B.W. STEVENSON

b. Louis C. Stevenson, 5 October 1949, Dallas, Texas, USA, d. 28 April 1988, USA. B.W. Stevenson (the initials stood for Buckwheat) is now best remembered for his 1973 Billboard Top 10 single “My Maria”. Stevenson performed with many local Texas rock bands as a teenager, before attending college and then joining the US Air Force. Upon being discharged from the Air Force, Stevenson returned to the thriving club scene, particularly in the burgeoning Austin, Texas area. Although he considered himself a blues and rock singer, he was signed to RCA Records as a country artist and released “Shambala”, a song that charted but did not fare as well as the version by rockers Three Dog Night. Stevenson and Daniel Moore's “My Maria” became a number 9 pop hit (oddly missing the country charts), and the album of the same title reached number 45, also in 1973. Stevenson continued to record, placing two further singles on the charts in the 70s (the latter, “Down To The Station”, for Warner Brothers Records). He also recorded for MCA Records. Stevenson died following heart surgery in April 1988. Discography: B.W. Stevenson (RCA 1972)***, Lead Free (RCA 1972)**, My Maria (RCA 1973)**, Calabasas (RCA 1974)***, Lost Feeling (Warners 1977), Lifeline (1980)**.