From Football Field to Pop Music Heaven: Dave Stewart Reveals the Injury That Changed Everything

The Making of a Legend

Before the synths, the platinum records, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Dave Stewart was just another kid from Sunderland obsessed with football. In an exclusive deep dive into his origins as documented in Screenshot (550).png, the 72-year-old music icon reveals the heartbreak that set him on the path to pop immortality.

“Like every kid in Sunderland, I played for three different teams on a Saturday, and then after all that, I’d still be playing under the street lights when it got dark,” Stewart recalls with a laugh. His dream? To wear the red and white stripes of his beloved Sunderland AFC. But fate had other plans.

A Life-Altering Injury

At age 14, a catastrophic tackle during a muddy match shattered his knee—and his football aspirations. “It was very muddy and raining, as it always seemed to be then,” he says. “I was taking a corner and another kid skidded towards me and caught my knee. It made a really horrible noise.”

Confined to his bed for months, Stewart spiraled into depression. His parents had separated, his brother was away, and the house was steeped in gloom. Then, the radio became his lifeline. “It was 1966—The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Sandie Shaw, Petula Clark. It was a bombardment of different styles,” he says. Stuck at home, he taught himself guitar using a three-string instrument hidden in his brother’s wardrobe. That makeshift practice would eventually change the course of pop music.

From Sunderland to Superstardom

Stewart’s recovery led him to London in the early 1970s, where he crossed paths with a Scottish singer named Annie Lennox. Their partnership—first as a couple, then as creative collaborators—spawned Eurythmics, one of the most influential duos of the 1980s. As chronicled in the source, their romantic relationship lasted four years without producing a single original song. “When we split up, we wrote 120 songs,” Stewart says. “That is why they’re so emotional. Even Annie’s solo songs are about that time.”

Their breakout hit, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), peaked at No. 2 in the UK and hit No. 1 in the US in 1983. Yet surprisingly, the duo only scored one UK No. 1 single—There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart) in 1985. Over a decade, they sold more than 75 million records, won a Grammy, multiple Brit Awards, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, where they reunited for a stirring performance.

The Eurythmics Songbook Lives On

Since Lennox stepped back from touring in 1999, Stewart has kept the catalog alive with Dave Stewart’s Eurythmics Songbook, a live project that has the blessing of his former partner. Fronted by Australian powerhouse Vanessa Amorosi and an all-female backing band, the ensemble has performed over 70 shows across the UK, Europe, and the US. “Vanessa sounds very different to Annie, but she’s completely mesmerizing,” Stewart says. “No one is thinking ‘where’s Annie?’ when they hear us play. Plus, I get to play my guitar more.”

The tour returns to the UK on August 20 at the Heritage Live Festival in Norfolk, headlined by Lionel Richie. Stewart promises a setlist packed with classics: Here Comes the Rain Again, Missionary Man, and of course, Sweet Dreams. “When you start playing one of those songs, it feels like when a goal is scored,” he says, drawing on his football past. “The noise of the crowd, everybody on the edge of their seat—it’s like watching the World Cup.”

A Life in Music and Football

Stewart’s passion for the beautiful game never waned. He admits to watching three matches a day during the World Cup, and he’s already planning to see Sunderland play Arsenal at the Stadium of Light in September. “My son Sam is an Arsenal fan and wants to come—that will be interesting,” he jokes.

The musician also reveals a semi-autobiographical film in the works, titled Ebony McQueen, directed by Shekhar Kapur. Based on Stewart’s early life and struggles, the project is in pre-production and will be filmed partly in Sunderland. “I think we are on about our eighth draft,” he laughs.

Stewart’s personal life is as layered as his career. He has been married three times—his second wife was Bananarama’s Siobhan Fahey—and is now wed to Dutch photographer Anoushka Fisz. Together they have two daughters, Indya and Kaya. Three of his four children have pursued music, though Indya opted for interior design after a brief YouTube venture yielded “about ten quid.” Kaya, meanwhile, has performed live with her father and even auditioned for American Idol in 2023, with Stewart accompanying her on guitar.

The Nomadic Rock Star

Today, Stewart splits his time between homes in the Bahamas, Nashville, and Los Angeles. “I’m a bit of a nomad really,” he says. Yet no matter where he roams, two constants remain: the music that saved his teenage self and the football club that first captured his heart. His forthcoming album, The Way It Was Back Then, drops on September 18, promising another chapter in a career already etched in legend.

For fans catching him at Heritage Live, one thing is certain: the man who lost his football dream discovered a sound that defined a generation—and he’s still running with it.

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