Steve Winwood
Encyclopedia
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English
international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter
and a musician
whose genres include soul music
(blue-eyed soul
), R&B, rock
, blues-rock
, pop-rock, and jazz
. Winwood is a multi-instrumentalist
who plays the electric organ
, synthesizer
s, bass, drums, guitar, mandolin, violin and other stringed instruments. His trademark style is singing in a tenor voice and playing the Hammond organ. In addition to his solo career, he was a key member of the bands The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic
, Blind Faith
and Go
. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
as a member of Traffic in 2004. Winwood has won numerous Grammy Award
s in the United States.
In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Winwood #33 in its 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2005, Winwood was honored as a BMI
Icon at the annual BMI London Awards for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers."
During his teens, Winwood played Hammond B-3 organ
and guitar
in "pick-up" bands that backed up well-known US blues performers. He formed Blind Faith
in 1969 with Eric Clapton
, Ginger Baker
and Ric Grech
. His first solo album
was released in 1977. In 1986, Winwood went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100
with his song "Higher Love
", and with this earned the year's Grammy Award for Record of the Year
and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
.
, Birmingham, England. Winwood's father Lawrence, although a foundryman by trade, was also a semi-professional musician, playing mainly the saxophone and clarinet. Winwood himself first became interested in swing and Dixieland jazz
and began playing drums, guitar, and piano as a boy. He first performed with his father and older brother Muff in the Ron Atkinson Band at the age of eight. Winwood was a choirboy at St John's Church Perry Barr
and later admitted to having "sneaked a few plays" of the organ there. While he was still young the family moved from Handsworth to the semi-rural suburb of Kingstanding
at the northern edge of the city.
, Winwood was a part of the Birmingham rhythm and blues
scene, playing the Hammond B-3 organ
and guitar
, backing blues
singers such as Muddy Waters
, John Lee Hooker
, T-Bone Walker
, Howlin' Wolf
, B. B. King
, Sonny Boy Williamson II
, Eddie Boyd
, Otis Spann
, Chuck Berry
and Bo Diddley
on their United Kingdom
tours, the custom at that time being for US singers to travel solo and be backed by pickup bands. At this time, Winwood was living on Atlantic Road in Great Barr, close to the Birmingham music halls where he played. Winwood had modelled himself on Ray Charles
.
At the age of 14 Winwood joined the Spencer Davis Group
, along with his older brother Muff
, who later had success as a record producer. Steve's distinctive high tenor singing voice and vocal style drew comparisons to Ray Charles. At the end of 1965 the group had their first number one
single
with "Keep On Running" and the money from this success allowed Winwood to buy his own Hammond B-3 organ.
During this time Winwood joined forces with guitarist Eric Clapton
as part of the one-off group Eric Clapton's Powerhouse
. Songs were recorded for the Elektra
label, but only three tracks were released on the compilation album, What's Shakin'
.
Winwood co-wrote and recorded the hits "Gimme Some Loving" and "I'm a Man
" before leaving the Spencer Davis Group. Winwood met drummer Jim Capaldi
, guitarist Dave Mason
, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood
, when they jammed together at The Elbow Room
, a club in Aston
, Birmingham
. After Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, the quartet formed Traffic. Soon thereafter, they rented a cottage near the rural village of Aston Tirrold
, Berkshire
to write and rehearse new music.
The period at the cottage would prove important in the development of the band.
In 1968 Winwood played the organ on the song "Voodoo Chile
" on the Jimi Hendrix
album Electric Ladyland
. The following year he played keyboards on albums as diverse as Toots & the Maytals
' Reggae Got Soul and Howlin' Wolf
's The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
.
Blind Faith
in 1969 with Eric Clapton
, Ginger Baker
, and Ric Grech
. The band was short-lived because of Clapton's greater interest in Blind Faith's opening act Delaney & Bonnie & Friends—Clapton left the band after the tour had ended. However, Baker, Winwood, and Grech stayed together to form Ginger Baker's Air Force
. The lineup consisted of 3/4 of Blind Faith (without Clapton, who was replaced by Denny Laine
), 2/3 of Traffic
(Winwood and Chris Wood
, minus Jim Capaldi
), plus musicians who interacted with Baker in his early days, including Phil Seamen
, Harold McNair
, John Blood and Graham Bond
. But it turned out to be just another short-lived project. Winwood soon went into the studio to begin work on a new solo album, tentatively titled Mad Shadows. However, Winwood ended up calling Wood and Capaldi in to help with session work, which prompted Traffic's comeback album John Barleycorn Must Die
. In 1976, Winwood played guitar on the Fania All Stars’ Delicate and Jumpy record and performed as a guest with the band in their only UK appearance, a sell-out concert at the Lyceum Theatre, London.
