Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood's career as a musician goes back to his teenage years, when he and his brother Muff joined the successful Spencer Davis Group - famed for their hit single 'Gimme Some Lovin''. Taking three of the band with him, Winwood left and formed Traffic in 1967, enjoying some success with their new R&B style before splitting two years later. He then went on to collaborate with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker under the name Blind Faith - so called due to the number of bookings they scored before even writing any material. The pressure was on and their self-titled debut hit the shelves to much acclaim in 1969 but sadly it wasn't enough to keep the group together. Winwood then enjoyed a brief dalliance with Ginger Baker's Air Force before regrouping Traffic and releasing comeback album 'John Barleycorn Must Die' in 1970. Several more albums followed before the band once again went their separate ways.

After a brief episode as a session musician, Winwood returned to the stage with his eponymous solo album in 1977 before disappearing from the limelight until 1980; a pattern that he was to repeat over his career. In 1986 he released 'Back in the High Life', an instant hit and home to his first number one single 'Higher Love'. His popularity waxed and waned throughout the '90s but he had developed a loyal fanbase and continued to churn out tunes into the 2000s, with 'Nine Lives' in 2008 proving a hit with a number 12 position on the Billboard 200. After taking another break, Winwood released his 'Greatest Hits Live' album in 2017.