Michael Stewart (musician)
Michael Gassen Stewart (April 19, 1945 – November 13, 2002) was an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He founded the San Francisco folk-rock band We Five, known for You Were on My Mind and Let’s Get Together, and the group earned a best new group Grammy nomination. He later produced Billy Joel’s breakthrough album Piano Man and worked with artists like Tom Jones and Kenny Rankin, earning two Grammy nominations.
He was the brother of John Stewart and the father of Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu. After leaving the music industry in the early 1990s, Michael became a computer programmer, designing systems for Digidesigns and Adobe used by musicians and arrangers. His creations include the Session8 Digital Audio Workstation for PC, the Impulse Drum Trigger, the Feel Factory (co-designed with George Daly), and the Human Clock, which helps computerized music devices follow a human tempo. He later played bass in his child’s band The Indestructible Beat of Palo Alto (IBOPA).
Michael died on November 13, 2002. While reports cited a long illness, Jamie Stewart has said his death was a suicide. The Xiu Xiu song “Mike” on Fabulous Muscles reflects Jamie’s reaction to his death. We Five co-founder Jerry Burgan’s memoir Wounds to Bind discusses Stewart’s life, death, and creativity.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:37 (CET).