Wynn Stewart

As a pioneering Bakersfield artist in the 1950s, Wynn Stewart was one of the leading figures of West Coast country music that would later become known as the Bakersfield Sound.

Stewart was an inspiration to such country musicians as Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. In 1956, Stewart introduced Owens to Harlan Howard, who became Owens’ longtime songwriting collaborator. Stewart also co-wrote Owens’ hit, Above and Beyond.

In 1962, Haggard played bass with Stewart’s band in Las Vegas for a year and a half.
While working with Wynn, Haggard asked to record his song, Sing a Sad Song. Wynn gave Haggard the song, which became his first national hit in 1964.

Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, his series of independent releases performed respectively. In 1969, Stewart drifted to a sound slightly closer to country-pop, which resulted in his first number-one single, “It’s Such a Pretty World Today”.

During the 1970’s and early ‘80s, Stewart continued to release a steady stream of songs but never become a genuine country star. In 1985, Stewart died suddenly of a heart attack at age 51. Through the early 1980s, Stewart continued to release a steady stream of songs but never achieved the mainstream success enjoyed by those he mentored.