TNB Night Owl – Steve Winwood

Before embarking on a solo career in the 1970s, Winwood became something of a legend as a member of three influential bands. First, he played organ with The Spencer Davis Group (his older brother played bass, later became a producer). In 1967, he left TSDG to form Traffic. Finally, he joined Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech in the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith. The three groups could boast a combined total of only four big hits, but they are monster classics that every self-respecting rock music fan must know. All four songs have been extensively covered by other artists, big names and small.

Winwood’s solo act didn’t take flight until 1980, but when it did, it really caught wind. By then, his style had changed dramatically, and apparently was tailor-made for eighties’ music fans.

Two more things you should know… Winwood wrote or co-wrote all of these songs (to the best of my knowledge). Also, there are two version of Valerie listed below, the original 1982 version and a 1987 remix. I never realized there was more than one, but it seems there are fans who insist the remix version is better, so I included both to avoid receiving any vitriolic hate mail. (Thank you for not sending any.)

1966
Gimme Some Lovin’ (2:58)
The Spencer Davis Group