Where/Who: Harris Park. Rock The Park V takes place from July 23-26. For tickets and more info, call (519) 672-1967.
London, ON - The number of truly significant musical talents from the halcyon days of classic British rock and blues bands that ran roughly from 1965 to 1975 is dwindling steadily due to attrition created by death, retirement and, sometimes, unfairly imposed obscurity due to lack of public recognition.
Steve Winwood is one member of this increasingly exclusive club who shows no signs of giving up the ghost, retiring or slipping between the cracks of public recognition. This may be in no small part due to the fact that his recording career began at the ripe old age of 17, when he electrified radio listeners with the powerful vocalizing that soared authoritatively above an uncompromising wall of Hammond B3 organ flourishes, making songs like ‘Gimme Some Lovin’’ and ‘I’m A Man’ worldwide smash hits for the Spencer Davis Group during his tenure as lead vocalist.
Although his career went on to include being a founding member of Traffic, a band that would have far-reaching influence, Winwood also found time for a guest appearance on the landmark Jimi Hendrix LP Electric Ladyland as well as a short run as vocalist for British supergroup Blind Faith. He wisely avoided falling into the traps of alcoholism and drug addiction that have prematurely ended the careers and lives of so many of his peers and, sometimes, bandmates. Today, approaching the age of 60, Winwood has weathered the years well, and he continues to enjoy a successful solo career while humbly ignoring his status as a rock music icon.
His newest CD, Nine Lives, has been well-received by both critics and fans alike, and for good reason. Winwood says that the way the album was written and recorded accounts for the relaxed and warmly confident quality it exhibits.
“What happened was I became inspired by what my band had been playing in jams and informal get-togethers. So it was quite different. Nine Lives was largely cut live and probably a little bit more organic and natural the way it all came about,” Winwood told Billboard.com recently.
The musicians in his band have been working with him for several years, allowing Winwood to explore his new songwriting partnerships with former Metro frontman Peter Godwin and band guitarist Jose Neto, a Brazilian player who has previously worked with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Ongoing collaboration with the same group of players also enabled Winwood to polish all the songs on Nine Lives before entering the studio, something he hasn’t been able to do since his Traffic days. His new album continues to reflect Winwood’s ongoing desire to keep his music fresh by always adding new sounds and sonic accents to his recordings.
“It’s a bit like a celebrity chef adding unusual flavors that people don’t usually expect. It’s something I’ve always tried to do consciously, right from early Traffic days where we used elements of African music, English folk music, rock and jazz,” Winwood states on Stevewinwood.com.
Currently on the road with Tom Petty and clearly energized by a three-night stand at Madison Square Garden with old friend Eric Clapton earlier this year that was by all reports a stand-out occasion, Steve Winwood is still a musical force to be reckoned with who continues to be what he has always truly been, a working musican.
