewarts have been making music since 1975. They released their first single that year, titled “How Far Can Our Love Go” but their first big hit was “Get Down. Get Down” Across the years, The Stewarts have dabbled in a variety of musical genres adapting and flowing with the changing musical landscape. Their track “His Door is Open” is a fusion of R&B and Gospel but also has been called “Motown-meets-modern-day-Soul, with some Pop vibes thrown in for good measure.” Garry has also dubbed this overall fusion style of theirs “Christian Pop.”
With God and family at the center of everything The Stewarts do, it’s easy for the two of them to get along as a musical duo. Never have they experienced a falling out due to “creative differences” or anything of the sort. They are on equal ground when it comes to songwriting, musical ideas and arrangements and everything in between. Del explained that they leave their egos at the door when it’s time to make music. He also shared that outside of Garry K being his brother, he’s also his best friend.
“There are times when Garry may call me at one o’clock in the morning with a musical idea and we’ll start chatting and vice versa. We both play the keyboard, sometimes Garry does drums and percussion. We just share everything we do musically between each other. Additionally, Garry is a deacon and he keeps us grounded. We talk about God all the time and keep Him at the center of our lives. We’ve been through life’s ups and downs and various hardships but God has always brought us through and through.” he said.
In addition to God being absolute in the lives of The Stewarts, family is too. At one point, their mother was actually their manager. Unfortunately, she has passed and the two of them made a decision before this point that would have a permanent effect on their lives both musically and morally.
“In 1989, we had the opportunity to perform in Japan. But, our mother was sick at the time and we decided to stay in Cincinnati and support her. She unfortunately passed a few weeks later and our faith in God is what got us through that situation because our mother was everything to us. During that time, some other opportunities passed us by but we know we made the right decision. During and after that time, God continued to bless, lead and guide us. And now that we’re older, we hope to instill wisdom and knowledge we’ve learned from situations like that into young people and tell them don’t give up and don’t quit.” he said.
The Stewarts track “The Truth - Remix” encapsulates the power of longevity in music. With their experience in the music world and seeing so much happen in society, they combined both aspects into a track that is both lyrically and musically relevant. Their next release, the appropriately titled “Nothing Remains the Same,” is sure to continue this theme.
God, faith and family have kept The Stewarts moving through the music industry for the past 45 years and they aren’t stopping anytime soon.
You can see more of the positivity and God-centric music of The Stewarts by keeping up with them on the following platforms.
