The British songwriter-singer Rod Stewart was born on January 10, 1945 in North London, England. He is of English and Scottish heritage and currently resides in Epping, England.

Stewart, who has a distinctive raspy voice, rose to prominence during the 1960s and 1970s as a member of The Jeff Beck Group followed by Faces. In 1969, Stewart launched his career as a soloist, releasing “An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down,” his debut album. His work as a member of The Jeff Beck Group heavily influenced the emergence of heavy metal and his work with Faces influenced the punk rock genre.

Over the course of Stewart’s five decade career he has sold more than 100 million worldwide records. He is one of the all-time best selling artists. He has had six number one albums in a row in the U.K. and had 62 hit singles. Thirty one of the 62 have made it into the top 10, with six making it to the No. 1 spot. In the U.S. Stewart has 16 singles in the top ten, with four making it to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Billboard magazine in 2008 ranked Stewart as No. 17 on their list “The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists.” Stewart became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.