‘Gold’ by John Stewart — Doyle’s ‘Not-So-Top-10′ List

John Stewart (the singer, not the comedian from New Jersey) first tasted musical success as a member of the folk group The Kingston Trio, but later went solo.

He was also an accomplished song writer, penning “Daydream Believer” for the Monkees. He only had one Top 10 hit and it is the one I requested of Big Joe: “Gold”, which was a top five hit in 1979. It tells the tale of an aspiring musician trying to make it big in Los Angeles (Canaan).

While that song is the only reason most people even know of John Stewart, he later shows disdain for the song, calling it “vapid” and he stopped playing in his live shows. Apparently Big Joe is boycotting the song as well, since he didn’t play it for me.