Amii Stewart -

Amii Stewart is an American soul singer who had a 1979 disco No. 1 with a remake of the Eddie Floyd classic “Knock On Wood.” Abroad, she scored subsequent hits with the Doors appropriation “Light My Fire/137 Disco Heaven” and the 1985 Italian hit “Friends.” Between 1979 and 1990, she made three albums on Hansa/Ariola and five on RCA.

Background

She was born Amy Paulette Stewart on January 29, 1956, in Washington, DC; the fifth of six children in Catholic country-style family headed by Joseph Stewart II. When she was four, he enrolled her in dance and vocal lessons. She is the stepsister of singer Miquel Brown, best known for the Hi-NRG anthem “So Many Men, So Little Time.”

Stewart modified her surname to Amii upon registering with the Actors’ Equity Association, which already had an actress named Amy Stewart. She enrolled at Howard University but switched to the Classical Repertory Dance Ensemble, where she studied ballet.

In 1975, she joined the road production of Bubbling Brown Sugar, a period musical revue set in 1920s–40s Harlem. The tour brought her to Miami, then Manhattan, and finally London’s West End, where she met songwriter/producer Barry Leng, who linked her with the Berlin-based Hansa Records label.

On August 4, 1978, Amii Stewart debuted with the Atlantic/Hansa single “You Really Touched My Heart” (b/w “Closest Thing to Heaven”), both Leng-produced sides co-written with MOR balladeer Simon May.

Knock on Wood

Amii Stewart released her debut album, Knock on Wood, in February 1979 on Atlantic (UK), Ariola America (US), and Hansa International (Europe.)

Stewart recorded a program with covers of songs popularized by Eddie Floyd, the Doors, and the Three Degrees. The album also contains four Barry Leng–Simon May songs, one Barry Leng–Gerry Morris song, and the Leng–May title “137 Disco Heaven” as part of the “Light My Fire” medley.

“Knock on Wood” stomps through a clomping shuffle, oscillating high-register effects, abrupt electronic shots, and heavy thuds behind Stewart’s belted lead. “You Really Touched My Heart” quickens the album with an uptempo refrain and bright ensemble replies. “Light My Fire” / “137 Disco Heaven” stretches the source line into an extended medley, then presses the vocal through continuous studio-drive arrangement. “Only a Child in Your Eyes” slows into a sustained vocal lead with softened backing.

Stewart sings with bassist/backing vocalist Gerry Morris, drummers Adrian Sheppard and Peter Boita, percussionist Glyn Thomas, guitarists Alan Murphy and Barry Leng, keyboardists Ian Hughes, Pete Arnesen, and Simon May, and synthesist Ken Freeman. Backing vocalists Jimmy Chambers, Sheen, Tony Jackson, Morris, and Leng complete the vocal group.

A1. “Knock on Wood” (6:11) – Floyd, Cropper
A2. “You Really Touched My Heart” (4:29) – Leng, May
A3. “Light My Fire” / “137 Disco Heaven” (8:26) – Morrison, Krieger, Densmore, Manzarek; Leng, May

B1. “Bring It on Back to Me” (3:56) – Leng, May
B2. “Closest Thing to Heaven” (3:44) – Leng, May
B3. “Am I Losing You” (3:20) – Leng, Morris
B4. “Get Your Love Back” (3:56) – Gamble, Huff
B5. “Only a Child in Your Eyes” (3:07) – Leng, May

Barry Leng produced Knock on Wood at T.W., Utopia, Marquee, and Red Bus Studios with engineers Alan Winstanley, Greg Walsh, John Mackswith, John Eden, Phil Harding, Steve Holroyd, Geoff Calver, and Tony Swain. Ken Freeman arranged brass parts, and Ian Hughes arranged strings. Ian Cooper mastered the album.

Cooke-Key designed the sleeve, and Brian Aris photographed Stewart for the cover.

Atlantic/Hansa issued “You Really Touched My Heart” as an August 1978 UK single (b/w “Closest Thing to Heaven”).

Ariola America lifted “Knock on Wood” as a January 1979 US single (b/w “When You Are Beautiful”), which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.

Atlantic lifted “Light My Fire” / “137 Disco Heaven” as a May 1979 UK single (b/w “Bring It on Back to Me”), which reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. Ariola America issued the medley as a June 1979 US single (b/w “Am I Losing You”), which reached No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Knock on Wood reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on Top R&B Albums.

During her UK promo rounds, Amii appeared alongside Generation X singer Billy Idol as a panelist on the July 14, 1979, broadcast of Juke Box Jury, where they rated songs by the Buzzcocks, Peaches & Herb, Flying Lizards, Sparks, Dire Straits, and ex-Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker, whose cover of the 1975 Murray Head ballad “Say It Ain’t So” drew rapturous approval from Stewart.

