Steve Winwood

Stephen Lawrence Winwood was born May 12, 1948 in the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. He as logged an esteemed career in the rock era, one that spans more than 40 years. He has sealed his place in history both as a solo artist and as a member of such celebrated bands as the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith. He has registered chart-topping, platinum-selling albums and singles, garnered acclaim of permanence on the U.S. and international music scenes, collected Grammy awards and has jammed and recorded with everyone from George Harrison and Jimi Hendrix to Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Joe Cocker, Toots and the Maytals, T-bone Walker, Sonny Boy Williamson and Memphis Slim.He began playing drums, guitar and piano as a child and first performed with his father and older brother Muff in the Ron Atkinson Band at the age of eight. In 1963, at the age of 15, he co-founded the Spencer Davis Group, which would score chart topping radio hits with “Keep On Running” , “Somebody Help Me”, “I’m A Man” and “Gimme Some Lovin”. Although he was only 15, Steve possessed a soulful and distinctive voice, and his skills at the piano and guitar were advanced beyond his years.In 1967, Winwood departed the group to form Traffic with Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason and Chris Wood. Debuting that year with Mr. Fantasy, Traffic would register consistent chart hits. Mason left Traffic early on and was therefore absent when Winwood and Capaldi wrote many of the songs that shaped the bands direction and honed the sound that was Traffic. All of the original studio discs entered the top 10 on the US charts while helping to define psychedelic rock with such iconic tracks as “Dear Mr. Fantasy”, “Medicated Goo”, “The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys” and “Pearly Queen”.When Traffic disbanded briefly in 1969, Winwood formed Blind Faith with Eric Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker and late bassist Rick Grech. Considered by many to be the world’s first supergroup, Blind Faith enjoyed great however brief, studio and stage success with its lone, self-titled effort which gave birth to Winwood’s “Can’t Find My Way Home”.Traffic returned without Mason and scored another hit with 1971’s Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and later released Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory, On the Road and When The Eagle Flies. In 1974, Traffic disbanded: 30 years later, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.In 1977, Steve offered his self titled debut album which climbed to No. 22 on the US charts Four years later, he climbed to no 3 on that chart with the celebrated follow up, 1981”s Arc of a Diver whch spawned the top 10 hit “While You See A Chance”. Playing every instrument on the album, Steve produced and engineered the album as well. Arc of a Diver spent 43 weeks on Billboard’s albums chart, igniting a run that gained momentum with the release of Talking Back to the Night featuring the single Valerie which peaked at no. 3 on the singles chart. 1986’s Back In The High Life would hit no. 7 on the albums chart producing 5 top 10 singles in the US charts including the No. 1 hit single Higher Love. Back In The High Life was nominated for 5 Grammys, winning Best Male Vocal, and the coveted Record of the Year trophies. Steve returned with his first no. 1 album, Roll With It. While his follow up, Rufugees of the Heart cracked the top 30,Winwood was losing interest in making mainstream music which resulted in his reunion with the late Jim Capaldi for Traffic’s 1994 release Far From Home. The resulting tour is celebrated on the release of The Last Great Traffic Jam (a treasure trove of candid backstage and concert footage).Built on a bedrock of Hammond B-3 grooves, About Time, Winwood’s latest release finds the blue eyed soul pioneer returning to warm tones and unrestricted territories. It is a hypnotic album that delves into the world of music, fusing classic R&B with Latin, Afro and Carribbean rhythms.In the four decades since he co-founded the Spencer Davis Group, Winwood has witnessed myriad changes in the music business, from dramatic evolutions in recording technology to massive consolidation in the label realm. But from where he stands, one thing at the end of the day has remained virtually the same: the music. After 40 years, the exploration continues.