How I Discovered: Rod Stewart

There are only a few things I own that I consider irreplaceable, and each of them have a memory attached to them. Two of them, I got on the same night as a random surprise gift from my friend's dad: a practically mint condition Babicz acoustic guitar and an album which I had never heard, Atlantic Crossing. Though not my first introduction to Rod Stewart, the album was the first time I listened to his music with eyes that looked at his music as more than just one or two good songs.
I will say that I'm still in the process of discovering Stewart's music. He has a staggeringly large catalog, and I have only really explored two of his early releases. However, it doesn't take a lot of listening to realize how thoughtful and honest he is as a writer. One of my favorite songs off Every Picture Tells a Story has the line "Oh I never was good with romantic words/ so the next few lines come really hard," which was something of a revelation to me. Rod Stewart is certainly old, and he grew up in a time completely different from me in a country different from mine in ways I don't even realize. When both of us are honest with ourselves, though, we have the same doubts, joys, struggles, and thoughts as anyone who's ever lived. His songs are about the love and life every person experiences.
As a fun side note, Rod Stewart's music has helped me grow as a performer. I've used songs like "Sailing" and "Mandolin Wind" to help me get into character before plays, and his mandolin-heavy Every Picture Tells a Story has inspired me to purchase and try to learn the mandolin for myself!

Favorite album: Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Favorite songs: "Maggie May," "Mandolin Wind," "Sailing," "All Right for an Hour," "(I Know) I'm Losing You"