Rod Stewart Tuning to J Records
After being released from Atlantic Records three months ago, rock veteran Rod Stewart has found a new home with Clive Davis’ J Records. The terms of the multi-album pact weren’t disclosed, but Stewart has already begun recording a new set for the label, with a planned October release date.
“The soundtrack to our lives would be totally incomplete without Rod Stewart,” Davis said in a statement. “I am thrilled to welcome him to J Records and to begin working with him on an album that will show his one-of-a kind vocal talent like no one has heard him heard before.”
Stewart, known for such pop standards as “Maggie May,” “Tonight’s the Night” and “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” has been recording for four decades, rising to prominence with seminal ’60s rock acts the Faces and the Jeff Beck Group.
The 57-year-old singer became a free agent after 26 years when he parted ways with Atlantic last December. The Warner Music imprint dropped several well-known acts late last year — including Collective Soul, Tori Amos and Sinead O’Connor — in a bid to pare down its roster of expensive contracts with stars perceived to be on the wane.
Stewart’s last album of original songs, 2001’s “Human,” sold poorly in the U.S., but fared better in Europe, where the London-born singer enjoys a devoted following. A subsequent greatest-hits package “The Story So Far,” released earlier this year, has moved 2.5 million copies worldwide.