In 1972, Winwood recorded the part of Captain Walker in the highly successful orchestral version of The Who
's Tommy. In 1973 Winwood recorded an album with Remi Kabaka
, Aiye-Keta, for Antilles Records
. In 1976, Winwood provided vocals and keyboards on Go, a concept album by Japanese composer Stomu Yamashta
.
(which included his first solo hit, "While You See A Chance
") and Talking Back to the Night
in 1982. Both albums were recorded at his home in Gloucestershire
with Winwood playing all instruments. He continued to do a number of sessions during this period, and in 1983 he co-produced and played on Jim Capaldi
's top 40 hit "That's Love
".
In 1986, he enlisted the help of a coterie of stars to record Back in the High Life
in the US, and the album was a hit. He topped the Billboard Hot 100
with "Higher Love
", and earned two Grammy Award
s: for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
All these albums were released on Island Records
. However, at the peak of his commercial success, Winwood moved to Virgin Records
and released Roll with It
and Refugees of the Heart
. The album Roll with It and the title track hit #1 on the USA album and singles charts in the summer of 1988. Another album with Virgin, Far From Home
, was officially credited to Traffic, but nearly all the instruments were played by Winwood. Despite lacking a significant hit, it broke the top 40 in both the UK and USA. His final Virgin album Junction Seven
also broke the UK top 40, but was Winwood's first commercial flop in the USA.
In 1994, Capaldi and Winwood reunited Traffic for a new album, Far From Home, and a tour, including a performance at Woodstock '94
Festival. That same year, Winwood appeared on the A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield CD, recording Mayfield's "It's Alright
". In 1995 and 1996, Winwood released Reach for the Light for the animated film Balto
.
In 1997, Winwood released a new album, Junction Seven
, toured the US and sang with James Taylor
at the VH-1 Honors. In 1998, Winwood joined Tito Puente
, Arturo Sandoval
, Ed Calle
and other musicians to form the band "Latin Crossings" for a European tour, after which they split without making any recordings. Winwood also appeared in the film Blues Brothers 2000
, as a member of the Louisiana Gator Boys, appearing on stage with Isaac Hayes
, Eric Clapton
, and KoKo Taylor
at the battle of the bands competition.
In 2003, Winwood released a new studio album, About Time on his new record label, Wincraft Music. 2004 saw his 1982 song "Valerie" used by Eric Prydz
in a song called "Call on Me
". It spent five weeks at #1 on the UK singles chart. Winwood heard an early version of Prydz's remix and liked it so much, he not only gave permission to use the song, he re-recorded the samples for Prydz to use.
In 2005, his Soundstage Performances DVD was released, featuring recent work from the About Time album along with prior hits including "Back in the High Life". Winwood also performed hits from his days with Traffic as well as current recordings. In 2005, he accepted an invitation from 2008 Grammy Award winner Ashley Cleveland
to appear on her album Men and Angels Say. This album of rock, blues and country arrangements of well known hymns includes "I Need Thee Every Hour" which features a vocal duet and organ performance. Christina Aguilera
features Winwood (using the piano and organ instrumentation from the "John Barleycorn" track, "Glad") on one of her songs from her 2006 record Back to Basics
, called "Makes Me Wanna Pray".
In July 2007, Winwood performed with Eric Clapton
in the latter's Crossroads Guitar Festival
. Among the songs they played together were "Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home
" from their Blind Faith
days. Winwood played several guitar leads in a six song set. The two continued their collaboration with three sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden
in New York City in February 2008. On 19 February 2008 Winwood and Clapton released a collaborative EP
through iTunes
titled Dirty City
. Clapton and Winwood released a CD and DVD of their Madison Square Garden shows and then toured together in the summer of 2009.
A new studio album, Nine Lives
, was released 29 April 2008 on Columbia Records. The album opened at #12 on the Billboard 200
album chart, his highest US debut ever. Also in 2008, Winwood received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music
to add to his honorary degree from Aston University
, Birmingham.
countryside with Eugenia Crafton, a native of Trenton, Tennessee
, who he married in 1987. They have four children, Mary-Clare, Eliza, Cal and Lilly. Winwood is also asserted to have a daughter from a teenage union in the 1960s, who was placed for adoption. He was previously married (1978–1986) to the late Nicole Weir, who also contributed background vocals to Winwood's early solo work.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
whose genres include soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
(blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
), R&B, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
, pop-rock, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. Winwood is a multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
who plays the electric organ
Electric organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue...
, synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, bass, drums, guitar, mandolin, violin and other stringed instruments. His trademark style is singing in a tenor voice and playing the Hammond organ. In addition to his solo career, he was a key member of the bands The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
, Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
and Go
Go (band)
Go was a supergroup conceived in 1976 by Stomu Yamashta , which also included Steve Winwood , Al Di Meola , Klaus Schulze and Michael Shrieve ....
. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
as a member of Traffic in 2004. Winwood has won numerous Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s in the United States.
In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Winwood #33 in its 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2005, Winwood was honored as a BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Icon at the annual BMI London Awards for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers."
During his teens, Winwood played Hammond B-3 organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
in "pick-up" bands that backed up well-known US blues performers. He formed Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
in 1969 with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
and Ric Grech
Ric Grech
Richard Roman Grech was a British rock musician.-Career:Grech originally gained notice in the United Kingdom as the bass guitar player for the progressive rock group Family. He joined the band when it was a largely blues-based live act in Leicester known as the Farinas; he became their bassist in...
. His first solo album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
was released in 1977. In 1986, Winwood went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
with his song "Higher Love
Higher Love
"Higher Love" is a 1986 number-one hit song by Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, Back in the High Life. It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings, and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood...
", and with this earned the year's Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
.
Early life
Born Stephen Lawrence Winwood in HandsworthHandsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
, Birmingham, England. Winwood's father Lawrence, although a foundryman by trade, was also a semi-professional musician, playing mainly the saxophone and clarinet. Winwood himself first became interested in swing and Dixieland jazz
Dixieland Jazz
Dixieland Jazz was a Canadian music television series which aired on CBC Television in 1954.-Premise:The series host was Trump Davidson, a cornet player. He also hosted a radio music series on CBC's Trans-Canada Network.-Scheduling:...
and began playing drums, guitar, and piano as a boy. He first performed with his father and older brother Muff in the Ron Atkinson Band at the age of eight. Winwood was a choirboy at St John's Church Perry Barr
Perry Barr
Perry Barr is an inner-city area in north Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Perry Barr ward and the wards of Handsworth Wood, Lozells and East Handsworth, and Oscott, which elect three councillors to...
and later admitted to having "sneaked a few plays" of the organ there. While he was still young the family moved from Handsworth to the semi-rural suburb of Kingstanding
Kingstanding
Kingstanding is an area in north Birmingham, England. It gives its name to a ward in the Erdington council constituency. Kingstanding ward includes the areas; Perry Common, St. Mary's College, Witton Lakes and parts of Kingstanding, Wyrley Birch and New Oscott...
at the northern edge of the city.
Early years: 1960s
While he was still a pupil at the Great Barr SchoolGreat Barr School
Great Barr School is a co-educational secondary school on Aldridge Road in Great Barr, Birmingham, England for pupils aged 11 to 19. The school is usually the next level for children who attended Great Barr Primary School on the same area site.-History:...
, Winwood was a part of the Birmingham rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
scene, playing the Hammond B-3 organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singers such as Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
, Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
, B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
, Sonny Boy Williamson II
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
, Eddie Boyd
Eddie Boyd
Edward Riley Boyd known as Eddie Boyd was an American blues piano player, born on Stovall's Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States.-Life and career:...
, Otis Spann
Otis Spann
Otis Spann was an American blues musician, who many consider the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist.-Career:Born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, Spann became known for his distinct piano style....
, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
and Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
on their United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tours, the custom at that time being for US singers to travel solo and be backed by pickup bands. At this time, Winwood was living on Atlantic Road in Great Barr, close to the Birmingham music halls where he played. Winwood had modelled himself on Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
.
At the age of 14 Winwood joined the Spencer Davis Group
Spencer Davis Group
The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England, formed by Spencer Davis with Steve Winwood and his brother Muff Winwood...
, along with his older brother Muff
Muff Winwood
Mervyn "Muff" Winwood is an English songwriter and record producer, and the older brother of Steve Winwood. Both were formerly members of the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, in which Muff Winwood played bass guitar...
, who later had success as a record producer. Steve's distinctive high tenor singing voice and vocal style drew comparisons to Ray Charles. At the end of 1965 the group had their first number one
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
with "Keep On Running" and the money from this success allowed Winwood to buy his own Hammond B-3 organ.
During this time Winwood joined forces with guitarist Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
as part of the one-off group Eric Clapton's Powerhouse
Eric Clapton's Powerhouse
Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse was a British blues studio supergroup formed in 1966.-History:The Powerhouse was formed with full intention of being a short-lived studio project...
. Songs were recorded for the Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
label, but only three tracks were released on the compilation album, What's Shakin'
What's Shakin'
-Side One:# "Good Time Music" – The Lovin' Spoonful# "Almost Grown" – The Lovin' Spoonful# "Spoonful" – The Paul Butterfield Blues Band# "Off the Wall" – The Paul Butterfield Blues Band...
.