Paradise Bird

Amii Stewart released her second album, Paradise Bird, in September 1979 on Hansa/Ariola.

Stewart recorded four Barry Leng–Simon May–Gerry Morris songs, one Leng–May song, and covers of songs popularized by the Box Tops and Howard Tate.

“Paradise Bird” slows the album into a hazier ballad register, with Stewart’s vocal placed against a widened arrangement. “The Letter” extends a compact source tune into a long side-opening treatment. “Jealousy” and “Step Into the Love Line” return to the larger early-period dance format, with full-length 12-inch phrasing and broad refrain work. “Paradise Found” closes the album as a short instrumental reprise.

Stewart sings with bassist Gerry Morris, drummer Adrian Sheppard, percussionist Glyn Thomas, guitarists Alan Murphy and Barry Leng, keyboardist Pete Arnesen, synthesist Ken Freeman, and saxophonist Ron Asprey. Backing vocalists Jimmy Chambers, Charles Augins, Stewart, and Leng complete the vocal group. Freeman arranged brass parts, and Ian Hughes arranged strings.

A1. “The Letter” (6:58) – Carson
A2. “Paradise Bird” (6:35) – Leng, May, Morris
A3. “He’s a Burglar” (4:50) – Ragovoy

B1. “Jealousy” (6:36) – Leng, May, Morris
B2. “Right Place, Wrong Time” (5:07) – Leng, May, Morris
B3. “Step Into the Love Line” (5:23) – Leng, May
B4. “Paradise Found” (2:26) – Leng, May, Morris

Barry Leng produced Paradise Bird. Martin Poole designed the sleeve, and Fin Costello photographed Stewart.

Atlantic/Hansa lifted “Jealousy” as an October 1979 UK single (b/w “Step Into the Love Line”), which reached No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart. In January 1980, Atlantic/Hansa issued “The Letter” as a UK single (b/w “Paradise Bird”), which reached No. 39 on the UK Singles Chart.

Paradise Bird reached No. 89 on the Kent Music Report.

Images

Amii Stewart released her third album, Images, in April 1981 on Hansa. In the US, it appeared as I’m Gonna Get Your Love on Handshake Records.

The album includes covers of songs popularized by the Supremes (“Where Did Our Love Go”), Jerry Lee Lewis (“Great Balls of Fire”), Mary Wells (“My Guy”), and the Temptations (“My Girl”). Stewart recorded “My Guy” / “My Girl” with Johnny Bristol.

Images shifts Stewart into shorter track forms and a cleaner early-eighties studio finish. “Where Did Our Love Go” recasts a Motown source line as the album opener. “Great Balls of Fire” places a rock-and-roll standard inside the same studio-bright album setting. “Digital Love” points toward the album’s machine-age theme through title text and clipped late-period dance phrasing. “My Guy” / “My Girl” closes with a duet medley that joins two Motown titles into one vocal exchange.

A1. “Where Did Our Love Go” (4:25) – Holland–Dozier–Holland
A2. “Great Balls of Fire” (4:11) – Blackwell, Hammer
A3. “Save This Night for Love” (3:30) – Chase, Haberman, Jacobson
A4. “Digital Love” (3:49) – Jackson, Walden, Willis
A5. “Love Is Bad for Your Health” (3:50) – Sulsh, Leatherwood

B1. “Why’d You Have to Be So Sexy” (3:25) – Boone, LaFalce
B2. “Tonight” (3:19) – Schwartz
B3. “Premiere” (3:32) – Leng, May
B4. “Don’t Let Go of Me” (3:50) – Edelman
B5. “My Guy” / “My Girl” (3:59) – Robinson, White

Narada Michael Walden, Barry Leng, and Simon May produced Images. The US Handshake issue retitled the album I’m Gonna Get Your Love and replaced “Great Balls of Fire” and “Love Is Bad for Your Health” with “I’m Gonna Get Your Love” and “Calling for Your Love.”

Atlantic lifted “My Guy” / “My Girl” as a July 1980 UK single (b/w “Now”), which reached No. 39 on the UK Singles Chart. In April 1981, Atlantic lifted “Where Did Our Love Go” as a UK single (b/w “Premiere”).

Handshake issued “I’m Gonna Get Your Love” as an October 1981 US single (b/w “Premiere”), followed by “Digital Love” in April 1982 (b/w “Tonight”).

Images reached No. 49 on Swedish Albums.

Amii Stewart

Amii Stewart released her self-titled fourth album in September 1983 on RCA.

