Eric Michael Stewart (born 20 January 1945)[1] is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of 10cc from 1972 to 1995.

Stewart co-owned Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, from 1968 to the early 1980s, where he recorded albums with 10cc and artists including Neil Sedaka and Paul McCartney.

Stewart was invited to join local band Jerry Lee and the Staggerlees, which after a year changed its name to the Emperors of Rhythm.

Stewart remained with the band for two years and was at the Oasis club in Manchester in early 1963 on the evening that Wayne Fontana had an audition with a record company representative.

[2] The band toured the US with Herman's Hermits in July and August 1965, producing wild scenes Stewart compared with Beatlemania.

Stewart became disenchanted with the Mindbenders towards the end of its existence, realising the material they were playing was drifting further from the music for which they had gained chart success.

The band accepted a booking playing cabaret shows for a week, wearing white suits and red silk shirts and telling jokes between the songs.

"[3] According to Stewart, the flow of royalties and publishing income from his work with the Mindbenders had left him "fairly comfortable" financially.

3 Waterloo Road in October and Stewart, who helped with renovations and painting, renamed the studio in honour of his favourite Beatles song, "Strawberry Fields Forever".

In mid-1969 Stewart and Gouldman began working with two other musicians, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, on a project that rock manager and entrepreneur Giorgio Gomelsky was developing for his Marmalade Records label.

[citation needed] In December 1969, a deal was struck with the American record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz of Super K Productions, to book the studios solidly for three months to record bubblegum songs, using the talents of Gouldman, Stewart, Godley and Creme.

[3] The income from the period of intense sessions allowed the owners to buy more equipment to turn it into "a real studio".

[3] The trio of Stewart, Godley and Creme produced a song, "Neanderthal Man", which was released in June 1970 by Philips Records under the name of Hotlegs.

[citation needed] Hotlegs embarked on a British tour supporting the Moody Blues in October 1970, with Gouldman playing bass.

King was excited about the song, sensing a potential hit, and signed the band to his UK Records label, naming them 10cc.

[citation needed] The band had previously suffered a major setback in 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash.

And whatever we did after that, we got a few tickles here and there and we could continue touring forever on the strength of the past hits, but it didn't feel right again, we just didn't have that public with us.Stewart has engineered and/or produced albums recorded in Strawberry Studios including artists like Ramases (Space Hymns, 1971), Neil Sedaka (Solitaire, 1972, The Tra-La Days Are Over, 1973) and Justin Hayward and John Lodge (Blue Jays, 1975).

Stewart's original role was also planned as a producer but during the early stages of work on the album he was replaced by Hugh Padgham, the choice he would later criticise.

[13][6] The release was backed with a career spanning compilation album Anthology, with remastered songs some of which were newly mixed and retitled.