Winwood co-wrote and recorded the hits "Gimme Some Loving" and "I'm a Man
I'm A Man (Spencer Davis Group song)
"I'm a Man" is a song written by Spencer Davis Group singer-songwriter Steve Winwood and record producer Jimmy Miller.-Original version by the Spencer Davis Group:...
" before leaving the Spencer Davis Group. Winwood met drummer Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
, guitarist Dave Mason
Dave Mason
David Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood
Chris Wood (rock musician)
Christopher Gordon Blandford 'Chris' Wood was a founding member of the English rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Dave Mason....
, when they jammed together at The Elbow Room
The Elbow Room
The Elbow Room is a traditional nightclub in the Aston area of Birmingham, England. It played a significant part in the formation of the rock band, Traffic, in the late 1960s.-External links:*...
, a club in Aston
Aston
Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. After Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, the quartet formed Traffic. Soon thereafter, they rented a cottage near the rural village of Aston Tirrold
Aston Tirrold
Aston Tirrold is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs about southeast of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Origin of the name:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
to write and rehearse new music.
The period at the cottage would prove important in the development of the band.
In 1968 Winwood played the organ on the song "Voodoo Chile
Voodoo Chile
"Voodoo Chile" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded in 1968, closing Side 1 of The Jimi Hendrix Experience album Electric Ladyland. The song is Hendrix's longest studio recording and features additional musicians in what has been described as a "studio jam"...
" on the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
album Electric Ladyland
Electric Ladyland
Electric Ladyland is the third and final album of new material by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968 on Reprise Records, catalogue 2RS 6307. It is the only Hendrix studio album professionally produced under his supervision. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart for two weeks in...
. The following year he played keyboards on albums as diverse as Toots & the Maytals
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
' Reggae Got Soul and Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
's The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions is an album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf, released in the summer of 1971 on Chess Records, catalogue CH 60008...
.
Blind Faith and Traffic: 1970s
He formed the supergroupSupergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
in 1969 with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
, and Ric Grech
Ric Grech
Richard Roman Grech was a British rock musician.-Career:Grech originally gained notice in the United Kingdom as the bass guitar player for the progressive rock group Family. He joined the band when it was a largely blues-based live act in Leicester known as the Farinas; he became their bassist in...
. The band was short-lived because of Clapton's greater interest in Blind Faith's opening act Delaney & Bonnie & Friends—Clapton left the band after the tour had ended. However, Baker, Winwood, and Grech stayed together to form Ginger Baker's Air Force
Ginger Baker's Air Force
Ginger Baker's Air Force was a jazz-rock fusion band comprising Ginger Baker on drums, Steve Winwood on organ and vocals, Ric Grech on violin and bass, Jeanette Jacobs on vocals, Denny Laine on guitar and vocals, Phil Seamen on drums, Alan White on drums, Chris Wood on tenor sax and flute, Graham...
. The lineup consisted of 3/4 of Blind Faith (without Clapton, who was replaced by Denny Laine
Denny Laine
Denny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
), 2/3 of Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
(Winwood and Chris Wood
Chris Wood (rock musician)
Christopher Gordon Blandford 'Chris' Wood was a founding member of the English rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Dave Mason....
, minus Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
), plus musicians who interacted with Baker in his early days, including Phil Seamen
Phil Seamen
Phillip William "Phil" Seamen was an English jazz drummer.With a solid background in big band music, Seamen played and recorded in a wide range of musical contexts with virtually every key figure of 1950s and 1960s British jazz...
, Harold McNair
Harold McNair
Harold McNair was a renowned saxophonist and flautist.-Background:...
, John Blood and Graham Bond
Graham Bond
Graham John Clifton Bond was an English musician, considered a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s....
. But it turned out to be just another short-lived project. Winwood soon went into the studio to begin work on a new solo album, tentatively titled Mad Shadows. However, Winwood ended up calling Wood and Capaldi in to help with session work, which prompted Traffic's comeback album John Barleycorn Must Die
John Barleycorn Must Die
John Barleycorn Must Die is the fourth album by the English rock band Traffic, released in 1970, on Island Records in the United Kingdom, and United Artists in the United States, catalogue UAS 5504. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200, their highest charting album in the US, and has been...
. In 1976, Winwood played guitar on the Fania All Stars’ Delicate and Jumpy record and performed as a guest with the band in their only UK appearance, a sell-out concert at the Lyceum Theatre, London.
In 1972, Winwood recorded the part of Captain Walker in the highly successful orchestral version of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's Tommy. In 1973 Winwood recorded an album with Remi Kabaka
Remi Kabaka
Remi Kabaka is a Nigerian drummer who has performed with Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood, John Martyn, Hugh Masekela, on Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon, Short Cut Draw Blood by Jim Capaldi and on Band on the Run by Paul McCartney. His London-based son, also called Remi Kabaka, provided the voice of...
