"Legend is too loose a word". Dead Skunk Stewart is a Houston legend. His first professional gig was in Connecticut at the age of 13, playing an underworld-run bar for drinks. By the time he was 23, he had hit rock bottom and was actually, really a share-cropper on a truck farm in Houston, Tx. He almost died from heat stroke while weeding a vegetable row in 1980. A blues player and follower for years, he was waiting for the traditional bestowing of a blues nickname. Year after year he waited.
In and out of the jails and clubs of the Houston area he drank the blues and sang the blues and smoked the blues. Then, driving from a gig in the farmlands outside of Houston, mythological folk singer, known by just one name "George", said, upon seeing a dead skunk in the middle of the road, "That should be your blues name, Dead Skunk!" Out of respect for the music and blues credentials of George, he became "Dead Skunk" Stewart. His first performance as Dead Skunk was at Silky's on Washington in Houston Texas. His first live song as Dead Skunk was a vocal/electric bass number "RotoSound Superwound". They laughed. They laugh a lot when Dead Skunk plays. He usually makes fun of himself (His song "Blues Cliche" sings 'I think I'm becoming a Blues Cliche') to the delight and amusement of the audience while maintaining the deep tradition of and respect for the Blues music he so loves.
He is back gigging again after taking care of his mother while she was in failing health and after 20 years of sobriety. The blues is deep in Dead Skunk. Legend IS too loose a word. Dead Skunk is the blues.
