Wynn Stewart was born in Morrisville, Missouri on June 7, 1934. He spent most of his time moving from place to place with his sharecropping family. During this teenage life, he became interested in singing and playing the guitar. After serving in World War II, Wynn got on KWTO, Springfield, Missouri where Chet Atkins, Porter Wagoner and Speedy Haworth worked. He spent a the good part of 1947 there before moving to California with his own family.

Like so many country artists, Wynn’s first love was baseball and wanted to become a professional. However, he soon realized that he was too short and besides, he suffered from a hand disease. So, he decided to make a career out of singing.

Wynn signed a contract with a small independent label called Intro in 1954 and put out “I’ve Waited A Lifetime” and “Strolling.” Skeets McDonald became aware of Stewart’s efforts and arranged an audition at Capitol Records for him. In 1956, Wynn’s first recording for this giant record company, “Waltz of the Angels,” reached number 14 on the country charts. Later, this song was picked up and recorded by George Jones and Margie Singleton, and it also became a hit for them.

Wynn Stewart became an important figure in the development of what has been called “the Bakersfield Sound,” along with Tommy Collins and Buck Owens. Except for “Wishful Thinking” in 1959, he had very little success with his small label recordings until he modernized his sound in the late 1960s. The result was his lone number one hit “It’s Such A Pretty World Today,” which was done on Capitol Records. He re-signed with Capitol after his return from a failed business venture in Las Vegas.

Wynn Stewart tried to make a comeback in the mid-eighties by putting together an extensive tour, but died suddenly of a heart attack on July 17, 1985, the night before beginning it. Overall, he had a successful career but super-stardom unfortunately was never reached.

Dusty Owens
TCM Radio News

The Official Wynn Stewart Website