, Aiye-Keta, for Antilles Records
Antilles Records
Antilles Records was an American record label that was a subsidiary of Island Records.Its jazz catalog is now managed by Verve Records.-Discography:*1001 Joanne Brackeen - Special Identity 1981*1002 Biréli Lagrène- Routes To Django 1980...
. In 1976, Winwood provided vocals and keyboards on Go, a concept album by Japanese composer Stomu Yamashta
Stomu Yamashta
Stomu Yamashta Stomu Yamashta Stomu Yamashta (born is a Japanese percussionist, keyboardist and composer. He is sometimes credited as Stomu Yamash'ta. His father was the band director Kiyoharu Yamashita (1907–1991)....
.
Solo career: 1977 onwards
Weariness with the grind of touring and recording prompted Winwood to leave Traffic and retire to sessioning for some years. Under pressure from Island Records, he resurfaced with his self-titled first solo album in 1977. This was followed by his 1980 hit Arc of a DiverArc of a Diver
Arc of a Diver is the second solo album by blue-eyed soulster Steve Winwood. The album was performed entirely by Winwood.Featuring Winwood's first solo hit, "While You See a Chance" , this was Winwood's true breakthrough album as a solo artist...
(which included his first solo hit, "While You See A Chance
While You See a Chance
"While You See a Chance" is a song performed by Steve Winwood in 1980, who also wrote it alongside Will Jennings. It was released on his album Arc of a Diver and peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1981, and also reached #68 on the Billboard Top 100 for the year 1981, however it only...
") and Talking Back to the Night
Talking Back to the Night
Talking Back to the Night is the third solo album by blue-eyed soul musician Steve Winwood. Released less than two years after the top 3 hit Arc of a Diver, it failed to see as much success as its predecessor. "Valerie" was a minor hit in 1982, but when it was remixed and re-released in 1987 for...
in 1982. Both albums were recorded at his home in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
with Winwood playing all instruments. He continued to do a number of sessions during this period, and in 1983 he co-produced and played on Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
's top 40 hit "That's Love
That's Love (song)
"That's Love" is a song by British singer/songwriter Jim Capaldi. Written mostly while Capaldi was in Brazil, it developed further over the course of recording sessions in England. It was recorded for the album Fierce Heart and released as a single...
".
In 1986, he enlisted the help of a coterie of stars to record Back in the High Life
Back in the High Life
Back in the High Life is the fourth solo album by English rock musician Steve Winwood. It was a top ten hit on the album charts in the United States, hitting #3, and has sold over five million copies...
in the US, and the album was a hit. He topped the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
with "Higher Love
Higher Love
"Higher Love" is a 1986 number-one hit song by Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, Back in the High Life. It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings, and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood...
", and earned two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s: for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
All these albums were released on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. However, at the peak of his commercial success, Winwood moved to Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
and released Roll with It
Roll with It (album)
Roll with It is the fifth solo album by blue-eyed soulster Steve Winwood. It topped the album charts in the United States, and has sold over three million copies. The title cut topped the pop singles and the album rock singles charts with subsequent hit status afforded the album tracks released as...
and Refugees of the Heart
Refugees of the Heart
Refugees of the Heart is the sixth solo album by Steve Winwood, released in 1990. The album contained the hit single, "One and Only Man", which topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and saw the return of former Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi to Winwood's songwriting team. By coincidence, a Traffic...
. The album Roll with It and the title track hit #1 on the USA album and singles charts in the summer of 1988. Another album with Virgin, Far From Home
Far from Home
Far From Home, released in 1994, was the final studio album released under the name Traffic, and the first in two decades since the release of When the Eagle Flies in 1974....
, was officially credited to Traffic, but nearly all the instruments were played by Winwood. Despite lacking a significant hit, it broke the top 40 in both the UK and USA. His final Virgin album Junction Seven
Junction Seven
Junction Seven is Steve Winwood's seventh original solo album and was released in June 1997. The album did not sell very well, breaking the Top 40 in the UK but not the USA, and Winwood took a six-year break from making solo albums . This album was produced by Narada Michael Walden, whilst...
also broke the UK top 40, but was Winwood's first commercial flop in the USA.
1990s to present
Woodstock '94
Woodstock '94, often called the "commercial Woodstock" or "Mudstock", was a music festival organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival of 1969...
Festival. That same year, Winwood appeared on the A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield CD, recording Mayfield's "It's Alright
It's Alright
- Songs :*"It's Alright" , a 1993 song by East 17*"It's Alright" , a 2001 song from their Flowers album*"It's Alright" , a song from Jay-Z's 1998 album Vol...
