Michael Stewart died of a heart attack at his home in Mill Springs, N.C., on Oct. 11. He was 63 years old.

He attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Reed College in Oregon. As a professional guitarist, he performed under his professional name of Backwards Sam Firk at a Wolftrap Folk festival in Virginia and at various clubs in and around Washington. His last performance was at Aboveground Records in Edgartown several years ago.

For the past 20 years he has conducted an international business selling old records out of his home in Mill Spring, specializing in blues and folk artists of the ’20s and ’30s.

He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, his children, Jesse of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Carolina of El Cerrito, Calif., and his mother and stepfather, Jean and Stan Wexler of North Tisbury.