Gary Stewart(1957-2019)
Gary Lee Stewart was born on February 10, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, to Ralph Stewart, a mechanical engineer, and Charlyne (Jaffee) Stewart, an artist and art teacher. Around the age of five, he relocated with his family to Los Angeles, California. In his youth, Stewart developed a love for music and began a lifelong pursuit of record collecting.
This love of music and records brought him to Rhino Records, which began as a record store in 1973 and started its own record label in 1978. Stewart started working at the store as a salesman in 1977, and, after graduating from California State University, Northridge, with a bachelor's degree in marketing, he became the store's manager. In 1981, he moved over to the record label and eventually became the Senior Vice President for Artists & Repertoire. In this position, Stewart spearheaded the creation of several anthologies and box sets, including compilations by The Ramones, Phil Ochs, and Elvis Costello.
Stewart left Rhino in 2003 and, the following year, he began working at Apple when Steve Jobs hired him as the Chief Music Officer and saddled him with the task of organizing the extensive iTunes catalogue into playlists for the download market. Stewart left the company in 2011, but he returned in 2016 to help organize the catalogue for streaming.
Stewart also lent his talents to the world of television, where he helped curate music for Gilmore Girls (2000) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017).
On April 11, 2019, Stewart took his own life. His younger brother, Mark, who was his only immediate survivor, stated that his family had a history of depression.
This love of music and records brought him to Rhino Records, which began as a record store in 1973 and started its own record label in 1978. Stewart started working at the store as a salesman in 1977, and, after graduating from California State University, Northridge, with a bachelor's degree in marketing, he became the store's manager. In 1981, he moved over to the record label and eventually became the Senior Vice President for Artists & Repertoire. In this position, Stewart spearheaded the creation of several anthologies and box sets, including compilations by The Ramones, Phil Ochs, and Elvis Costello.
Stewart left Rhino in 2003 and, the following year, he began working at Apple when Steve Jobs hired him as the Chief Music Officer and saddled him with the task of organizing the extensive iTunes catalogue into playlists for the download market. Stewart left the company in 2011, but he returned in 2016 to help organize the catalogue for streaming.
Stewart also lent his talents to the world of television, where he helped curate music for Gilmore Girls (2000) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017).
On April 11, 2019, Stewart took his own life. His younger brother, Mark, who was his only immediate survivor, stated that his family had a history of depression.