". In 1995 and 1996, Winwood released Reach for the Light for the animated film Balto
Balto (film)
Balto is a 1995 American animated comedy-drama film directed by Simon Wells and produced by Amblimation, and the first of the overall trilogy. The film is based on a true story about the dog of the same name who helped save children from the diphtheria epidemic in the 1925 serum run to Nome...
.
In 1997, Winwood released a new album, Junction Seven
Junction Seven
Junction Seven is Steve Winwood's seventh original solo album and was released in June 1997. The album did not sell very well, breaking the Top 40 in the UK but not the USA, and Winwood took a six-year break from making solo albums . This album was produced by Narada Michael Walden, whilst...
, toured the US and sang with James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
at the VH-1 Honors. In 1998, Winwood joined Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
, Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
, Ed Calle
Ed Calle
Ed Calle is a musician from Miami, Florida. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela.Calle plays the saxophone, flute, clarinet, EWI, keyboards, and vocals. He also composes and arranges music. Dr. Eduardo J...
and other musicians to form the band "Latin Crossings" for a European tour, after which they split without making any recordings. Winwood also appeared in the film Blues Brothers 2000
Blues Brothers 2000
Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, the film featured Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameos by many musicians.-Plot:...
, as a member of the Louisiana Gator Boys, appearing on stage with Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, and KoKo Taylor
Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
at the battle of the bands competition.
In 2003, Winwood released a new studio album, About Time on his new record label, Wincraft Music. 2004 saw his 1982 song "Valerie" used by Eric Prydz
Eric Prydz
Eric Sheridan Prydz is a Swedish DJ and producer based in London, United Kingdom. The pronunciation of his surname is often questioned; it is pronounced "prids", but when under his alias, Pryda, it is pronounced "pride-ah"...
in a song called "Call on Me
Call on Me (Eric Prydz song)
"Call on Me" is a song performed by Swedish DJ, producer Eric Prydz. The single received huge sales success and topped several record charts. "Call on Me" is known for its music video, which features several women and a man performing aerobics in a sexually suggestive manner.-Background:"Call on...
". It spent five weeks at #1 on the UK singles chart. Winwood heard an early version of Prydz's remix and liked it so much, he not only gave permission to use the song, he re-recorded the samples for Prydz to use.
In 2005, his Soundstage Performances DVD was released, featuring recent work from the About Time album along with prior hits including "Back in the High Life". Winwood also performed hits from his days with Traffic as well as current recordings. In 2005, he accepted an invitation from 2008 Grammy Award winner Ashley Cleveland
Ashley Cleveland
Ashley Cleveland is an American singer/songwriter perhaps best known as a background vocalist and Grammy-winning gospel singer. Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville, Tennessee...
to appear on her album Men and Angels Say. This album of rock, blues and country arrangements of well known hymns includes "I Need Thee Every Hour" which features a vocal duet and organ performance. Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
features Winwood (using the piano and organ instrumentation from the "John Barleycorn" track, "Glad") on one of her songs from her 2006 record Back to Basics
Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)
Back to Basics is the third studio album by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, first released on August 10, 2006 by RCA Records...
, called "Makes Me Wanna Pray".
In July 2007, Winwood performed with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
in the latter's Crossroads Guitar Festival
Crossroads Guitar Festival
The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007 and 2010. The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of...
. Among the songs they played together were "Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home
Can't Find My Way Home
The New York No Wave band Swans version of "Can't Find My Way Home" appeared on their 1989 album The Burning World and was also released as a single.- Track listing :# "Can't Find My Way Home"...
" from their Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
days. Winwood played several guitar leads in a six song set. The two continued their collaboration with three sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City in February 2008. On 19 February 2008 Winwood and Clapton released a collaborative EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
titled Dirty City
Dirty City
Dirty City is also a nickname for Jersey City, New Jersey."Dirty City" is a rock song by Steve Winwood from his album Nine Lives, released on February 19, 2008....
. Clapton and Winwood released a CD and DVD of their Madison Square Garden shows and then toured together in the summer of 2009.
A new studio album, Nine Lives
Nine Lives (Steve Winwood album)
Nine Lives is Steve Winwood's first full-length studio album since 2003. It was released on April 29, 2008.The album's first single, "Dirty City" featuring guitarist Eric Clapton, held the number-one added single spot for three weeks in a row and peaked at the overall number-two spot on AAA...
, was released 29 April 2008 on Columbia Records. The album opened at #12 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart, his highest US debut ever. Also in 2008, Winwood received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
to add to his honorary degree from Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
, Birmingham.
Personal life
Winwood lives in a 300-year-old manor house in the GloucestershireGloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
countryside with Eugenia Crafton, a native of Trenton, Tennessee
Trenton, Tennessee
Trenton is a city in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,264 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Gibson County, and its third largest city.-Geography:Trenton is located at ....