Stewart recorded two Bellotte–Levay songs, “Sweet Emotion” and “You to Me,” after Donna Summer cut them for the unreleased 1981 album I’m a Rainbow.

Amii Stewart narrows the arrangements and favors low-key vocal placement over the earlier large-format studio sweep. “Working Late Tonight” opens the album with the clearest single-oriented track action. “Don’t Ask Me Why” holds a sly mid-tempo line under Stewart’s restrained lead. “Nobody but Me” brightens the set without leaving the album’s understated register. “Once Again” closes the album in ballad form.

Stewart sings with bassist Jeremy Meek, drummer James Lane, saxophonist Mel Collins, guitarist Corrado Rustici, multi-instrumentalist Simon Boswell (guitar, synthesizer), keyboardists Vili Lakatos (piano, synthesizer), Stefano Senesi, and Aldo Banfi (Synclavier), and programmer Dario Massari (Fairlight). Backing vocalists Charles Cannon, Douglas Meakin, and Simona Pirone complete the vocal group.

A1. “Working Late Tonight” (4:04) – M. Capuano, G. Capuano, Boswell
A2. “Nobody but Me” (3:30) – Mandoki
A3. “Sweet Emotion” (3:47) – Bellotte, Levay
A4. “Don’t Ask Me Why” (3:35) – Mandoki
A5. “Take a Heart” (3:28) – Dallon

B1. “Beginning of the End” (3:56) – McMahon, Bahler
B2. “You to Me” (4:41) – Bellotte, Levay
B3. “Say Goodbye to Love” (4:02) – Boswell
B4. “Once Again” (3:43) – Lakatos

Simon Boswell produced, arranged, and mixed Amii Stewart. Leandro Leandri engineered and mixed the album with assistant engineers Raffaele Cricchi and Sandro Secondino and mastering engineer Guido Di Toma.

RCA lifted “Working Late Tonight” as a 1983 single (b/w “You to Me”).

Try Love

Amii Stewart released her fifth album, Try Love, in December 1984 on RCA.

The original RCA Italiana LP contains nine songs, with “Mother Mary” as the closing track. Later European copies replaced “Mother Mary” with “Friends.”

Try Love works in slower, denser dance settings with remixed track shapes and measured vocal placement. “That Loving Feeling” slinks through a downshifted thud and positions Stewart for a close lead phrase. “Losing Control” undulates at a slower gait. “High Dimension” weaves through a measured mid-tempo pattern. “Dance Till You Get Enough” jolts forward with sharper rhythmic pressure. “I Gotta Have You Back” judders through a harder track bed. “Dangerous Rhythm” throbs at the album’s heavier end, while “Fever Line” trots through the set’s fastest cited track motion.

Stewart sings with bassists Dino D’Autorio and Fabio Pignatelli, drummers Agostino Marangolo, Walter Martino, and Leslie Mandoki, guitarists Carlo Pennisi and Marco Rinalduzzi, keyboardists Sandro Centofanti, Romano Musumarra, and Laszlo Benker, saxophonist Giancarlo Maurino, and programmer Paul Micioni. Mike Francis contributes keyboard bass, Linn Drum programming, and backing vocals. Backing vocalists Charlie Cannon, Douglas Meakin, and Salvatore Vitale appear across the album.

A1. “That Loving Feeling” (4:33) – White
A2. “Try Love” (4:00) – Cannon, Francis
A3. “Dangerous Rhythm” (4:40) – Foxx
A4. “Losing Control” (4:42) – Hebert

B1. “I Gotta Have You Back” (4:25) – Cannon, Francis
B2. “High Dimension” (4:00) – Stewart, Vitale
B3. “Fever Line” (4:54) – Stewart, Vitale
B4. “Dance Till You Get Enough” (3:23) – Benker, Mandoki, Touchton
B5. “Mother Mary” (3:47) – M. Capuano, G. Capuano, Stott

Paul Micioni produced Try Love, and Mike Francis arranged the tracks except “Dance Till You Get Enough.” Laszlo Benker and Leslie Mandoki produced and arranged “Dance Till You Get Enough.”

Alberta Tiburzi photographed the sleeve. Marcello Spiridioni mastered the album with engineer Maurizio Montanesi and assistant engineers Mario Meuti and Raffaele Cricchi.

RCA Italiana issued “I Gotta Have You Back” as a 1984 Italian single (b/w “That Loving Feeling”). RCA UK issued “Friends” as a December 1984 single (b/w “Picture”), which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

RCA UK lifted “That Loving Feeling” as a March 1985 single (b/w “Fever Line”), which reached No. 95 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1985, RCA Italiana issued “Try Love” as an Italian single (b/w “That Loving Feeling”).

Discography: