Al Stewart (born in Glasgow, Scotland on 5 September 1945) is a British songwriter and musician. He is best known for his 1976 single Year of the Cat and its 1978 follow-up Time Passages (both produced by Alan Parsons). Stewart's inspiration for his songs primarily comes from the past; indeed, he is credited with creating his own genre, "historical folk rock". At one time in his life, Stewart took guitar lessons from King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. Stewart grew up in the coastal resort town of Bournemouth, Dorset.