- In full:
- Stephen Lawrence Winwood
- Born:
- May 12, 1948, Birmingham, England (age 78)
- On the Web:
- NPR - Steve Winwood on World Cafe (Nov. 13, 2026)
Steve Winwood
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Who is Steve Winwood?
Steve Winwood, born May 12, 1948, is a British singer and songwriter. He is considered one of Britainâs foremost rhythm and blues vocalists. In the mid-1960s, Winwood began writing and performing hits that combined blues, folk, rock, pop, and jazz. He joined his brother in the Spencer Davis Group at age 15, then formed Traffic in 1967, an experimental psychedelic pop ensemble.
When Traffic dissolved in 1974, Winwood pursued a solo career. His album Back in the High Life (1986) achieved platinum status and contained the Grammy-winning song âHigher Love.â In 2004, Traffic, with Winwood as a member, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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What types of music is Steve Winwood known for?
Steve Winwood is a British singer and songwriter known for blending blues, folk, rock, pop, and jazz in his music. He is considered one of Britainâs leading rhythm and blues vocalists.
Winwood's career took off in the mid-1960s, and he was a member of the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith before starting as a solo artist. Traffic, his own band, was an experimental psychedelic pop ensemble known for albums such as John Barleycorn Must Die and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys.
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Which famous bands has Steve Winwood been a member of?
Steve Winwood is a British singer and songwriter who began his music career in the mid-1960s. He is considered one of Britainâs foremost rhythm and blues vocalists and is known for his ability to combine blues, folk, rock, pop, and jazz elements in his music.
Winwood has been a member of several famous bands, including the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith. He later pursued a successful solo career.
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What are some of Steve Winwoodâs most well-known songs?
Steve Winwood is a British singer and songwriter known for blending blues, folk, rock, pop, and jazz. He first gained recognition in the Spencer Davis Group with hits like "I'm a Man" and "Gimme Some Lovin'."
Later, with his band Traffic, Winwood released the acclaimed albums John Barleycorn Must Die and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Briefly a member of Blind Faith, Winwood launched a solo career in 1974. His album, Arc of a Diver, included the hit "While You See a Chance."
Winwood's album, Back in the High Life, achieved platinum status and featured the Grammy-winning song "Higher Love." Another hit single followed with "Donât You Know What the Night Can Do?" from the album Roll with It.
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How did Steve Winwoodâs solo career develop after leaving bands?
After leaving bands, Steve Winwood started his solo career in 1974 and built a studio in Gloucestershire. His first solo album, Steve Winwood (1977), had modest success. His next album, Arc of a Diver (1980), was a hit with critics and the public, featuring the single âWhile You See a Chanceâ. Both Talking Back to the Night (1982) and Back in the High Life (1986) achieved platinum status, with "Higher Love" winning a Grammy. In 1987, he and producer Russ Titelman shared a Grammy for Back in the High Life, and he won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for âHigher Loveâ. Roll with It (1988) was another platinum album.
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How has Steve Winwood influenced modern music and other artists?
Steve Winwood is a British singer and songwriter known for blending blues, folk, rock, pop, and jazz. He began his career in the mid-1960s and was a member of the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith before starting as a solo artist.
With Traffic, Winwood moved away from pop songcraft and created a sound built on free-form improvisation. As a solo artist in the 1980s, Winwood achieved platinum status with albums like Back in the High Life, which included the Grammy-winning song "Higher Love." In 2004, Traffic, including Winwood, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Steve Winwood (born May 12, 1948, Birmingham, England) is a British singer and songwriter, considered one of Britainâs foremost rhythm and blues vocalists. Beginning in the mid-1960s, Winwood wrote and performed a wide array of hits that combined blues, folk, rock, pop, and jazz. He was a member of the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith before forging a successful solo career.
Winwoodâs father was a foundry worker and part-time musician. Winwood developed an interest in music at an early age. The first instrument that he learned to play was the piano, and his first public vocal performance was in his church choir. As a teenager he learned the bass, guitar, and drums while immersing himself in American blues and the new sounds of rock and roll. At age 15 he dropped out of school to join his brother in a rock band, the Spencer Davis Group. As vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist, he helped the group achieve two hit singles, âIâm a Manâ and âGimme Some Lovinâ.â
By 1967 Winwood was ready to start his own band and formed Traffic, an experimental psychedelic pop ensemble that became known for its hit albums John Barleycorn Must Die (1970) and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971). During the seven years Traffic played together, Winwood briefly quit the group to play with Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, and Ric Grech in Blind Faith; the members of both bands changed frequently.
When Traffic dissolved in 1974, Winwood decided to pursue a solo career. He returned to his home in Gloucestershire, where he built his own studio and spent several years working on his first solo album, Steve Winwood (1977), which was a modest success. His next album, Arc of a Diver (1980), scored well with critics and the public and spawned the hit single âWhile You See a Chance.â Both Talking Back to the Night (1982) and Back in the High Life (1986), which contained the Grammy-winning song âHigher Love,â achieved platinum status. The following year, Winwood and producer Russ Titelman shared a Grammy Award for record of the year for their work on Back in the High Life, and Winwood won the Grammy Award for best male pop vocal performance for âHigher Love.â
The greatest hits compilation Chronicles (1987) was followed by Roll with It (1988), a platinum album that featured the hit single âDonât You Know What the Night Can Do?â, and by Refugees of the Heart (1990). In the 1990s Winwood resumed touring, with artists such as Robert Cray, and assembled a much-heralded Traffic revival with drummer Jim Capaldi, which resulted in the Traffic album Far from Home (1994). He also released The Finer Things (1995), a four-CD retrospective of his career. In 2004 Traffic, with Winwood as a member, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Winwood later continued his career touring with other bands, including stints in North America with Rod Stewart in 2013 and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in 2014. In 2023 he performed âHigher Loveâ at a concert at Windsor Castle to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.