, who he married in 1987. They have four children, Mary-Clare, Eliza, Cal and Lilly. Winwood is also asserted to have a daughter from a teenage union in the 1960s, who was placed for adoption. He was previously married (1978–1986) to the late Nicole Weir, who also contributed background vocals to Winwood's early solo work.
Solo
- 1977: Steve WinwoodSteve Winwood (album)Steve Winwood is the debut solo album by blue-eyed soulster Steve Winwood. It was released three years after the break-up of Traffic. Despite high commercial expectations, it did not sell well, reaching number 22 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
- 1980: Arc of a DiverArc of a DiverArc of a Diver is the second solo album by blue-eyed soulster Steve Winwood. The album was performed entirely by Winwood.Featuring Winwood's first solo hit, "While You See a Chance" , this was Winwood's true breakthrough album as a solo artist...
- 1982: Talking Back to the NightTalking Back to the NightTalking Back to the Night is the third solo album by blue-eyed soul musician Steve Winwood. Released less than two years after the top 3 hit Arc of a Diver, it failed to see as much success as its predecessor. "Valerie" was a minor hit in 1982, but when it was remixed and re-released in 1987 for...
- 1986: Back in the High LifeBack in the High LifeBack in the High Life is the fourth solo album by English rock musician Steve Winwood. It was a top ten hit on the album charts in the United States, hitting #3, and has sold over five million copies...
- 1988: Roll with ItRoll with It (album)Roll with It is the fifth solo album by blue-eyed soulster Steve Winwood. It topped the album charts in the United States, and has sold over three million copies. The title cut topped the pop singles and the album rock singles charts with subsequent hit status afforded the album tracks released as...
- 1990: Refugees of the HeartRefugees of the HeartRefugees of the Heart is the sixth solo album by Steve Winwood, released in 1990. The album contained the hit single, "One and Only Man", which topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and saw the return of former Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi to Winwood's songwriting team. By coincidence, a Traffic...
- 1997: Junction SevenJunction SevenJunction Seven is Steve Winwood's seventh original solo album and was released in June 1997. The album did not sell very well, breaking the Top 40 in the UK but not the USA, and Winwood took a six-year break from making solo albums . This album was produced by Narada Michael Walden, whilst...
- 2003: About Time
- 2008: Nine LivesNine Lives (Steve Winwood album)Nine Lives is Steve Winwood's first full-length studio album since 2003. It was released on April 29, 2008.The album's first single, "Dirty City" featuring guitarist Eric Clapton, held the number-one added single spot for three weeks in a row and peaked at the overall number-two spot on AAA...
Session work
- Chris Knipp - blast
- The Jimi Hendrix ExperienceThe Jimi Hendrix ExperienceThe Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
- Electric LadylandElectric LadylandElectric Ladyland is the third and final album of new material by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968 on Reprise Records, catalogue 2RS 6307. It is the only Hendrix studio album professionally produced under his supervision. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart for two weeks in...
, 1968 - McDonald and Giles - McDonald and GilesMcDonald and GilesMcDonald and Giles is an album of music released by British musicians Ian McDonald and Michael Giles in 1971. The album was first issued on Island Records in the U.K. and in the U.S. as Cotillion Records , a division of Atlantic Records. The album was recorded at Island Studios between May and...
, 1971 - Shawn PhillipsShawn PhillipsShawn Phillips is a folk-rock musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s.Phillips has recorded twenty albums and worked with musicians including Donovan, Paul Buckmaster, J. Peter Robinson, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bernie Taupin, and many others...
- Faces, 1972 - London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
– Tommy - As Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Choir, 1972 - Jim CapaldiJim CapaldiNicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
- Oh How We DancedOh How We DancedOh How We Danced is the debut studio album by the British musician Jim Capaldi.The album was recorded while Traffic was on hiatus due to Steve Winwood's struggles with peritonitis, and released by Island Records in 1972...
, 1972 - Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
- BerlinBerlin (album)Berlin is a 1973 album by Lou Reed, his third solo album and the follow-up to Transformer. In 2003, the album was ranked number 344 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, though the publication had called the album a "disaster" 30 years prior.-Background and...
, 1973 - Jim Capaldi - Whale Meat AgainWhale Meat AgainWhale Meat Again is the second studio album by the British musician Jim Capaldi.It was released by Island Records in 1974. Like his first solo album, it failed commercially in his native United Kingdom but did better in the USA...
, 1974 - Jim Capaldi - Short Cut Draw BloodShort Cut Draw BloodRolling Stone called the album slightly uneven but a promising step forward. Their review approved of both the session musicians and the arrangements, and was particularly complimentary towards his cover of "Love Hurts", saying "he brings a sense of pain very different from Roy Orbison's...
