Rod Stewart may have been born in London in 1945, but his father was an Edinburgh builder and the singer sees himself as Scottish – famously supporting both Celtic and Scotland football teams.
His early music career saw him busk on the streets of London and featuring in a succession of bands, most famously the the Jeff Beck Group and Faces, before releasing his debut solo album in 1969.
In 1971 he released the album ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’ which topped charts all over the world, as did the single ‘Maggie May’.
Since then he has released a string of hits, selling over 250 million records, enjoying 31 top ten singles in the UK including six number ones.
Honours collected during his amazing career include a knighthood, being ranked the 17th most successful artist on the ‘Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists’, a Grammy Award, a Brit Award, voted at No. 33 in Q Magazine's list of the Top 100 Greatest Singers of all time, and being inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – for both his solo work and as a member of Faces.
Here are 13 insightful and funny thinks Sir Rod has said.