Born in Glasgow in 1933 and educated in Perth and Arbroath, the schoolmaster's son made his debut at the Gaiety Theatre in Leith, aged 18, but a lucky break came in the mid-50s when he was asked to play the dame in a Glasgow production of Dick Whittington's Cat after Harry Gordon became ill. He then entered the variety world heading shows in Scotland and touring in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
He had several hit singles - "Come in-Come in", "A Scottish Soldier" (36 weeks in the chart in 1961), "Campbeltown Loch", "Muckin' O' Geordies Byre", "Tunes of Glory", and "Dr. Findlay". "Donald Where's Yer Troosers?" was a hit in 1961 and again in 1989. Andy does an Elvis Presley impersonation half way through the song, and, on the strength of this comedy hit, he toured Australia and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in 1968, doing impersonations of Dean Martin.
On television, Stewart's name was synonymous with The White Heather Club, and he was a regular feature during Hogmanay. He later had his own series, The Andy Stewart Show, in 1963 and his radio shows included 17 Sauchie Street and Scotch Corner. He was a world-famous variety performer. In 1976 Andy Stewart was given an MBE and he was granted the freedom of Angus in 1987.
On stage Andy Stewart possessed enormous vitality. One weekend he did two concerts in Aberdeen, flew to New York, performed to an audience of 15,000 and returned to continue the show in Aberdeen. He also visited hospitals and nursing homes, chatting with and entertaining the patients both in Scotland and on trips overseas. No-one was ever turned away. Perhaps it is not surprising that he had poor health. From the 1960s he was often hospitalised and in 1986 he was having heart bypass surgery (repeated three years later) when his first grandchild was born. He celebrated by writing the song It's Nice to be a Grandad.
But he put off retiring and planned yet another tour of America, which he did not live to make. The night before he died Stewart took part in a charity concert in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, to raise money for a children's hospice in Scotland. Taken ill after the show, he died at home in Arbroath on 11 October, 1993
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