, 1975 - Jade WarriorJade Warrior (band)Jade Warrior are a British group that were formed in 1970, originally evolving out of a band named July. The founding members were Tony Duhig , Jon Field and Glyn Havard...
- Waves, 1975 - Toots & the MaytalsToots & the MaytalsToots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
- Reggae Got Soul, 1976 - John MartynJohn MartynJohn Martyn, OBE , born Iain David McGeachy, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a forty-year career he released twenty studio albums, working with artists such as Eric Clapton and David Gilmour...
– One WorldOne World (John Martyn album)One World is a 1977 album by John Martyn. One of his more experimental works, it features atmospheric, reggae influenced rhythms and free-flowing, jazzy arrangements. Acclaimed for its collaborative spirit, the album includes contributions from Lee Perry on "Big Muff", and Steve Winwood...
, 1977 - Pierre Moerlen's GongPierre Moerlen's GongPierre Moerlen's Gong is a jazz fusion outfit which is very different from the first incarnation of Gong, the psychedelic space-rock act led by Daevid Allen...
- DownwindDownwind (album)Downwind is an album by Pierre Moerlen's Gong, issued in February, 1979 .Like the other Pierre Moerlen's Gong albums, Downwind is predominantly jazz fusion and has little to do with the psychedelic space rock of Daevid Allen's Gong, even though the bands share a common history...
, 1978 - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
- George HarrisonGeorge Harrison (album)George Harrison is the eponymous album release by George Harrison in 1979. It was recorded during a period of domestic happiness in which Harrison married Olivia Trinidad Arias and his son Dhani was born.-History:...
, 1978 - Vivian StanshallVivian StanshallVivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, painter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his surreal exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for narrating Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.-The great...
- Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, 1978 - Jim Capaldi - Daughter of the Night, 1978
- Marianne FaithfullMarianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
- Broken English, 1979 - Jim Capaldi - The Sweet Smell of... Success, 1980
- Jim Capaldi - Let the Thunder Cry, 1981
- Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous AcquaintancesDangerous AcquaintancesDangerous Acquaintances is an 1981 album by British artist Marianne Faithfull. The work was seen by reviewers as a disappointing follow-up to Faithfull's Broken English, as the album trades the angry and controversial alternative new wave arrangements of the previous one for a more mainstream rock...
, 1981 - Jim Capaldi - Fierce HeartFierce HeartFierce Heart is the eighth solo album by British musician Jim Capaldi. The album has a far more synth-heavy approach than any of his previous albums, though the songs are mostly in the same aggressive rock/pop vein that Capaldi had long been associated with...
, 1983 - David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
- About FaceAbout Face (album)About Face is the second solo album by the Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, released in March 1984. The album was co-produced by Bob Ezrin and David Gilmour. Two songs, "All Lovers Are Deranged", and the more radio-friendly "Love on the Air" were co-written by Gilmour, who composed the music,...
, 1984 - Christine McVieChristine McVieChristine McVie is an English rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary fame came as a member of the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, though she has also released three solo albums...
- Christine McVieChristine McVie (album)Christine McVie is the second solo album by the British Fleetwood Mac vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie. It was released in 1984.It was McVie's first solo recording since her 1970 self-titled release . The album peaked at #26 on the US album charts and #58 in the UK...
, 1984 - Eddie HarrisEddie HarrisEddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
- E.H. in the U.K. - Billy JoelBilly JoelWilliam Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
- The BridgeThe Bridge (Billy Joel album)The Bridge is Billy Joel's 10th studio album released by Columbia Records in 1986 and was his final album to be produced by Phil Ramone...
, 1986 - Talk TalkTalk TalkTalk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
- The Colour of SpringThe Colour of Spring-Personnel:* Mark Hollis - Organ, Keyboards, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Melodica, Mellotron* Lee Harris - Percussion, Drums* Paul Webb - Bass, vocals, backing vocals* Tim Friese-Greene - producer, Piano, keyboards, Mellotron, Kurzweil synthesizer...
, 1986 - SoulsisterSoulsisterSoulSister was a Belgian music band consisting of musicians Jan Leyers and Paul Michiels. SoulSister is another term used for black women in new orleans...
- Heat, 1990 - Paul WellerPaul WellerPaul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
- Stanley RoadStanley Road-Track listing:Disc 1#"The Changingman" #"Porcelain Gods"#"I Walk on Gilded Splinters" #"You Do Something to Me"#"Woodcutter's Son"#"Time Passes / Steam"#"Stanley Road"#"Broken Stones"#"Out of the Sinking"#"Pink on White Walls"...
, 1995 - Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, played a special version of "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"