In a career that spans 45 years, Stephen Lawrence Winwood has been many things: child prodigy, leader of one of British rock’s most innovative bands, co-founder of the world’s first supergroup, multimillion-selling solo star… And through it all, three qualities have marked out Winwood as a truly singular talent: his mastery of the Hammond B-3 organ, his brilliance as a songwriter and, above all, one of the most richly expressive and soulful voices in rock.
Born in Handsworth, Birmingham on May 1, 1948, Steve Winwood was barely into his teens when he served his rock’n’roll apprenticeship playing in a band that backed blues legends Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King and Chuck Berry.
He was still only 15 when he joined the Spencer Davis Group along with his older brother Muff. Young Stevie was the group’s star, co-writing and singing their now classic 1967 UK No.1 Gimme Some Lovin’. But he didn’t hang around. By the end of that year he’d formed a new band, Traffic.
Originally based in a cottage in rural Berkshire, their very own hippie commune, Traffic’s idiosyncratic blend of rock, folk, blues, jazz and psychedelia made them trailblazers of the new rock era. But Winwood was always looking for fresh challenges. In 1968 he made a guest appearance on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s landmark double album Electric Ladyland, playing organ on the extended blues jam Voodoo Chile. And in 1969, with Traffic disbanded, Winwood hooked up with another icon, guitarist Eric Clapton, to form the short-lived, one-album supergroup Blind Faith.
Winwood revived Traffic in 1970, but by 1975 the group had become passé and Winwood went solo – in the most literal sense; on 1980’s Arc Of A Diver, his commercial breakthrough, Winwood played every instrument himself. In 1988, at his peak as a solo artist, Winwood topped the US album chart with Roll With It.
These days he operates in a more low-key fashion, releasing solo albums as and when he pleases, his latest being 2008’s Nine Lives. With his status as a rock legend secure, Steve Winwood doesn’t have to push himself too hard. As he once said: “I never wanted to be a great star. I wanted only to be a great musician.”
