Ebony McQueen

Album: Ebony McQueen (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Ebony McQueen" is the title track to a 26-song album that tells the tale of Dave Stewart's musical journey. The character Ebony McQueen represents the blues music that inspired him as a teenager and led him to a career in music. Stewart is best known for his work in Eurythmics.
  • Stewart recorded much of the Ebony McQueen album at his studio in the Bahamas, Bay Street. Ebony is a fictional character that Stewart describes as a "voodoo blues queen," but he got the name from a real person he met on the islands. Her name was Ebony, and she told him that McQueen was her maiden name, which she prefers.

    On the bike ride back to his place, he rolled the name around in his head and came up with the lilting chorus. He started writing a song around it and developed the concept that led him to the album.
  • Dave Stewart grew up in Sunderland, England, where his dream was to play for the local soccer team, Sunderland A.F.C. A knee injury put those dreams to rest, and around the same time, his mom moved to London as his parents separated. Dave was rather depressed, but came out of his funk when he received a record from his cousin in America: Robert Johnson's compilation King Of The Delta Blues Singers. It opened up a new world for Stewart, who started digging into other music: The Beatles, The Kinks, his dad's Rodgers & Hammerstein records. His Ebony McQueen project is the culmination of all these influences.
  • The video for this song includes footage of Stewart composited on illustrations by Kathryn Robertson.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?